Celts and Cobras

Celts and Cobras
Celts and Cobras
Studio album by The Shakin' Pyramids
Released	9 May 1982
Studio	Basing Street Studios, London; The Workhouse Studios, London; AM-PRO Studios, London; Eden Studios, London; Rockfield Studios, Rockfield;
Genre	Rockabilly
Label	Cuba Libre (Virgin)
Producer	Bob Andrews (tracks 2, 4, 7 and 9), Roger Bechirian (all others)
The Shakin' Pyramids chronology

Celts and Cobras is the second and final studio album from the Scottish neo-rockabilly group the Shakin' Pyramids (billed on the album cover as "Shakin' Pyramids"), released in 1982 by Cuba Libre, a subsidiary of Virgin Records. "Just a Memory" and "Pharaoh's Chant" were released as singles from the album. It features a more diverse instrumental palette than the band's debut album, Skin 'Em Up (1981), but was seen as a departure from the group's original, immediate sound.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

Celts and Cobras features more varied instrumentation than previous Shakin' Pyramids releases, but was seen as a departure from the band's original, immediate sound.^[2]^[3]^[4] Trouser Press said, "Celts and Cobras offers a higher percentage of their own songs, but on it they're accompanied by piano, accordion, electric bass and even — gack! — a string section... The band still rocks, but they'd better figure out where they're going."^[3] AllMusic gave the album 3/5 stars, and opined that "the energy and verve of their debut had been replaced by a stultifying maturity."^[1]^[2] Ethnomusicologist Craig Morrison wrote, "[Celts and Cobras] drifted farther from rockabilly as they broadened their horizons... One writer asked, "From neo-rockabilly to neo-schlock—is this neo-progress?"^[4]

Track listing

Side A:

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pharaoh's Chant"	2:42
2.	"Like Me With No-One"	3:48
3.	"Pretty Neat Come One"	2:56
4.	"Just A Memory"	2:29
5.	"Plainsailin'"	2:21
6.	"Sugar Bee"	2:15
7.	"Rockin' Mystique"	2:39

Side B:

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Quit And Split"	2:32
2.	"It Hurts To Be In Love"	2:26
3.	"You Can Bet"	1:37
4.	"Just Rockin'"	3:40
5.	"Ferocious"	2:00
6.	"Who Cares"	2:47
7.	"Reeferbilly Polka"	2:23

Personnel

The Shakin' Pyramids

Davie Duncan – Lead vocals, drums, percussion, tambourine
James G. Creighton – Acoustic and electric guitar, acoustic bass, mandolin, background vocals
"Railroad" Ken McLellan – Acoustic guitar, background vocals

Additional Personnel

Bob Andrews: Piano, electric bass
Geraint Watkins: Accordion
Mitch Caws: Slap bass
John Willoughby: Upright bass
Andy Powell, Paul Hughes: Electric bass
Strings arranged by Roy Clark

References

^ ^a ^b Celts and Cobras at AllMusic
^ ^a ^b Shakin' Pyramids at AllMusic
^ ^a ^b Trouser Press. "Shakin' Pyramids". Retrieved 2 December 2009.
^ ^a ^b Morrison, Craig (1998). Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers. University of Illinois Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-0252065385.

[allmusicreview-1] Celts and Cobras at AllMusic

[AMG-2] Shakin' Pyramids at AllMusic

[Trouser-3] Trouser Press. "Shakin' Pyramids". Retrieved 2 December 2009.

[Morrison-4] Morrison, Craig (1998). Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers. University of Illinois Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-0252065385.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]