The album opens with “One Day Left,” one of the original songs written by Robert Gordon. It’s about a woman getting ready to leave him, and we get the sense that it is the end of a marriage, as he makes a playful reference to wedding traditions early in the song: “Wearing something old, baby, something new/Something borrowed, honey, I’ll be blue.” And he has just one day to sort out his feelings before she goes. “Well, there’s only one day left until forever/And I’m afraid that’s at least how long you’re going to be gone/‘Til then I’ll keep on trying to forget about you/I need you so badly, what can I do/I’ve only got one day left until tomorrow.” That’s followed by a song written by Chris Spedding, “Please Don’t.” This one is about missing a woman. Check out these lines, which open the song: “I have missed you/Like the flower misses rain/I have missed you/Like my morphine misses pain/I have seen you/In my night and in my day/Please don’t go away.” Fantastic. And what a great vocal performance he delivers here, sounding so damn cool, even as he begs. This is one of my personal favorites of the album.
The first cover of the album is “Have I The Right,” written by Alan Howard Blaikley and recorded by The Honeycombs in 1964. Robert Gordon seems to be having a good time with this song, and there is a delightful power to his vocals. David Van Tieghem plays drums on this track. They then go back to the original material with “Middle Of The Night,” which was written by Robert Gordon, Albert Bouchard and Mark Barkan. Something about that guitar work gives this song a bit of a 1980s vibe. This is more of a rock song, the approach so straightforward, so honest, so cool, and featuring another damn fine vocal performance, helping to make it another of my favorites. “If you think about love/In the middle of the night/Come on, call me up/It’s gonna be all right/If you think about love, baby/In the middle of the night.” It feels like this one would have been a hit, doesn’t it? And it would be now, if things made any sense. That’s followed by “Signs Of Love,” this one was written by Chris Spedding. There is a 1980s thing happening here too. “Searching out/What just ain’t there/You’re looking for signs of love/You won’t find.” And these lines make me smile: “Paint your face/Or fix your hair/If that’s what you think/Keeps me here.”
We are then treated to delicious classic sounds on “I’ll Make It Right,” a song written by Gerry Williams, and featuring some wonderful work on guitar. That’s followed by a cover of “Why (Doncha Be My Girl),” a song written by Vernon Sandusky and recorded by The Chartbusters in 1964. As it starts, there is a punk energy, a garage rock sound, though the vocal performance has something of a sweet aspect to it. “Well, there ain’t no use to/Fighting the way we do/You’re gonna break my heart/And I’m gonna break yours too/Why don’t we kiss and just forget the past.” This one also features some good work on guitar. “I Saw A Smile” is an original song, written by Robert Gordon, Albert Bouchard and Mark Barkan. It has a strong, steady, insistent beat, and is a lot of fun. “I never thought I would see/Someone like you with me/But then I saw a smile/I saw it in your eyes.”
One of my favorite covers on this disc is “Don’t Let Go,” a song written by Jesse A. Stone. This is one that I saw Jerry Garcia Band perform a few times, and that’s how I first learned about it. This version by Robert Gordon has a strong Bo Diddley beat. I totally dig the way Robert Gordon delivers it, particularly the way he sings these lines: “Hound dog barkin’ upside the hill/Love is draggin’ him through the mill/If it wasn’t for havin’ you/I’d be barkin’ and howlin’ too.” I’m used to the backing vocalists singing “Don’t let go, don’t let go” between lines, but I’m digging this version without that. It has more of a raw sound. That’s followed by “Girl Like You.” Am I crazy, or does this one also have a 1980s feel at moments? “I’m going out looking for something to do/I gotta find a girl exactly like you,” he sings in this one. This song was written by Robert Gordon, Albert Bouchard and Mark Barkan. I love the little wink in his voice as he sings, “Likes to do the things I like to do.” This is a good rock song, and I dig Tony Garnier’s work on bass.
The rest of the tracks are covers, beginning with “Please Don’t Touch,” a song written by Fred Heath and Guy Robinson, and originally recorded by Johnny Kidd And The Pirates. It was also covered by Motörhead. This version by Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding is fantastic, with a great energy. That’s followed by a fun rendition of “Tell Him No,” written by Travis Pritchett, and recorded by Travis & Bob in 1959. There is something so delightfully innocent about this song. “When he asks for a kiss, tell him no, tell him no.” Robert Gordon delivers another excellent vocal performance on his cover of Ral Donner’s “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got.” I had forgotten about this song. When I saw the title on the CD case, I was thinking of the Joan Jett song. “You don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it/You gave me all your love, but I abused it.” The album then concludes with “Believe What You Say,” a song originally recorded by Ricky Nelson and included on his 1959 album Ricky Sings Again. This song touches on a similar theme to “Tell Him No,” but rather than directly telling the woman not to accept anyone else’s advances, in this one the guy believes that the woman is only interested in him. Maybe he’s right, who knows? What we do know is that this song features some great stuff on guitar.
CD Track List
- One Day Left
- Please Don’t
- Have I The Right
- Middle Of The Night
- Signs Of Love
- I’ll Make It Right
- Why (Doncha Be My Girl)
- I Saw A Smile
- Don’t Let Go
- Girl Like You
- Please Don’t Touch
- Tell Him No
- You Don’t Know What You’ve Got
- Believe What You Say
Hellafied was
released on November 25, 2022 on Cleopatra Records.
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