Ruckus in Real Time

Description

Ruckus in Real Time is the sole album by the British rock combo Billy Penn’s Brother & The Telephone Church (Richard Nicholson’s one-man project Billy Penn’s Brother backed by members of Lies Damned Lies), released on Sticky Music in 1992. The album was recorded at Heaven in Dalry, Scotland. Digital edit and mastering by David Wright. All tracks written by Richard Nicholson except track 5, a song written by Bob Dylan and originally featured on his 1978-album, Street Level.

Featuring Richard Nicholson on lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and harmonica; Dot Reid on acoustic piano, keyboards, and background vocals; Charlie Irvine on lead guitar and background vocals; Steve Butler on bass and background vocals; and Eddy John on drums and percussion. (Reid, Irvine, and Butler of Lies Damned Lies fame.) Rap vocal on track 6 provided by Northstar with rhythm programming by Sugar For Ma Honey.

Richard Nicholson, better known as Billy Penn’s Bother, has long been a favourite of Cross Rhythms. His is an impassioned voice of and anger, speaking with all the power of the prophet while the Western world entertains itself to death and the church looks on in incomprehending irrelevancy. Now Richard/Billy has forsaken (momentarily or temporarily I know not which) his folkey acoustic in favour of a hard-edged rock band which a glance at the CD inlay will reveal to be Lies Damned Lies. Has the transformation worked? I’d say definitely. The band intuitively find the right feel and groove to a set of songs many of which are dark in imagery and theme, and at times I was reminded of Dylan during his ‘Blood On The Tracks’ era. In fact, there’s a Dylan song on this set, a stark revival of «Is Your Love In Vain». But it’s Mr Nicholson’s own tangled, jarring images of urban hopelessness and pain which dominate here. Songs about obsessive human love but little that hints at transcendent hope. Maybe that’s why this is such an uncomfortable listening experience. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, February 1993]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/ruckus-in-real-time/1617410610)

CD tracklist:

01. When The War Is Over
02. Taxi To Treblinka
03. Melon Moon
04. Come Walk With Me
05. Is Your Love In Vain?
06. Scream (If You Want To Go)
07. Floating
08. Walk On Water
09. Small Traffic (City Song)
10. Nervous

Note: Re-issued on CD by Sticky Music in 1995, featuring new cover artwork.