Posted on April 20, 2010 by Greg

Pictures by The Len Price 3

The Len Price 3 released its first record in 2005, but hasn’t gotten a ton of exposure in America, despite a spot on Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool record label and a stint at South by Southwest in 2006. It’s too bad, because this is a fun, accessible band with a big sound and an edge that makes them more than just another pop confection. They have a deliberate early 60s motif going on, with the throwback name (no one in the band is named Len Price), modified mop top hairdos and a red and silver Mod album cover featuring the lads’ faces pressed against an old camera lens.

The three bandmates (Glenn Page on guitar and vocals, bassist Steve Huggins and drummer Neil Fromow) are from North Kent, UK, and must have grown up hearing a lot of Who, Kinks and Beatles, as these bands are heavily referenced on Pictures. But they also seem to have picked up some attitude from The Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks and The Clash. Their lyrics have a nastier edge than their British Invasion heroes and the guitars and drums often unexpectedly rear their heads and take a bite from the sweet 60s treats they are serving up.

The album opens with “Pictures,” a two-minute ripper about a pervy photographer that could almost fit on Never Mind the Bollocks… The next song, “Keep Your Eyes on Me,” sounds like a sped-up Byrds tune, but the lyrics tell of a ruined tabloid star destroying her face with plastic surgery. “You Tell Lies” brings us a rich married couple who put on airs of perfection while sleeping around on the side. My favorite track is “If You Live Round Here,” which gives a punk update to The Yardbirds in a song about a violent little town that doesn’t care for outsiders.

Pictures houses a Dickensian cast of freaks, liars, cheats and bottom-feeders that is a blast to wander through. The Len Price 3 has an infectious love for early 60s music, but it’s definitely not romanticizing the era. They’re mop tops in combat boots, gleefully stomping down Memory Lane.

7 of 10

–Greg from The UnCool

The UnLive | Albums: Pictures by The Len Price 310.0102