Gilby ClarkeSwag
By
Frank Meyer,
Contributing Editor
Thursday, January 10, 2002 @ 4:23 PM
(Spitfire)
Gilby Clarke has always been a rock n’ roller. From his early days in Hollywood bands like Candy and Kills For Thrills to his tenure in Guns N’ Roses all the way through his solo career and recent band Col. Parker, Gilby has always kept his guitar slung low, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips, and his bottle of Whiskey close by his side. Little known fact, Gilby played session guitar on Kim Fowley’s second attempt at the Runaways in the early ‘80s. It was miserable but it’s still pretty cool to be a guy and say you were in the Runaways. Anyways, Swag is Gilby’s latest solo stab and another in the long line of meat and potatoes hard rock that he seems to revel in. You can tell Gilby must scratch his head when he hears the detuned rumblings of the post-Korn generation when he was clearly weaned on Keith Richards, the Faces, Tom Petty and the Clash. And that’s pretty much the territory he straddles here too.
“Alien” and “Under The Gun” are straight ahead riff rockers that could be off any Wildhearts or Michael Monroe effort from the ‘90s. Numbers like “Broken Down Car,” “Crocodile Tears,” and “I’m Nobody” tread the coveted Cheap Trick power pop territory, while “Judgement Day” could be right off a later day Enuff Z’Nuff album (and that’s a good thing). “Beware of the Dog” is probably the closest thing to GN’R, with it’s tough, grooving wah wah riff and knockout chorus. “Heart of Chrome” finds Gilby doing what he does best, pounding away on some slammin’ guitar parts and a memorable tuneful hook, sorta like Dramarama with bigger guitars or Paul Westerberg with more balls. “Warm Country Sun” and “Margarita” take that patented Bo Diddley tom tom rhythm and wrap some hefty power chords around it to make it snarl a bit more. Finally Gilby closes the set with a blistering spot on version of David Bowie’s epic “Diamond Dogs” just to seal the deal and letcha know exactly where he’s coming from.
Gilby produced this himself out of his own Redrum studio in Los Angeles and the production is solid. Put it this way, it sounds more like a mid-‘70s Aerosmith record than a late-‘90s CD. No drum loops, no rapping, no synths. This is just good ol' fashioned rock n' roll, man. Know what I mean? Rock on, Gilby…rock on…
MattMcCready - 4/9/2002 12:34:39 PM Just seen Gilby in Nottingham (thank god he came to England!), and i must admit i was very dubious as to how good he would be after owning his previous albums, but i have to say THE MAN ROCKED!!!!!! He was absolutley awesome. And i caught his plectrum!! Nice! =)
MattMcCready - 4/9/2002 12:34:32 PM Just seen Gilby in Nottingham (thank god he came to England!), and i must admit i was very dubious as to how good he would be after owning his previous albums, but i have to say THE MAN ROCKED!!!!!! He was absolutley awesome. And i caught his plectrum!! Nice! =)
MAURINO - 3/14/2002 11:34:48 AM HEART OF CHROME SI VERY VERY GOOD!!!!!!!ROCK ON!!!!GILBY THE BEST
emilus - 2/5/2002 1:37:01 PM wow, this album is really good, in my opinion gilbys greatest so far. my favourite tune is probably "heart of chrome" or "alien".
amy71 - 1/30/2002 6:50:44 PM I got this cd last week and it is well worth picking up if you haven't already. Can't wait for Gilby to get on tour next month and hopefully we can get to see him in Struthers, Ohio! I think my fav song is Crocodile Tears, but I like all of them!
perkman - 1/23/2002 6:57:25 PM I just bought the new album and its worth picking up. Good old fashioned rock n' roll. Just what we all need!
AxeSlinger - 1/18/2002 1:50:17 AM No offense ladies, Just sayin' that Gilby's well known in Hollywood (BTW: what ever happened to Sam Mann?Anybody know?)But, to most of suburban America , He's just another one of the line up in G'n'R's Fall from Grace.A name for a band can go a long way.If it fits the mode.
AxeSlinger - 1/17/2002 10:29:33 PM With tunes like these,Gilby would probably do better to quit riding on his name. Maybe he ought to try ...
oh.."Blast a Bitch"
parasite74 - 1/17/2002 9:03:12 PM THIS JUST IN......TOMMY THAYER TO REPLACE ACE FREHLEY IN KISS. KISS WILL BE DOING A SHOW NEXT MONTH IN NYC AND THE LINE-UP WILL BE SCAB BOY ERIC SINGER PLAYING THE ROLE OF PETER CRISS AND THAYER AS FREHLEY. GENE AND PAUL=ASSHOLES!!! GO TO WWW.EDDIETRUNK.COM FOR MORE.
perkman - 1/17/2002 6:30:42 PM This is still too funny! Can somebody say DOUCE BAG because parasite74 probably can't spell it! Reign69 has it right. Hey parasite74 did you see Peter on HBO's "Oz" the other night? You know that probably wasn't him acting on that show either! Ha! Ha! Ha!Ha! Ha!
parasite74 - 1/17/2002 3:51:33 PM SUCK MY DICK.
Reign69 - 1/17/2002 10:05:41 AM Parasite74...dick boy. Here's a writing 101 tip (since you probably are like Jethro and finished only up to the 6th grade). When you argue a point, it's a good idear to support it with clear facts instead of writing stupid dumbass mono-syllabic sentences. From your writings about good ol' Pete I have made these assumptions about you.
1-You're a musical braindead idiot
2-You're taking it up the ass from Peter as we speak.
3-You're probably a really great drummer........hahhahehahhh. Naww....jus' kidding.
Cheezy - 1/17/2002 9:35:18 AM I bet Gilby Clarke would be a great drummer for Kiss!
depressed - 1/16/2002 9:54:59 PM i want a hot woman to bring a free copy of this record to me immediately
missy73 - 1/16/2002 8:38:49 PM Since this has turned into a KISS rant page I would like to say that PAUL STANLEY IS NOT GAY. HE'S FUCKING SEXY AS HELL! I feel much better now.
Gilby Clarke has always been a rock n’ roller. From his early days in Hollywood bands like Candy and Kills For Thrills to his tenure in Guns N’ Roses all the way through his solo career and recent band Col. Parker, Gilby has always kept his guitar slung low, a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips, and his bottle of Whiskey close by his side. Little known fact, Gilby played session guitar on Kim Fowley’s second attempt at the Runaways in the early ‘80s. It was miserable but it’s still pretty cool to be a guy and say you were in the Runaways. Anyways, Swag is Gilby’s latest solo stab and another in the long line of meat and potatoes hard rock that he seems to revel in. You can tell Gilby must scratch his head when he hears the detuned rumblings of the post-Korn generation when he was clearly weaned on Keith Richards, the Faces, Tom Petty and the Clash. And that’s pretty much the territory he straddles here too. 
