Radio Birdman's Descent Into the Maelstrom was included in the stack of 2016 pancakes, and now the group returns here with Hand of Law. Originally released on their classic 1977 debut album, Radios Appear, I have it on The Essential Radio Birdman 1974-1978, released on Sub Pop and with great liner notes by David Fricke.
Written by guitarist Deniz Tek (who, wow, has had a quite an amazing life), Hand of Law is start to finish pedal to the metal rock n roll. The opening bong-rattling bass and tumbling tiki drums power up a surf punk twin guitar attack...
Fear and terror, watch out boy
The sun is getting low
It's all about the end times, nuclear destruction, road warrior existence. Bummer. The hand of the supreme Law coming down to smash all of creation. Best thing to do is head out for one more ride down the highway.
The guitars are all over the place, scratching and snarling, darting into spaces between words. Check out the passage that connects verse to chorus, the organ gets involved, guitar snakes up the neck along with a soaring "rock as conquering hero" chord progression.
The chorus is fist in the air infectious: the hand of law is coming down. After a third trip through verse and chorus, a hell yeah guitar solo blasts through the speakers and heads for the stratosphere.
The whole song has a very workman-like construction. Check out the precision timing:
The opening bass is ten seconds. The drums come in for an additional ten seconds. First guitar at 0:20, second at 0:25. One verse/chorus (v/c) cycle = one minute. Three complete cycles then into guitar solo at 3:30, which lasts exactly 45 seconds. The final chorus to end of song is thirty seconds, for a tidy 4:45 running total. Solid.
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