Songs From the Bar Room Floor by Flaming Stars

Songs From the Bar Room Floor, the 1996 debut from Camden garage punks the Flaming Stars, was cut the old-fashioned way: every note went through valve equipment at Toe Rag Studios in London over January and February of that year, with Liam Watson producing alongside the band. It sounds like it was dragged up off the sawdust at closing time, all reverb, twang and bad intentions, Paul Dempsey's bass prowling underneath and former Gallon Drunk drummer Max Décharné out front, crooning and sneering like a lounge singer down to his last dime.

The band, named after an Elvis Presley film, had already won over John Peel and Steve Lamacq with the Hospital, Heaven or Hell EP. The record's dedication tells you where their heads were: Dean Martin, Sterling Morrison and Charlie Rich, all recently gone. Sell Your Soul to the Flaming Stars followed a year later.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.