Gene Drayton Unit - Done and Dusted (album) and Chips & Beans/Geno (single)

It's no secret that GDU are one of my favourite Hammond bands and the reasons are simple. I like groovy Hammond led music, played by good musicians, rich in soul, and full of tune. Done And Dusted doesn't disappoint, providing bucket loads of the above, in classic GDU style. Mainly consisting of well penned original tunes, the album also features a couple of well chosen covers, one if which is the venerable Teenage Kicks, which stands up very well to GDU treatment, both on this record and of course live.

The album kicks off with typical GDU punk-funk, swiftly followed by a healthy plate of sax and guitar seasoned 'Chips and Beans', also available on good old 45, with a superb cover of the classic 'Geno' on the flipside. Then we hop off the tube to the Star Of The East continuing the foodie theme, and into the angular 'Blue Pepper'. The guys were hungry when they recorded this album!

All that follows will have that unusual 'familiar but fresh' feeling to GDU fans, and GDU converts alike, one of my favourites being the excellent 'BB's Gonna Be Be' - the introductory chord sequence to which the Hammond seemed designed for, leading into unashamed funk, with new bass player Bleddyn Jones really telling us what he's about here!

By the time we get to 'Done And Dusted' at the end, a mellow harmonica clad chill-out of a tune there's only one thing to do... and that's pop it back in the player for another spin!

GDU have covered a lot of ground with this album, and whether you're listening in the car, the gym, on the train, or just simply sitting down and listening to it for pleasure, there's something for everyone here. It's a corker of an album!

Mark Ashfield