Review Summary: The Vibrators enjoy singing to their listeners about sex and do a damn good job.
Do you dance often? I hate dancing. I rarely get caught dancing in public, unless I’m under the influence of punk rock, where dancing is loosely interpreted. Older punk records usually go as far as getting my feet tapping, but rarely do they ever cause me to kick my chair from beneath me and twist my hips. I’ve been dancing lately, and it’s because of The Vibrators’ “Pure Mania.” Very similar to The Buzzcocks’ pop-punk flavor, The Vibrators display a mastery of hooks that would embarrass modern pop-punk bands if ever put to comparison with these punk rock veterans.
“Pure Mania” focuses on sex. What’s more important than girls? If you’re in the business of making albums, I’d recommend following The Vibrators’ formula of love ballads with ridiculously catchy beats and those British vocals that will make almost every girl swoon. Why not throw in a piano and organ behind a voice yearning “Baby, baby, baby, won’t you be my girl?” Make sure you have a decent crew of backup vocalists to match your chilling “Ooooooh’s,” designed to run up a girl’s spine. They need to be solid musicians as well to achieve a similar overlay of guitars that provide a spark on top of a throbbing bass. You can try, but you probably will get as far as succeeding as The Vibrators’ cover band. I doubt you can also match the relentless gear shifting vocals of Ian Carnochan, or “Knox,” as he is also known. His voice grinds and soothes, with recognizable resent and confidence, as he sorts through his love life. He is the ignition to The Vibrators’ aforementioned mastery of hooks and a vital supplement to the competent instrumentation that drives The Vibrators’ sound.
Once “Pure Mania” begins, you’re tapping. You’re fidgeting, you’re nodding, and you're mouthing the words. “Into the future! SEX KICK!” You sing along. Why? Because The Vibrators have your number. After the opener “Into the Future,” the corny but undeniably amusing “Yeah Yeah Yeah” begins with a repetitive line that you can only guess given what you just learned. It gets better. Whether it’s the pounding “No Heart,” with its deep vibrations and verbal accusations of “She ain’t got no heart and no love…gonna send her off to heaven with a .38,” or “Stiff Little Fingers,” with lyrics indicting the living dead, The Vibrators create music that is legendary.
There are many songs on “Pure Mania” that qualify as compelling. With the possible exception of “I Need a Slave,” every song on “Pure Mania” will draw you in with an addictive sound. What you should consider then is that the first 13 songs of the album are stellar, catchy, and raunchy doses of punk rock. The closer “Bad Time” does not disappoint, so you can add it to the list. It also helps immensely that the entire album clocks in at just over 30 minutes. If you’ve connected the dots, you probably understand that this all means you have something new to buy this week. That’s right, dancing shoes.
