Brian Godding – Slaughter on Shaftesbury Avenue (Reckless)

It's a world of guitar heroes, isn't it? Some of them can't even play the damn instrument, but they were born to be heroes nonetheless (hell, even Kurt Cobain managed to become an icon). That an accomplished guitarist and composer such as Brian Godding is so mildly recognized, despite a long tenure with Mike Westbrook and collaborations with Julie Tippetts, Magma, Centipede among the many (not to mention his own Blossom Toes), remains a scandalous injustice. This album - his only official solo release - dates from 1988, this writer calling it a genuine desert island disc, totally eschewing cliches its noticeable influences notwithstanding.

A sweat-stained effort, muscularly refined and technically heavy-handed, Slaughter on Shaftesbury Avenue features tracks recorded between 1981 and 1986 with three different lineups: G.L.S. (Steve Lamb, bass; Steve Bull, keyboards; Dave Sheen, drums), Outer Routes (Lamb again plus Dave Barry on drums), and Full Monte (Chris Briscoe, sax and Tony Marsh, drums). Highlights: "Blue Sun" begins with breathtaking volume pedal-driven chordal swells, then shifts gear to “cultivated headbanger” areas through an energetic charge of ternary compounds imbued of rock attitude. "Three-legged duck" is built upon a semitone-fueled riff that Jimmy Page couldn’t even dream about, yet is known by hardcore aficionados exclusively. "Stars in Stripes" is a carnival of furious axe-screaming and scarcely responsive guitar synthesizer over a convulsive rhythm section: if you listen via walkman on your way to work, there’s a serious risk of being nominated for the “new fool of the neighbourhood” prize due to excess of smirking in the streets. Godding’s blue collar virtuosity pumps up the whole, virulent enthusiasm dripping off every single pore of mine whenever I spin the bloody thing.

~ Massimo Ricci