The Reverend Horton Heat- It's Martini Time

It's Martini Time is The Reverend Horton Heat's fourth album, which was released in 1996.

It was also my introduction to the world of psychobilly. Having fond childhood memories of my parents Bill Haley records, this combination of rock'n'roll with heavier forms of rock was a revelation for me.

While most songs contain lyrics, the songs are very much instrumentals, with lots of instrumental breaks and solos. As far as sound quality goes, the double-bass and drums are often a bit muddy and lost in the background. But this may be a trade-off for the double-bass having a characterful sound, in which case I will happily forgive the muddiness. As per the bands style, the sound has a few rough edges and the menacing vocals mightn't be to everyone's taste.

But it certainly is to my taste! Big Red Rocket of Love, Generation Why, Now Right Now, Spell on Me all feature great guitar riffs, franticly buzzing verses and headbanging choruses. My pick is Spell on Me for the way its section seamlessly blend into each other. Also the semi-obscure drug references (eg "Louisiana Snowball") are kinda cool.

Slow reduces the tempo for a menacing "stroller" style which works a treat. The thrashing chorus seems a bit out of place to me, although it's quite a good psychobilly chorus in isolation. The pace is dropped even further for the psychobilly ballad (is that an oxymoron?!) Or Is It Just Me. This song has wonderfully touching lyrics and the simple riff is a highlight of the album for me.

The instrumentals (Slingshot and Forbidden Jungle) are wonderfully moody and feature surf-rock influences. They also add some horns into the mix, which are impressively well integrated.

Spoken word isn't my cup of tea, hence That's Showbiz doesn't really appeal. I shouldn't criticise it though, because the words and jazz backing are both interesting in their own right.

Now for the lighthearted cheesy songs: It's Martini Time, Crooked Cigarette and Cowboy Love. The elements of It's Martini Time are all excellent, but it feels a bit disjointed for the first minute or so. Crooked Cigarette is quite similar, and a bit catchier in my book. Cowboy Love is a tongue-in-cheek country/rockabilly homosexual love song. Hopefully this isn't a homophobic statment, but I find the gay cowboy euphemisms very amusingly cheeky.

Favourite songs

Big Red Rocket of Love, Generation Why, Slingshot, Time to Pray, Crooked Cigarette, Rock This Joint, Cowboy Love, Now Right Now, Spell on Me, Or Is It Just Me, Forbidden Jungle

Worthwhile?

The perfect introduction to psychobilly.