Gun
Album: Every 1's A Winner
Label: Caroline
Tracks: 1
Website: http://www.gunofficial.co.uk

Growing up as a kid in the 70's, and having your musical opinions formed by those thrust in front of you, it seemed that Errol Brown and Hot Chocolate were everywhere you looked! Top Of The Pops, Lift Off With Ayshea, Runaround, Supersonic, Cheggers Plays Pop, Crackerjack (CRACKERJACK!)….you name it, they were probably on it! Errol Brown was always one of those guys who had a certain aura about him. He was a star, and we all knew it. Whether it was that twinkle in his eye, the tight spandex trousers or shiny bald pate, Errol was a pop star and beloved of the fairer sex and there was a part of us all from that era that secretly wished we could have just a sprinkle of the stardust that he possessed.

We took hit after hit for granted back in those days (and staggeringly between 1970 and 1984 they had at least one hit every year!), and it's only now, following the great mans sad passing that we came to appreciate that he was in fact a top line songwriter, as well as performer.

Written by Brown, and originally a hit for Hot Chocolate back in 1978 scoring big on both sides of the Atlantic, "Every 1's A Winner" featured a distinctive distorted guitar riff by Harvey Hinsley using a Roland GR-500. Gun came to the song via guitarist Jools who, whilst waiting for the rest of the band to turn up for rehearsals, just started playing the riff, and as other members turned up the song took shape and by the end of the rehearsal the decision was made!

As they did with Cameo's "Word Up", Gun have taken that dirty and raw sound one step further on this rocking, fun-filled funk-fest romp. It rocks in all the right places, it grooves in all the right places. It has 'hit' written all over it. And although they haven't deviated too much from the original, they've managed to put their own unique spin on it and full marks to them for that.

And you know what? I think Errol would have been mighty pleased with the result. No doubt about it.

Ken Brown
www.squarerootspromotions.co.uk