The Casanovas
All Night Long
Rubber/Shock


In a recent interview, Casanovas bassist Damo Campbell told me the band loved playing places like Indonesia, as it meant they could pick up copies of their albums on cassette. Though it was said with a laugh, it's actually a fine way to describe 'All Night Long'. This album was meant to be listened to on cassette. Ideally, in a bomb of a car on a long-distance drive.

They're a lean, mean three-piece and Sylvia Massy Shivy's production has given them a crisp, clean sound without sacrificing their natural raw edge. Born To Run kicks things off at breakneck pace, the furious piano adding to the three-chord bluster being whipped up. A welcome surprise is the horn section on Shame On You, suggesting The Casanovas are starting to flex their song-writing muscle. Further proof comes with single California, which blends the band's rock nous with a breezy - and entirely apt - West Coast sound.

But that doesn't mean they've abandoned their rock roots. Heartbreaker tears along, features a blistering guitar solo and was surely written to be listened to on the open road. Doghouse Blues goes all Sunset Strip and if you close your eyes Too Much could be a lost Rolling Stones track - it even sounds like Mick. Everything on 'All Night Long' sounds familiar: from The 'Stones to AC/DC to The Saints and more, The Casanovas have absorbed it all and it shows.

Rather than re-inventing the wheel, they're mining a rich vein of rock (and roll). A glance at the titles tells you everything you need to know: Doghouse Blues, Born To Run, Ain't Coming Down, I Don't Want You Back. If those titles alone don't inspire you to grab this album, there's almost certainly nothing here for you. I suspect The Casanovas would have it no other way.

Wade Howland