My Top 20 Albums From 1976 No 16

It's Red Card by Streetwalkers
Red Card Streetwalkers
Blues Rock, Hard Rock
Year:
1976
Tracklist
Run For Cover
Me An' Me Horse An' Me Rum
Crazy Charade
Daddy Rolling Stone
Roll Up Roll Up
Between Us
Shotgun Messiah
Decadence Code
SONG BY SONG REVIEW by Patrick Little

This album, the highest charting album from the Streetwalkers, has no acoustic songs on it. As Don Zwicker suggested that the acoustic numbers were a strong link to their past in Family, maybe they wanted a straight ahead rock image. Of course, they continued these quieter numbers live.

“Shotgun Messiah” sounds a little fuzzy on my copy, and one of the choruses of “Roll Up, Roll Up” has a sonic glitch in it; the overall sound of this Repertoire CD is a little shady. Kind of depressing since it was so expensive! Is it just my copy???

I think Repertoire only carries titles for a short time, so they probably don’t put much into restoration. This means that someone in the future could!

Note: the See For Miles CD with four tracks from Red Card sounds quite a bit better.

1. “Run For Cover”
The band strikes up again, with some nice string accompaniment to the heaviness. Complex tune, many sections. Charlie’s ever-weird chord changes, and some sweet slide in overdrive. Super-funky bass sound, and sounds like some clavinet in there. Tench’s voice is sadly absent until the song’s end. The ending section is effectively tension-filled. Couldn’t tell you what the song is about.

2. “Me An’ Me Horse An’ Me Rum”
Very cool 12-string riff, into a slunky crawl. The Leslie-amps and volume pedals create an odd atmosphere. Again, very funky bass. A West Indian blues of some sort, perhaps influenced by Tench.

3. “Crazy Charade”
Although Chappo’s other lyrics no less inventive, the words really overtake the music on this song. A narrative of a timeless entity, and it’s not often that “fantasy” comes into play with this band. The Tench/Chappo vocal combo is put to good use with a call-and-response. Some interesting wah-effects throughout.

4. “Daddy Rolling Stone”
A casual break after the preceding epic. A rough and ready take on the 1953 original. This, “Crawfish” and Family’s “Rockin’ Pneumonia…” all might be early signs of Roger’s future Riffburglars.

5. “Roll Up, Roll Up”
FM 70’s radio melodies and harmonies, but with many angular guitars. COOL Tench vocals (man, he was a smooth cat) and a twin-slide solo. Usually the ‘Walkers songs use bridges that aren’t very strong, but this one is good to set up the solo. Ends with the same climbing guitar.

6. “Between Us”
Whew, this is a weird one. Mandolin? Maximum-Leslie effect? A macho tribute to the WWII effort, complete with snare roll and a quote of “The Marines’ Hymn”. And a completely strange musical bridge, almost unsettling.

7. “Shotgun Messiah”
Along with “Run For Cover”, one of the most memorable tracks from the album. A live staple, but not exceptional in my opinion. Too weak and segmented, apart from the classic opening riff which is one of the most confident Streetwalkers moments.

8. “Decadence Code”
The CD lists this track as only 3 1/2 minutes, but it is actually 6. The song has a tragic “despair with humanity” feel to it. There’s a lot of contrasting textures and Leslie rotary-effect. A string section is used again for some nice riffs, and it’s very “ELO” sounding, courtesy of Wilf Gibson. A nice composition, just not too cheery. There is a great solo in this which always reminds me of classic weepy Jimmy Page; I don’t know if it is Charlie Whitney or Bob Tench.

9. “Hole In Your Pocket” - (US LP, Rep. CD bonus track)
Not a bad tune at all… heavily driven by clavinet. Heck, I’d like ANYTHING with clavinet. Chorused guitar kicks off this little soul tune. Great chorus, but some cheesy “talk-box”.
Crazy Charade
I know you know me, though I have no name
I invented lightning just to chase the rain
Screwed up a whirlwind just to hear it cry
Made friends with the Devil then I set him - on fire

I know - you know, though I have no name
I know - you know, though I have no name
I know - you know, though I have no name

I strode the desert when the Sphinx was sand
Pulled up a range of mountains with one hand
I watched ’em throw up out the boiling wrath
Scooped out the oceans and I sat down and laughed

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Hey Lisa, ya teaser, come on with that grin
Them stony old eyes, I know where ya bin
That crazy old smile with a hint of sin
Them stony old eyes, they know I been in

Venus de Milo had plenty of charm
And I’d never pulled no chick with one arm
And when I did, she come down on hard
No I’d never pulled no chick with one arm

Made love to Venus she was just a child
Gave Mona Lisa her mysterious smile
I was the venom, the poison, spit by Cleo’s asp
I bit her - I hit her, that’s a fact

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Am I the Angel of Love
Am I the Angel of Sin
Am I the Angel of real
Am I the Angel of dream
Am I an angel of or just in between

Hey Cleo - get that snake in the yard
Get your arse over her - or get the RED CARD
I’m checking out this CRAZY CHARADE

Decadence Code
Well the tenement was crowded so I went up to the roof on my own
I looked down at the city, at the sidewalk, at the heart of the stone

People shouting “buy me,” people shouting “sell me,”
Got to get to a phone
People shouting “buy me,” people shouting “sell me,”
Got to get to a phone

Meanwhile breathing through the city
It come sneaking through the city
Breathing through the city comes a spine
Oh they call the decadence road

Well I look down at the faces going place, destination unknown
And the cars are just like mouses, little houses, scurrying here to and fro

With the city getting tighter, and the energies are higher than norm
With the city getting tighter, and the energies are higher than norm

They’re slipping slowly down the guttering
Slowly down the guttering
Slowly down the guttering, uttering
Oh they’re uttering - The Decadence Code

And they’re busting up the sidewalk, just so the government can widen the road
I said they’re busting up the sidewalk so the government can widen the road

But the people singing quietly
Singing oh so quietly
People singing quietly the hymn the call
Oh The Decadence Code

Little lady going homeward, even I can see she’s stoned as a dope
While her gentleman walks slowly, like he’s holy, or just given up hope

Gotta climb down off the roof, now I just remembered got to get to a phone
Gotta climb down off the roof, now I just remembered got to get to a phone

Rejoin the choir getting higher
Just people singing quiet
People singing quietly the hymn the call