ARTIST: The Godfathers                                         

TITLE:  Hit by Hit

YEAR RELEASED: 1986

CHART ACTION: None

SINGLES: This Damn Nation, Love is Dead, I Want Everything, Lonely Man, Sun Arise

OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Cold Turkey

LINEUP: Peter Coyne, Chris Coyne, Kris Dollimore, Mike Gibson, George Mazur

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: UK independent rock band bursts forward with some retro sounding hard edged rock.

SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: No keyboards, no dance rhythms, just guitars, bass and drums with nods toward punk and mod and 60’s rock, the Godfathers snarled and sneered their way towards independent fame in the UK and US.

They released several independent singles, and collected most of them on this album. Produced by Vic Maile, it emphasizes Peter Coyne’s snarl, and the guitars of Kris Dollimore and Mike Gibson. The songs are direct, sometimes blunt, and not compromising.

At times, though, Peter Coyne’s vocals wear on you. There is no subtlety to them, they’re all out either pleading or shouting. But that’s kind of minor, as this sounds fresh today and was a throwback gem in the day.

NOTES & MINUTIAE: “Cold Turkey” was the John Lennon song that the Godfathers do justice to.

IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: Yes, live tracks and additional singles.

GRADE: B+: Not perfect, but it sounds like real rock’n’roll.