Album Review: G.B.H. – City Baby Attacked by Rats / City Baby’s Revenge
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Cited by the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax to have laid the groundwork for the whole Thrash scene back in the Eighties, Birmingham’s G.B.H. – then called Charged G.B.H. – are one of Punk Rock’s perennial bridesmaids. Easily as influential as Discharge and The Exploited, the band quietly go about their business to this day, with the core of Colins – Abrahall and Byth – still grinding away since the formation in 1978; bassist Ross Lomas joined in 1980 and is still there, while new-kid drummer, Scott Preece has a mere thirty years with the group.
Released in 1982 and reaching number 2 in the Independent charts back then, debut City Baby Attacked by Rats is as seminal to your collection as Hear Noting See Nothing Say Nothing and Punk’s Not Dead.
What the debut lacks in diversity, it more than makes up for in sheer, unadulterated energy. From the opening ticks of Time Bomb to the tongue-in-cheek humour of the coda, Bell End Bop, there is hardly a moment of the record that isn’t knocking you over the head.
The grinding guitars and punishing drums start with Time Bomb, as does Abrahall’s staunch vocals, and continue across the albums thirty-four-minute run-time.
That’s not to even suggest City Baby Attacked by Rats is anything other than the stone cold hardcore punk classic that it is, and all of the dozen, or so, pieces fit together to form a damn-fine whole.
Sick Boy and War Dogs follow, each giving something to the ideas at the start of the record. The former adds a little swing to the formula, and the latter includes a gang vocal, all the while keeping the unstoppable assault from the band.
The not-quite so politically correct Slut is the first real deviation from the blueprint, opening with a section that wouldn’t be out of place on one of Stiff Little Fingers’ early works; I Am the Hunted and Heavy Discipline find G.B.H. dipping their toes into the formative punk sound of the previous decade without losing sight of the Eighties rage.
Maniac, Boston Babies and Gunned Down all rage; the title track does so too, while finding space in its pre-chorus to stop and breathe, and the screeching guitars of The Prayer of an Atheist sees an unfamiliar turn of attention to the subject of religion.
The one track on City Baby Attacked by Rats that stands out is Passenger on the Menu. It eschews the need for speed and aggression in favour of a repetitive riff and a seemingly unending drum pattern. Based on the events of October 1972 and the loss of Flight 571 in the Andes, this song carries with it enough violence and pain as to not need any further hostility. It’s also interesting to note that Metallica were inspired by this to write Spit Out the Bone.
A good third of the tracks from the debut have appeared in G.B.H.’s set from the beginning to this day, and it’s easy to hear why. Perhaps not as extensively heard as The Exploited or Discharge’s debut, City Baby Attacks by Rats can stand toe-to-toe with either of those titles.
Disc one’s bonus material comes in the form of the three record that preceded City Baby… the EP Leather, Bristles, Studs & Ance, and the three song collections No Survivors and Sick Boy. Leather… is nine angry and raw songs, from a group of disaffected young men. Abrasive guitars, vitriolic vocals and pounding rhythms dominate the disc. From the opening battle cry of “Go” from Colin, to the dissonant Alcohol, this EP is a blueprint from which G.B.H. were able to build their sound. With Mr Blyth’s guitar grinding through the likes of Race Against Time, State Executioner and Dead on Arrival, it’s a high energy take-no-prisoners collection of tunes.
Self-Destruct mirrors the fuller sound and, while never losing the UK82 ethos, revels in a more melodic vibe and even features a shredding solo; Big Women is a celebration of the fuller female figure. An early Motorhead-influence can be heard on Slit Your Own Throat and Am I Dead Yet?
As good as City Baby Attacked by Rats is, a year later and the follow-up, City Baby’s Revenge would find G.B.H. in something of a different mood and the second disc here shows a band who had undergone a remarkable transformation in just twelve months.
It’s clear from first song, Diplomatic Immunity, that the band had broadened their horizons. Improved musicality and cleaner sounds from Mr Blyth give this album a more mature aspect than the debut; the pounding percussion and Abrahall’s vocals lock us into the G.B.H. style but it quickly becomes evident how the band would go on to inspire a generation of Metal musicians.
Drugs Party in 526 gets dirty with a fat riff, as the meeting of metal and punk finds a voice on The Forbidden Zone, Valley of Death and I Feel Alright. See the Man Run is an early nerve-settler that G.B.H. haven’t gone all NWOBHM on their core audience as it retains its punk sensibilities.
Elsewhere, Womb with a View, while eminently approachable never strays too far from its punk roots; Pins & Needles could be an outtake by The Damned and High Octane Fuel displays a UK Subs influence, while incorporating a few metallic flourishes.
Three tunes to look out for on …Revenge are Vietnamese Blues, which combines a bluesy riff with punk harmonica and Faster Faster, easily the most approachable track on the whole dual set, with its new wave sound. The album’s title track is a hybrid of metal and punk, based around a meaty rhythm section and some atmospheric guitars.
Bonus tracks on Disc two are Give Me Fire and Man Trap, which would become additional tracks on when the album was released in ‘83. They find G.B.H. adopting an early Crossover sound and ripping it up with reckless abandon. Catch 23 and Hellhole are both fast and furious blasters.
Finally comes Do What You Want and Children of Dust, being classic G.B.H. material, with Four Men adopting a more mellow, though no less angry point of view. Finally, the Concrete Mix of Do What You Want shows no matter how rough and raw a track is, there’s always scope for an Industrial version.
Only ever really getting they credit they deserve from within the Punk scene itself, this release is the perfect opportunity to familiarise yourselves with the opening shots of one of the genre’s most influential acts.
Like the review.Well done with it.Thank you!