Simon Chainsaw - Eight Times Lucky

Eight Times Lucky, Retrospective Best of 1999-2010 - Simon Chainsaw (kicking29 | Kicking Records)

Simon Chainsaw, who is he?
It's probably the question I have heard the most along the years. Well, Simon Chainsaw is Australian, played in the Australian band the Vanilla Chainsaws, played with the Cosmic Psychos, played with Sonny Vincent, and many others including Marky Ramone. He's been fed on Stooges and AC/DC.
Simon Chainsaw is hyperactive and released so many records lately that I lost count. So let's concentrate on this one.
As it says, the CD is covering over 10 years of his solo career and regroups recordings from all over the world. Cause Simon doesn't only write songs like crazy, he is also impossible to track. From Australia to Brazil, to Europe, he's all over the place.
Knowing how prolific the artist is, you can imagine that a "best of" was a really difficult thing to do. Go squeeze 15 tunes that reflect perfectly his career without missing out on a couple of classics. Though, he managed to add two videos to the CD, taken from a live performance on Brazilian TV. Including an old time favorite : "Touch The Sky".
Well, he managed to do it, and it actually sounds like a record on its own.
Think high octane power pop made in Australia, raging solos, and an unique voice.
The CD is released on the French label Kicking Records, which should allow Simon Chainsaw to reach his European audience a bit easier, especially after the successful tour he achieved this spring (with Vinz from the French band Holy Curse on bass).
It rocks, it sticks to your brain, and it fills you with positive energy for the rest of the day, and this, even when anger (the song "You Ain't Me") or melancholy ("This Time") transpire.
I've been following him for all those years and I listened again and again to his records, that's how you recognize a good songwriter. His songs stick to you for life.
So if you have never heard of him, try this one. You want the best, you get it. And go hit the road on "Born to Die". Or any other song from the CD, 'cause there is NOT one slow song on this album.


LvB