Rockats

Make That Move: The Best Of the Rockats

3-disc set

(Sonzaishinai Records)

No cover photo is available as this 3-disc set does not exist; it's a product of my imagination. (Sonzaishinai is Japanese for "nonexistent.")

In anticipation of the upcoming Rockats Cleopatra release (which will be real), I've decided a "Best Of" collection is needed. The band has released many indispensible songs over the decades. Especially, 1981's Live At the Ritz deserves CD issuance. 

The Rockats are seated in the neo-rockabilly pantheon. They were possibly the first to popularize rockabilly with English punk crowds, often playing before throngs of loudly appreciative razored-and-pinned pogoers.

Their career (so far) took them from the Louisiana Hayride to punk clubs to American Bandstand to Hollywood to sold-out Japanese and other international venues. Tour-mates included The Clash, Iggy, KISS, Tina Turner, and David Bowie.

With a trademarked sound that mixed classc rockabilly moves with cheeky, modern-day inclinations, the group left a mark on contemporaries (ask Brian S. where he got that Strut).

Here, then, is my imagined compendium. (When fantasizing, one need not be concerned with contractual niceties). The line up endured several permutations over the decades, But usually included mainstays Barry, Dibbs, and Smutty.

Disc One: 1979's "Live At the Louisiana Hayride" (Posh Boy). This is the Levi Dexter-led incipient version of the band, just in from England. Originals include "A Note From the South," "Other Side Of Midnight," and "Rockabilly Idol." 

1980's "Tanya Jean" b/w "Rockabilly Doll" (Kat Tale).

1981's Live At the Ritz (Island) This was the classic band's introduction to the record-purchasing world. 

Disc Two: "Burning," "That's the Way," "Go Cat Wild," "Never So Clever," "Make That Move." 1983's Make That Move (RCA). 

(The Rockats briefly rechristened themselves Secret Hearts.) "Living In the Shadows," "Illusions Of Grandeur," "Get You Alone," "Kool and Krazy." 1984's Secret Hearts (MCA). 

"Downtown Saturday Night," "This Time Tomorrow," Hold On Tight" 1994's Downtown Saturday Night (Jimco). 

"The Good, the Bad, the Rockin'," "Say You're Mine," "Tattooed Lady," "Rolling Like a Wheel," "Love You Anyway," "Off Your Rocker," "Too Bad She's Bad" 1995's The Good, the Bad, the Rockin' (Fury). 

Disc Three: "True-Hearted Woman," "Rollin' Thunder," "Rocky Road Blues" 2000's Rollin' Thunder (Downer). 

"Cold Outside," "Trouble Maker," "Dyn-O-Mite" 2003's Wild Love (Blues Leaf). 

"Rockin' Together," "Pink and Black Cadillac," "Red-Headed Rockin' Doll," "Tear the Roof Off," "Reckless Rebel" 2013's Rockin'Together (Lanark).

Again, the above review is a work of fiction. Don't rush to your local wax vendor. Once the forthcoming Cleopatra disc is issued, I'll review it on this blog.