Headcat 13: “Headcat 13” (2020) CD Review

Headcat 13 is the project of singer and guitarist Danny B. Harvey. This rockabilly band began a couple of decades ago as The Head Cat, with Danny B. Harvey on guitar, Lemmy Kilmister (from Motorhead) on vocals and bass, and Slim Jim Phantom (from The Stray Cats) on drums. After Lemmy’s death in 2015, David Vincent took over on bass and vocals. And now the band is made up of Danny B. Harvey on vocals, guitar and keyboards; Alan Davey (from Hawkwind, a band that at one time included Lemmy) on vocals and bass; and Paul Vezelis (from The Frantic Flattops) on drums. The group’s self-titled album contains a mix of original material and covers of some classic rock and roll tunes, delivered with a lot of energy. We are fortunate that people are still making music like this. Good, delicious rock and roll.

The album opens with an original track, “Let’s Go Crazy,” written by Danny B. Harvey. It comes on strong, a good, solid rock song with some powerful work on electric guitar, and lyrics that take us back to some of the early rock and roll tunes. “Let’s go crazy/Let’s go have a ball.” That guitar work at times has a blues rock base, and other times is firmly in the rockabilly realm, and it always moves and pulses. The line I especially love is “You’re going to feel my mule kicking deep inside your stall.” A fun way to kick off the album. That’s followed by “Wigglin’ And A Jigglin’,” another original tune, this one written by Alan Davey. This one also comes on strong, with a harder rock sound and a good thumping groove. There is nothing timid about this music. Those backing vocals come as a delightful surprise, adding a lighter tone and feel to the track. That’s Annie Marie Lewis on vocals, niece of Jerry Lee Lewis. This track also features a fiery lead on electric guitar.

The first cover of the album is Fleetwood Mac’s “Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite,” written by Jeremy Spencer. Hey, it’s rock and roll, so I suppose we can forgive the two problems with the song’s title – that is, the misspelling of “tonight” and the grammatical problem of “their.” This is from early in Fleetwood Mac’s career, before the girls joined the band. Anyway, it is a seriously fun song, using classic rock and roll sounds, particularly in the guitar work. Nothing serious here. That’s followed by “That’s It That’s All,” a bluesy rock song that reminds me a bit of early AC/DC (though not on the chorus). “You tear me up by the things you do/You make me sorry I’m in love with you.” It was written by Danny B. Harvey. This trio then delivers a heavy, rocking rendition of “Route 66.” Oh yes, listening to this version, we can all believe that kicks are still to be had on that road. It is making me eager to get on the road. That desire is growing more insistent, and I think I’ll be adding this version to my road trip play list. That is followed by another song to add to your road trip play list, “Psycho Daisies,” with its lyrics mentioning various states and cities. And in fact “kicks” are also mentioned in its first lines, “Pennsylvania snow is pretty thick/Michigan ain’t where I get my kicks.” This track has another good thumping beat, and some great stuff on guitar, short solos positioned in between moments with that beat. And then suddenly it’s over.

“Reckless, Wild And Crazy” is a lively, rocking song about being a wild boy, boasting, “I’m going to keep on rockin’ until I’m six feet in the ground.” And hell, listening to this track, I don’t doubt it for a second. No empty boast there. In fact, there is a good chance these guys will keep rocking even after that. “Reckless, Wild And Crazy” was written by Danny B. Harvey. That’s followed by another rocking number, “Don’t Look  Back,” written by Alan Davey. Clearly, these guys are not interested in slowing down. Then their cover of “Have Love Will Travel” is just a whole lot of fun, one to get you dancing with abandon, and featuring more fantastic work on electric guitar. This song was written by Richard Berry, the guy who wrote “Louie, Louie,” and there are some similarities between the two songs.  “Well, if you need loving, girl, you know I’ll travel.” That’s followed by a great cover of “Susie Q,” which certainly takes at least some of its inspiration from the CCR version. There is a great deal of energy and power behind this rendition, making it totally enjoyable.

The album’s final original tune is “Come Out And Play,” written by Danny B. Harvey. This one makes use of that wonderful Bo Diddley beat, in a way similar to “Willie And The Hand Jive,” and is a fun track. “I want to take you far away/Want you with me every day/Hey, pretty baby, come out and play.” The album then concludes with a rocking cover of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On.” “We ain’t fakin’/A whole lot of shakin’ going on.” Oh yes! Danny is rocking the keyboard on this track, and Annie Marie Lewis joins the band again on vocals for this one, which is perfect. A really good ending to a fun album of rock and roll.

CD Track List

1. Let’s Go Crazy
2. Wigglin’ And A Jigglin’
3. Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite
4. That’s It That’s All
5. Route 66
6. Psycho Daisies
7. Reckless, Wild And Crazy
8. Don’t Look Back
9. Have Love Will Travel
10. Susie Q
11. Come Out And Play
12. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On

Headcat 13 was released on July 24, 2020, and is available on both CD and vinyl.