THE FORTUNE TELLERS - Lively Up!

THE FORTUNE TELLERS Lively Up! lp 1990

Lively Up / Who Do You Love / Sanguine/ Livin' Hell° / First Time / Desolate / Livin' In Darkness / Hurt Somebody / I Won't / Heavy Traffic°.

Produced by B. Kolliopoulos.

The Fortune Tellers: B. Koliopoulos: voice, guitar / M. Kolliopoulos: lead guitar, slide / M. Newberry: drums / V-Roy Goetz: bass + percussion on °: D. L. Williams.

Thank you: John Manson, everybody at VZD, Scott Weiss.

Thank you again: P. Mathé.

Hello: Dr. Feelgood, England's best live band! The Senders, New York's Finest!
"This album dedicated to all who love the Fortune Tellers, for those who do not, the feeling is mutual."
And I guess they were probably required by law to put this on the CD cover:"warning: explicit guitar solos"
"The third Fortune Tellers lp was called "Lively Up!" and the band recorded and produced it in OKC. Also on New Rose, this time on cassette, lp and cd..."

"In their 16 years together, the Fortune Tellers have had several brushes with domestic record labels, but the bands and the execs could never reach an agreement. "We've been round and round with A&M, Enigma, and Restless, but it wasn't right for us," M. Newberry said. "We like to do things our own way - we're getting old and set in our ways. The labels are used to signing young guys. We don't bend too easily. We're successful on our own scale, so we don't mess with it."
Instead, the Fortune Tellers found sanctuary on the other side of the Atlantic. New Rose, a French label, has put out three Fortune Tellers discs, including their most recent CD, "Lively Up!". In addition, M.Newberry predicts the release of a live album early next year, after which the band will enter the studio to record its fifth release (never heard about a live album , same for a fith release...).
The title track to "Lively Up!" is a nasty howling blues-rock cover of the Bob Marley classic, trading the skank in favor of the rank. On slower tracks such as "Sanguine," the mood is something straight out of Big Tuna, Texas, so much so that you expect Willem Dafoe to bare his pulpy teeth at any moment.
If there is a spiritual kinship to found with the Fortune Tellers it would be Reverend Horton Heat, although with a funkier bent. If the stateside companies can't come to terms with the Fortune Tellers, perhaps they don't deserve them.
In their live performances, the Fortune Tellers emphasize original songs. "Our shows are 90 percent originals and some very select covers, like old Bo Diddley or Dr. Feelgood," M. Newberry, their drummer, said..."

" All the records are rare and long out of print, but the maniacal fan can find them online (or hiding in stores) here and there from time to time for various prices." Source

Cd covers by my old pal Max !