THE FLYING PADOVANIS
THREE FOR TROUBLE
(Diesel Motor)
Instrumental rock ’n’ rumble.
4/5
Corsican twangmeister (and founder member of The Police) Henry Padovani received a definite nudge in the right direction when drag-punk queen Wayne County presented him with a Ventures LP. From that point on the gospel of the reverb-heavy guitar instrumental would be Padovani’s creed; hooking up with former UK Subs bassist Paul Slack and future Johnny Thunders sticksman Chris Musto, over the next five years Padovani would take the rumble to the masses. Three For Trouble pulls together the cream of the Padovanis output, and while in their day they might have seemed an anachronistic throwback to the surf instro’s golden age, with hindsight it’s evident that Henry’s made some highly creditable entrees into that noble genre; ripe for rediscovery, and impeccably timed for their upcoming string of reunion dates.
Hugh Gulland