THE SCABS - Dog Days are over

THE SCABS Dog days are over cd 1993 Play it again Sam 320 kbps

Fortune Tellers / Total Stranger / She's Jivin' /Let Him Whine / All You Ever Do / Government Rules / Four Aces /Mama Is It Normal /She's a Shark / Hold the Thief / The Party's Over / Anyway.

Produced by M. Vernon.

The Scabs : G. Swinnen : vocals & rhythm guitar / W. Willy : lead guitars / F. Saenen : drums / F. Sijmons : bass.

Belgian's band with the highest degree of "rock & roll".

Started as a bunch of angry young men in 1982 and made a smashing knock on the door debut with a few singles and the mini-album "Here's to you Gang". The group was at the time most often compared with The Clash. After a less well-received second album "For all the wolf calls", the group starts searching for a new direction. This is found on the album "Skintight" and in the person of W. Willy "the Sir Keith of Richards of Belgian Rock music". Ironically the Scabs find their way to a much broader audience with the muted singles "Stay", "Halfway home" and the beautiful "Crystal Eyes". The albums however contain loud rocking music. The next two records get a gold status even before their release and the hits keep coming : "Don't you know", "Robbin' the liquor store", "Nothing on my radio", "She's jivin'", "Hard times", "Hard to forget" ... and a whole bunch of brilliant other songs. This is the second golden period of the Scabs. In 1992, they finally get another place at Torhout-Werchter after another very good album "Jumping the tracks" .
After 1993, it somehow seems to get more difficult to get their act together on album. Their live-reputation however remains untainted, and is recorded for their offspring on the double live album "Live dog".

The band keeps searching for the right combination. The 1993 album, produced by Mike Vernon, gets received also received very well. "Dog days are over" is the best Scabs album !
Willy Willy steps out of the band in 1994 and is replaced by the former guitarist of Clouseau, T. Berghmans.

This move prolongs their career for a good year and another good lp "Sunset over Wasteland", but doesn't manage to revitalize the band. At the end of 1996, G. Swinnen decides to call it a day and Belgiums finest rock band : The Scabs is no more. Source

PS: In 2007, the Scabs were reformed to reinterpret their album "Royalty in Exile" on stage with the same line-up that had recorded it. It seems that the band is touring in Belgium this summer. Please check the song "She's jivin'"!