Willard's Wormholes

Bash! (1984/2001)
Rockpile Anchor Man’s Catchy Debut

Billy Bremner was Rockpile’s all-too-often faceless gel. Nick Lowe’s & Dave Edmunds‘ short-lived 70s union produced only one album before splitting, though Rockpile acted as the backing band for numerous solo sessions for the two leaders. Bremner never took advantage of that relationship, going it alone on his debut solo LP, Bash! Vocally and compositionally, Bremner often sounds like a morphed version of both Nick & Dave, emulating Edmunds‘ twangy roots rock with ease while feeling right at home with Lowe’s style of catchy backbeat pop. He may not be as charismatic as his more famous bandmates, but his unpretentious, toe-tapping 4/4 rock is first-rate and mighty likable. Bash! was ably produced (and mostly co-written) by Will Birch (The Records, Kursaal Flyers). Rockpile drummer Terry Williams is also aboard. A Good Week’s Work, Billy’s second solo outing, was issued 15 years later, get it (and is HERE). Bash is available (and worth getting) at Amazon, HERE (as is 2006′s No Ifs, Buts, Maybes, HERE and 2012′s Rock Files, HERE).

Fire In My Pocket (4:16)
Losing My Touch (3:32)
Shatterproof (3:18)
Love Is Stranger Than Fiction (2:36)
The Perfect Crime (3:23)
Tired And Emotional (And Probably Drunk) (3:07)
Loud Music In Cars (2:45)
Going Steady With A Heartache (3:38)
When These Shoes Were New (3:15)
The Boat That’s Sunk A Thousand Ships (3:18)
When Love Goes To Sleep (3:44)
Laughter Turns To Tears (3:22) - Bonus Track
Look At That Car (2:45) - Bonus Track
Meek Power (3:03) - Bonus Track
The Price Is Right (3:03) - Bonus Track
Yes Please! (2:41) - Bonus Track

BONUS…
“Musclebound” (1981/1984)
Long Lost B-Side To “Shatterproof”

The CD version of Bash features bonus track additions of the many 45s and b-sides Billy released in the early 80s. I used to collect them and noticed that one track, “Musclebound,” from the 12″ “Shatterproof” EP, was left out for some reason. So… here you go. For the curious, here’s the breakdown, in order of the pictured sleeves; “Shatterproof” b/w “Look At That Car”/”Musclebound,” “Loud Music In Cars” b/w “The Price Is Right,” “Meek Power” b/w “Yes Please!,” ”Laughter Turns To Tears” b/w “Tired And Emotional (And Probably Drunk)” & “When Love Goes To Sleep” b/w “Fire In My Pocket.”