If you wish the early Who were still around, along with The Jam and The Kinks, or if—even more—you wish that any pairing of the three could have spawned a band that will keep making noise until you’re old enough to need a hearing aid, Len Price 3 will bring you nothing but joy. Over the course of four albums or so, the English trio have stayed true to their original vision, though their sound benefits from just a spit shine’s worth of cleanup from their earliest days. The title track to Nobody Knows has the porous, craggy edges of The Hives at their best, but everything else here hews to the vintage aesthetic that the crew set out to pay homage to. “Swing Like a Monkey” has a terrific, warbly organ straight out of 1968, and “My Grandad Jim” will have you scrambling to see if it’s a Who cover (it’s not). Occasionally they head for something like a Merseybeat pop sound, as on the rainy-day confection “Lonely,” the jangly and pastoral “Medway Sun,” and the freewheeling “Vultures” (yes, that’s a trumpet you hear). If you’re looking for a Billy Childish–style kick in the teeth, “Words Won’t Come” and “Billy Mason” deliver. Raucous, punchy, poppy, and fun, all in one? You know it.
Other Versions
- 13 Songs
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