Reviewed by James Attlee

True to the Hendrix-inspired moniker, Hey joe come on heavily psychedelic with "Horsefly", the opener to this selection - all phase and wah-wah pedals from the Jimi-would-be on guitar, and a drum and bass style not dissimilar from those Experience boys of yesteryear, except Hey Joe aren't quite able to make the breaks all at the same time. Grunge rock with pleasantly daft lyrics. Then they defy all expectations with a boldly original move - track two is the same song, with the same arrangement, recorded under slightly less primeval conditions. Despite the increased clarity, it's reassuring to hear them still just miss those tricky stop starts. Stylistically there is divergence from late 60s homage territory. The tape includes some tracks from 1989, as well as newly recorded demos of the "recently-reformed Hey Joe." It's fairly easy to spot the difference. The '89 tracks are all firmly in late-60s homage mould, including, you guessed it, a fairly competent cover version of "Hey Joe". The new Hey Joe have a cleaner, less heavy sound with a degree of originality. This newer material shows promise in the songwriting department, with one track especially, "Come And Be Loved," sounding strongly commercial. "You'd Better Believe" is also a winner, with it's strong dance beat and catchy chorus "you'd better believe it can happen to you, you'd better believe you can be saved." Can this be the same band? Could it be time to drop the derivative name and go for it afresh? A year is a long time in the rehearsal studio. Because of the inclusion of extremely rough early material, it may be that this tape is for archivists and Hey Joe fans only; but don't be discouraged fellas, the potential's all there - the new sound just needs honing a little, studio technique and a studio budget acquired and those songwriting skills, already evident, are going to deliver some gems.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.