Longtime COMPULSIONS fans know the story: After gigging around New York with a rotating membership and releasing three EPs to tremendous press in the 2000s, front man Rob Carlyle finally solidified the line up in 2010 with an elite hit squad featuring drummer Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses) and guitarist Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses) – not to mention the notorious Sami Yaffa (Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls) on the four-string. It was a rock ‘n’ roller’s dream band.
With the next two COMPULSIONS releases, Beat The Devil (2011) and Dirty Fun (2015), the rave reviews continued to mount with several journalists even declaring the fearsome foursome a “supergroup.” However, despite a rabid response from fans, press and radio alike, Ferrer, Fortus and Yaffa refused to take the group seriously and the lineup eventually disintegrated.
But Carlyle, unwilling to give up on the dream, roared back in late 2020 with a third COMPULSIONS full-length, Ferocious – and this time around the streetwise gutter poet was backed by arguably even heavier guns. On guitars, Bumblefoot (Guns N’ Roses) and Earl Slick (David Bowie, John Lennon). On bass, the stoically cool Alec Morton (Monster Magnet, Raging Slab). On drums, Brian Delaney (New York Dolls). And backing vocals were even supplied by the mega-talented Nicki Richards (Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner).
With an album cover, title and lyrical content that seem to simultaneously mock and pay tribute to Carlyle’s former compadres, the glowing reviews which have rolled in endlessly since the band’s inception continue with Ferocious, such as “9 Out Of 10” from connoisseur music magazine, Vive Le Rock, and an exceptionally rare “10 Out Of 10” from hard rock publication, Powerplay Magazine.
Ferocious has been out for just a few months so while the critics’ ink is barely dry, Carlyle offers up this track-by-track breakdown of what is sure to be deemed another COMPULSIONS classic:
“Born on a Landfill”
There are still some people out there who haven’t heard of me and THE COMPULSIONS, so I thought I’d introduce myself with “Born on a Landfill.” I was born in Staten Island – home of the largest landfill in the world – so that explains the title. When Earl Slick came down to the recording studio, he wanted to work on this song first. I remember he just plugged in and started chopping away like Keith Richards and Ron Wood combined – so we were off to a good start!
“Band of Thieves”
For “Band of Thieves,” I deliberately kept the lyrics kinda vague, so you can’t tell if I’m singing about a marauding motorcycle gang or a rock ‘n’ roll band. “Band of Thieves” is inspired by the soundtrack to Mad Max: Fury Road by Junkie XL. It’s funny because there’s the monster double-neck guitar player in Fury Road and this song features Bumblefoot on monster double-neck guitar!
“Addicted”
This song is based on a riff that I’d been messing around with for longer than I can remember. Most of the riffs I come up with are inspired by Keith Richards or Malcolm Young – but this one reminds me of Jimmy Page. “Addicted” features Andrew Sherman on piano and his playing here sounds a bit like “Southbound Suarez” by Led Zeppelin.
“Dead Flowers”
Over the years, THE COMPULSIONS have released drastic reinterpretations of songs by The Beatles, J. J. Cale, The Cure, Kiss and Little Richard. So, I thought it was finally time to pay tribute to the band’s biggest musical influence: The Rolling Stones. Covering “Dead Flowers” was a challenge because it’s already been covered a billion times. That meant we had to really put our own spin on it – and I guess we did alright, because Get Ready to ROCK preferred our version to the original. On “Dead Flowers,” I’m backed by a super heavyweight lineup: Bumblefoot on guitar, Alec Morton on bass, Frank Ferrer on drums and the incredible backing vocals of Nicki Richards as the cherry on top!
“Dirtbag Blues”
The cast of characters on “Dirtbag Blues” is Earl Slick on guitar, Alec on bass, Brian Delaney on drums and little ol’ me on vocal and guitar – a “Punk ‘N’ Roll Supergroup” according to Über Rock! After we recorded all the parts, it felt like something was missing, so we added those trashy hi-hat hits at the top – very Sunset Strip!
“Funk #666″
Funk #666” is obviously a reference to “Funk #48” and “Funk #49” by Joe Walsh, but a lot of other influences also come through on this track: the city noises at the top are a nod to “Living In The City” by Stevie Wonder, the main riff is inspired by Parliament and the outro is basically Black Sabbath meets Nine Inch Nails. And as if that’s not enough, there’s not one but two extremely sick wah solos here by Bumblefoot! I usually arrive at the recording studio with my songs about 80 to 90 percent worked out, but this one was in pieces and it was my dear pal and producer, Ken Rich, who helped put it all together.
“Killer in the Woodshed”
“Killer in the Woodshed” is inspired by “Casino Boogie” from The Rolling Stones, although our track turned out a bit heavier. Hugh Pool’s slide guitar work here is just devastating. Hugh is one of the few genuine New York blues men, recognized as a Master Artist in the New York Blues Hall of Fame. For his solo, I remember saying, “make it sound like you’re killing someone.” And he did!
“Dust N’ Bones”
I’d been thinking of covering “Dust N’ Bones” for a while, so when a fan suggested it to me, that just sealed the deal. The original by Guns N’ Roses is great, but I thought a slower, creepier version would work well with the tale of infidelity and revenge that’s hinted at in the lyrics. On this track, I have to give special kudos to drummer Ethan Eubanks. Ethan happened to be in the studio before one of my sessions, so we asked him to stay a little longer and lay down some drums. He nailed this – off-the-cuff, in only one or two takes!
“Ferocious”
Lou Reed has “Vicious” so I thought THE COMPULSIONS should have a song called “Ferocious.” Plus, it seemed like a good title because I can’t think of anyone ever using the word “ferocious” in a song – except for “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes, which is an absolute killer. I also have to point out Craig Dreyer’s incredibly raunchy but soulful sax playing throughout this track. We’ve worked with Craig many times before (“Big, Fat, Sexy Mama,” “Groove On,” “I Still Got The Hots For You, Baby,” “Lucky”) and it’s always a blast – both in the room and on the record.
“Man with No Name”
I wanted to write a song based on Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name” character. The lyrics follow a plot inspired by many of his Westerns: there’s a stranger town, the bad guys mess with him, he gets his revenge on them and then rides off into the sunset. The outro is inspired by an instrumental called “Master Charge” by Iggy Pop and James Williamson. Alec and Brian provide bass and drums here – they’re also the rhythm section on quite a few songs on this album – it’s always a pleasure to work with those guys and I can’t wait to do it again!
The Compulsions’ third critically acclaimed album, Ferocious, features Rob Carlyle along with a rogue’s gallery of highly formidable New York-area players: Brian Delaney, Frank Ferrer, Alec Morton, Hugh Pool, Nicki Richards, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Earl Slick, among many notable others. Ferocious is available now on Compulsions Records at Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify and more! Get Ferocious now – you won’t be disappointed!
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