RIC GORDON - Just Can't Get Enough
6 songs
15:18 minutes
***** ****
Russian Winter
Bandpage
Russian Winter Records were moving into new offices, and while doing so, label owner discovered a box with fifty original shrink-wrapped copies of his first EP Just Can’t Get Enough from 1979! Calling this quarter hour long album a piece of Kansas punk history may sound at first a bit far-fetched, but when you take an instant to listen to it, you will see that this is definitely not an exaggeration.
Nowadays Ric Gordon, a man probably already in his late Fifties, is more of a singer/songwriter with an occasional psychedelic side, but back in the late Seventies, he tried his hand, together with a backing band, at his own idea of punk rock. The six tracks are all excellent, but the opener Rock’n’Roll Lady is even a punk classic that never was. This upbeat three-minute track channels the Ramones through the beat sounds of The Who, with a detour over the Buzzcocks with the ingenious melodies. Unlike many punk bands of the hour, Ric Gordon was not about playing primitive music. He was already a very accomplished guitarist, which elevates his music to an even higher level. The title track offers similar fare, with a voice reminding of Joey Ramone and Roger Daltrey. It also seems that American Seventies rock (Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton and the likes) have left an impression, giving the music a quality that you imagine the kids from That 70s Show listening to in their smoked out basement. People Run, People Hide is also a very fast track, with the guitar sounding like a late Sixties Pete Townsend, a bit like Tommy on speed, with the same kind of anguish, although in a late Seventies attitude of punk angst.
The B-side starts with I Need Your Love that once again combines American rock music with a certain punk edge. Girl I’m Gonna Make You Mine continues in that same romantic vein, which shows more or a rock’n’roll side than a nihilistic punk attitude. Death Toll ends the album on a more sombre note, and always when Ric Gordon becomes more serious, the The Who influence feels strongest.
Just Can’t Get Enough is a short pleasure at fifteen minutes, but these six tracks, none of which is longer than three minutes, will not bore you for even one second. Collectors of the origins of punk should get their hands on one of the few remaining original vinyl records, while those only in for the good music will have an equally great time with the remastered download or CD versions.