Ten Inspirations: The Tombstone Ramblers

In a new feature series we speak to some of our favourite bands to see what inspires them. First up, Ricky Rambler from The Tombstone Ramblers.

“Hey guys, these are ten songs that influence our sound. Maybe inspire is a better word because we’re mainly stoned/drunk and don’t practice too often. This is in no order of preference.”

1) Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River

I said Green River because it’s the first song of theirs I thought of. You could name any song of theirs and it would be awesome except for the songs off Mardi Gras which suck (at least the ones not written by Fogerty do). Sometimes I reckon they’re underrated in terms of their brilliance. They should be held in the same regard as Dylan, Stones and The Beatles. If you don’t agree, fuck off. To me they’re close to a perfect band and John Fogerty was a brilliant guitarist. Listen to the extended version of their cover of Heard It Through The Grapevine. Now you’re thinking ‘Cover song for cred, this guy is a dick‘. Whatever, any song, the solos are shit hot.

2) The Dunhill Blues – Live at The Pot Belly Bar, Belconnen ACT.

After years of not seeing Dan I ran into him on a Friday night in Canberra, he was playing acoustic with Kristen (R.I.P.) on the Saturday night so we went along. That night after getting home really pissed in disbelief that The Dunnies didn’t win the open mic night I played the first three songs I ever wrote to my partner. Now Dan is the world’s best drummer in our band.

3) Bob Dylan – From a Buick 6

I can’t understand how people got so stuffy about Dylan going electric. Surely they heard this song and creamed like any self-respecting human would. ‘She walks like Bo Diddley and she don’t need no crutch‘ – what else is there to say? This Dylan electric stuff made it seem OK to me to clumsily strum 12-bar on an electric and sing anything over the top of it. It’s a formula I’m comfortable with though I would never compare my lryics to Dylan’s brilliance.

4) The Rolling Stones – Ventilator Blues

This song is so mean and I could have picked anything from Beggars Banquet and Exile but I chose this one simply for the riff brilliance. I love Exile, still my favorite Stones album and although BJM made Brian Jones popular again the stones have never sounded so good as on this album. Maybe the mythology around the album has got to me but I liked it before I knew all that stuff.

5) Lucky Wray – Teenage Cutie

I heard it on a vinyl comp of early Link Wray recordings and what a song. Scuzzy rockabilly (with the focus on the hillbilly), this song makes it OK to sing dirty.

6) Jimmy Reed – Big Boss Man

I first heard Jimmy Reed when I was on the way home from Melbourne on a band trip with my old band. I was first starting to really get into blues and was searching for the right person to sink my teeth in to. It was Jimmy, there’s something about him. He almost straddles the Delta and Chicago sound perfectly, never mind the fact that he was a drunk who blew a mean harp and had his missus in the studio singing the next line to his song as he would usually forget it. Fuck me, if that’s not love then I don’t know what is. Honourable mentions go to Little Walter, Hound Dog Taylor, Big Boy Crudup and Slim Harpo.

7) Danny & The Galaxies – If You Want To Be My Baby

This song is off some rockabilly comp I bought from Off The Hip Records in Melbourne. The rockabilly comps usually come with some rediscovered acetates and 7″s played by teenage dudes trying to get laid and, as one would expect, it sounds awesome: All muddy and clumsy and short like your first root but this song is something else. It’s a number one hit that should have been right from the spooky sounds of the bass line to the lyrics. Perfect song for the time.

8 ) The Cubical – Like Me, I’m A Peacock

From the first time I heard this band, which admittedtly wasn’t this song, I thought they were great. Their debut album deserves to be canonized along with some of the best rock n roll albums ever recorded. They blend country, rock, blues and Nuggets-era garage/psych together perfectly (perfect for me, it’s a bit meatier on the country blues side of things). I can’t wait to see these guys live. The entire album is killer. Buy it, listen.

9) The Holy Soul – Psychotic Notions

Wow. What else can you say about this song. Perfect line, perfect musical accompaniment. This song is off their first EP, also features some screaming overdriven harp. Blows my mind every time I hear it. I just can’t believe how good this song is. One of the one’s everyone wish they wrote.

10) Pete Molinari – Indescribably Blue

Recorded in Billy Childish’s kitchen, this song is Hank Williamsesque – it got me into his album which is purely great folk music sung and played well, nothing fancy just good songs by a well practiced musician – the production makes it though. Anything more than what they’ve done would have ruined the soul of this song and this album. I think I wrote a couple of early songs after listening to his album. Sadly another great album that went pass without too much notice.

The Tombstone Ramblers play the Petersham Bowling Club Friday 4th November with Antibodies and Deadwood ’76. $5 Entry.