Ron’s Album Picks – The Meows

Ron polishes off another underrated gem from his collection! This time he’s spinning the inimitable Spanish rock band The Meows. Who could resist such a name?

Although I’ve always been drawn to a wide range of non-mainstream music (everything except rap and opera), every now and then I find it refreshing to listen to some no-frills, heavy-handed rock’n’roll. The music may be fairly simple and un-embellished, but it usually re-confirms my love for genuine rock’n’roll.

One such group which excelled in this type of straight-ahead rock was The Meows, from Barcelona, Spain. The band released four albums between 2005 and 2011, my fave release being their final effort, All You Can Eat. The album appeared as my number three pick on my Top Ten list for 2011, as heard on Nightwaves, a radio show I host on Saskatoon’s Community Radio station, CFCR.

The Meows enjoyed the inherent fun in rock music, as demonstrated in this album’s twelve tracks of uncomplicated, kick-ass rock’n’roll. Drawing inspiration from 70’s era Stones (the track, “Who’s To Blame” comes off as an unabashed tribute to the Jagger/Richards composition, “Happy”) and the mid-80’s Swedish music scene, the band reportedly went into the studio relatively unrehearsed and produced the album in a very short time. All You Can Eat was a vinyl-only release in 2011 but appeared on CD at a later date. The album is comprised primarily of original songs, but does contain a few choice cover tunes, the best of which is the group’s take on the Paul Revere and The Raiders’ classic, “Good Thing”.

So, if you’re in the mood for some straight-ahead, toe-tappin’ rock,n,roll, check out The Meows’ recorded output, especially their All You Can Eat album.

About the Author

Ron Spizziri grew up in Toronto in the 50s and 60s, building up a record library (which became an addiction early on and continues to this day). After moving to Saskatoon in 1979, he got into the “music biz” in a big way – running a record store (Records on Wheels), producing and hosting radio and TV shows, promoting concerts, doing some freelance writing, and starting up a record label (Rockin’ Rod records). Luddite that he is, Ron still favours vinyl analogue recordings over all other forms of recorded music.