Last Great Dreamers // Crash Landing In Teenage Heaven
Second album from the long lost but soon to return cult dandies of Rock 'n' Roll
Release 1st September 2014
Last Great Dreamers // Crash Landing In Teenage Heaven Ray Records
Dogs D'Amour, Quireboys, Cheap And Nasty, Kill City Dragons, Last Great Dreamers, Gunfire Dance.... Big-haired, panda-eyed UK-based rockers with the swagger of the Stones and Faces, stomp of Mott and Slade, attitude of the Stooges, Dolls and Clash. Timeless but out of time, the scene was breaking out when grunge and Britpop knocked it back underground.
The Dreamers were among the very best, adding hearty doses of Bolan boogie and Kinksesque story-telling to the template. 1994's debut and – until now – only album Retrosexual was chockfull of classic songs let down by unsympathetic production and label woes.
Recorded between 1995 and 1997, this follow up is enthralling from opener No. 1 Wonderboy to closer Crash Landing In Teenage Heaven.
Single Ashtray Eyes is foot-stamping, singalong powerpop monster. Ballads Hello and Gold Painted Butterfly are redolent of stadia, without pretension, full of heart. Sci-Fi Louise’s dubby verse building to a huge chorus. The rest filter the best of Britrock from the 60s on with glorious results.
Norfolk boy Marc has one of the great lost rock voices. Slyder’s lead work is always tasty, tasteful, rich and inventive as Mick Ronson. The duo’s songs deserve a huge audience. Maybe it’s not too late.
Pavlis (9.5/10)
