Steve Jones

Prediction: you will love this album or (like most people) hate it. I love it. As all of Jones' recordings are radically different (Sex Pistols were punk, Chequered Past was schlock, Mercy is as wimpy as rock gets, Neurotic Boy Outsiders were, at best, half baked), this is his true heavy metal album. In the spirit of the Cult's Electric, and Iggy Pop's Instinct (which Jones played and wrote on), this album just rocks. Working with several outside writers (Ian Astbury, Rose Tattoo, Nikki Sixx and even Tonio K) Jones has come up with an albums worth of heavy riffage, AC/DC-like, if comparisons must be made, and clever lyrics, in the dumbest sort of way. Fire & Gasoline leaves no subject in the heavy metal universe alone. Yep, you've got your ode to sexy shoes ("Leave Your Shoes On"), hypocrisy ("God in Louisiana"), being a bad boy ("We're Not Saints"), and, of course, heavy metal ("Wild Wheels"). Also included are two covers -- one of Jones' old band the Sex Pistols', "I Did U No Wrong" which totally kicks, and a rather lame version of Bowie's "Suffragette City," which sounds like an afterthought coming at the end of the record. While Jones can't sing to save his life, it really doesn't matter here. This ain't opera, y'know. His guitar playing is routinely excellent, if not groundbreaking in any way. If you are a huge Sex Pistols/Punk fan you may want to avoid this, or at least hear it before purchasing. If, however, you dig old school AC/DC heaviness and crunchy power chords, then this disc will be a welcome addition to your collection. ~ Geoff Ginsberg, All Music Guide