John Squire - Marshall's House
[North Country]

Now this is a bad album, poor old Johnny yet again proving how talentless he is without the other three. 'Marshall's House' pretty much carries on where 'Time Changes Everything' ended, it could even come from those same recording sessions, just be thankful it's not Led Zeppelin again. Shudder.

The first real downfall for Squire are his strangled weasel vocals, all snarling & nasal, he's in desperate need of voice coaching before someone reports him to environmental health. It's doubtful anyone will get past the first track without wanting to punch him into silence. Not a very good start by anyone's standards.

Influenced by artist Edward Hopper, any promise of a darker, concept release is nothing more than a mockery. Dropping an artist's name into the mix is merely another selling point on John's behalf. Well the take on Pollock's work never did any harm. Mainly consisting of jangly electric 60's influenced material and dodgy lyrics, it's fair to say he's no Bob Dylan.

We're all aware of Squire's guitar skills, or occasional fret-wanking, but this is pathetic & released purely on the strength of his name. Dadrock died in 98 with Ocean Colour Scene, why start a comeback now? Deprived of any drive & edge, most pub bands could rival the quality of tunes presented here.

It's without question, now is the time for Squire to hang up his coat & retire gracefully. To put it simply, Q readers will love this album. Put the pennies away and save your cash.