Search - Belmont Playboys :: Wolf Patrol

First class rockabilly, but not as rockin' as their live alb

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 05/02/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wolf Patrol is the 1996 release from rockabilly rebels The Belmont Playboys. I saw them live back in 1999 and have played their live album One Nite of Sin practically to death since then, so I was excited to finally run across one of their hard to find studio albums.



I hate to say it, but I was a little disappointed by Wolf Patrol. Don't get me wrong, it's a great rockabilly album with some completely catchy, completely rockin' songs. It just seems kind of subdued compared to the live album. The Belmont Playboys are (were?) absolutely electrifying on stage, and I just don't hear that on this album. Wolf Patrol also suffers from poor production (you have to crank it way up to really hear it). Still, it's great to hear songs like "One and Only" and "Warm Soft and Wild" in a studio format, and new (to me) songs like "Bull By the Horns" and "Flat Top" make me wish I had heard them live.



If you're a rockabilly fan and haven't heard the Belmont Playboys before, you don't know what you're missing. Unfortunately Wolf Patrol really isn't the best place to start with the band. Go check out One Nite of Sin and if you like what you hear come back around to Wolf Patrol. Just don't expect it to have quite the same energy as the band's live performance."