The Kaisers "Shake Me!" 2002 + "What You Gonna Say" 1999 - 7"/45rpm

Coming along four years after their last album, Shake Me! -- the Kaisers' fifth studio effort -- helps put to rest the rumors of their breakup, just when fans were wondering what happened to them…
...Whether they were close to splitting up or not isn't hinted at in the liner notes, which were reputedly penned by an stodgy old codger named "Wilhelm Wimbledon." Whoever he is, Wimbledon claims not to like the Kaisers' "new sound" much ("I thought someone stepped on the cat's tail for a moment!"), and says he prefers either "Elvis or Cliff." New sounds? Well, there's certainly nothing "new" to be found here. In fact, Shake Me! is firmly grounded in pre-Beatlemania terra firma that the band hasn't budged from since its first album, and it doesn't seem likely to be adding sitars to its lineup anytime soon. Not only do they look like they've just stepped off the Star Club stage in Hamburg -- wearing long-sleeve white dress shirts and black ties and carrying matching red Fender guitars -- they sound just like you'd expect them to. Obviously, there are clues here and there that this Scottish band (from Edinburgh, now living in London) is having a laugh at listeners' expense while having fun making music the old-fashioned way, circa 1962-1963. In addition to the early Fabs, they also sound a bit like the Swinging Blue Jeans, the Roulettes, and the Escorts, to name just a few more, thanks in no small part to producer Liam Watson, who obviously has a knack for helping them achieve that Merseybeat sound they're so obviously addicted to. Watson produced the album at his all-analog London-based Toe Rag studio (which is reportedly filled with vintage eight-track recorders and archaic Abbey Road and Decca soundboards). Like the Kaisers' other albums, Shake Me! mixes Merseybeat intros (inspired by Hank Marvin & the Shadows) with hip-swingin' vocal numbers. The only cover song here, a beat standard called "Just a Little Bit," was previously recorded by the band on its 1998 album, Twist With the Kaisers. - AllMusic Review by Bryan Thomas
trax:
01 Take Your Time Caroline 02 Now's the Time 03 Jenny G 04 Don't Torture Me 05 Paradiso Twist 06 No Other Guy 07 Trick Shot 08 Shake Me 09 Foolish One 10 What You Gonna Say 11 Just A Little Bit 12 Angel of Love 13 Miserabella 14 Little Bird

"What You Gonna Say" 1999 - 7"/45rpm
The Kaisers began as the Hitsville Greaseguns playing early rock and roll classics and after a few years they replaced their original drummer Paul with Johnny Maben from the Psychobilly band Radium Kats and they adapted their sound further, they established themselves as a band in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1992.

trax:
01 What You Gonna Say 02 You Don't Care