If I hadn’t seen reunited original punks The Gears in ’07 and ’08 in their native L.A, I’d have never believed they could manage such equally youthful, enthusiastic music 30 years later. But like their live act, Four is as fun, enervating, loose, and roots-infused as the LP they left us with, 1980’s Rockin’ at Ground Zero. Recorded in 2003 but only released now (fittingly on old What? Records purveyor Chris Ashford’s Wondercap), its three new originals (plus a wonderfully punked-up cover of Chuck Berry’s 1958 #2 “Sweet Little Sixteen”— reclaiming it from nearby Hawthorne’s Beach Boys 1963 #3 “Surfin’ USA” conversion!) could serve as bonus tracks on a Rockin’ reissue without complaint. As anyone who’s seen him (or his other, also-reunited Controllers) knows, classic axe-man Kidd Spike is an evergreen riffing maniac storming through this vinyl, the right man for the right format. Moreover, decades have failed to dull frontman Axel G. Reese’s natural wildman act, as comically madcap as he’s still throaty-good. Original bassist Brian Redz remains rock solid, too, and incestuous fill-in Sean Antillon is an even match for AWOL (but back now) Dave Drive. Wow-ee!
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