The Screaming Jets (affectionately known as “The Jets” to the fans) have been described as a lot of things. Politically incorrect, yes. Loud, yes. And as of late, classic rock. They are definitely all of those, and then some. Their influences are the Rolling Stones, and The Jets have been compared to Rose Tattoo and AC/DC because of their razor sharp sound and Australian begins. Formed out of Newcastle in New South Wales, in 1989, by David Gleeson (Singer) and Grant Walmsley (Guitarist) just as they were leaving high school, they both had dreams to be rock stars. It wasn’t long before they recruited a full line up (all from Newcastle) and in May of 1990, they were signed to Roo Art, and after an EP release they put out their debut album, All For One, in April of 1991, which many (including me) believe it to be the bands best work.

Currently the band has a live DVD in the works, which according to the guys will have a long set list with the classics, new singles and a few surprise tracks on there. The spirit of the band is going to be strong at Evan Theatre, Penrith, where the band says is one of there all time favourite locations to play live. On top of that they have what some would call a strong cult following in Penrith.

The line up has changed over the years, but the core members (Gleeson & Walmsley) have been there through the thick and thin.
At the time the line up was David Gleeson handling the vocal duties, Grant Walmsley firing off the riffs on guitar along side co-guitarist Richard Lara while Paul Woseen (bass guitar) & Brad Heaney (drums) handled the rhythm. Together they worked like a well oiled machine pumping out their own brand of, dirty, catchy rock n roll.

Before I go through the album with you, I’d like to say I am amazed that I am the first person on the site to review any Screaming Jets merchandise, this wasn’t just a mediocre band that got lost somewhere in time, like I said they have a loyal following in Australia, and have had their fair share of world tours and even the odd top ten hit!! So come on people, if you’ve heard any of The Jets’ albums, review it, even if you didn’t like it, offer your opinion…Now, people, one with the show!!!

The record starts out running with the easy to get into rocker, C’mon, which is addictive straight through and has the theme of the media feeding you garbage and with these lyrics you can’t go wrong,“I hear the radio and the songs they play, makin' my stomach turn. I just want to hear some Rock 'N' Roll, I watch my radio burn.”. After a great starter you may be a little worried about the direction the quality is going to take with the next song, but don’t worry ladies and gents, the next song, No Point, is actually a bit better if you ask me. It’s written by the bassit Paul Woseen (who is responsible for 2 out of three bad songs on the album), and the lyrics are not the stand out here, rather the irresistible melody that makes this song a winner. It’s got an upbeat tune that’ll perk you up, just don’t read the uninspired lyrics & you’re all set!! Now we come to the bands best known song, the brilliant Better which was penned by the guitarist Grant Walmsley, and luckily he got the formula of a good song down, with great lyrics (which I’ll put some of them in a bit further down the review, for interest of space & losing track of what we’re discussing) and a hard rocking melody that is very memorable. Just a quick note, this song usually starts a bit of a drunken sing along at some of the parties I’ve attended. Unfortunately the album makes a bit of a nose dive quality wise for the next 2 songs Needle and Shine On. Basically they are a couple of low tempo songs that even with time, don’t really grow on you, but we can excuse them 2 songs because up until the last tune of the album, everything else rocks. Now people, I believe we are up to the 6th song of the record, Starting Out which thankfully picks up the quality and pace with some of the best lyrics so far,“Starting out it doesn't take the best of me, the hard part's when it gets towards the end. Starting out it doesn't take the best of me, the solitude ends up my only friend.”. The music on this track is a successful combo of hard and soft guitars with a good bass line.

Ok, that was the first half of All For One, sound like a good record so far? Well if so, it’s only going to get better ‘cause the next six songs only has one dud among them (which isn’t even that bad when compared to the last 2 bad songs) and the second half begins with the Jets’ classic Stop The World, which has somewhat unique lyrics what’ll be displayed a little later on in the review. Overall this is a great song, but it’s most memorable for it’s chorus. I don’t know how much it’s played outside Australia but if you lived here I’d be almost be certain that you’d recognize it. Just a word of warning, if you are planning on listening to this with the kids running around, you might want to shut if off after the last song, because there’s swearing beyond here, featuring such school yard classic words like the “f word” and the “BIG c word”, just a heads up. Blue Sashes is up next sporting a military theme about “mowing down commies” so politically sensitive people approach with caution. If you can look past that issue, there is a good song under that theme which is easily chant-able, but that may not be a chorus you’d want to chant, so try and keep your wits about you and this song shouldn’t get you in much strife. One very recognizable riff is in the next song Sister Tease, I don’t know if this is where I heard this riff originally, and it’s been plaguing me since I heard this song, so whatever the case you’ve got a very memorable song already, not to mention the catchy chorus it’s packin’. This next song is the one that utilises the BIG c word, so adults only play this song to your kids if you don’t care if your kids call you a F.R.C. For what exactly F.R.C stands for, leave a comment asking me about it, because I might anger the sensitive to swearing readers if I put it here. Apart from the language, this is a decent song, which I don’t know from personal experience but I would bet my bottom dollar that it would be on replay at parties (at least with my friends, it would). The naughty language for the album is over and there are still 2 songs remaining, one good, one bad. Let us start with the good. And the good is Got It with the simple yet effective message of “you either got it or you ain’t”. The chorus is where this song stands out, even though the riff is decent it just sound slightly, slightly out of place. Now, the last bad song (and last song all together) is The Only One, which has a alright chorus but it just takes to much nonsense for the band to get to it so it lost me there.

The lyrics I promised you earlier!!!
“You still didn't know what happened, when you knocked apon my door.
The things you had and the life you lived, all the dreams you had before.
Your eyes, your face, your heart and soul, you know they said it all.
What happened on that day back then, the moment hurt us all.
Now you can see the reason why not everyone's the same,
but you don't have to please them, or try hard to save your name.
They say you'd never get anywhere.
Well, they don't care and it's just not fair, but you know and I know better.
Yes I do. ” – Better

“Well I've got all these thoughts turning in my head,
I have to write it all down, trying to keep my head above the water, stuck in a one horse town.
I know I've got something but I can't put my finger on it.
But everytime I think about it, it disappears.
Stop the world, cause this is where I get off.
Well you can all carry on, but just stop the world. ” – Stop The World

Every band member except drummer Brad Heaney contribute their 2 cents to the song writing at least once on the album which is good because it shows a broad range of talent not just instrumentally but also creatively with the material. I hope this review reminds people about the band so they can also offer their opinion on the group, and if not I hope it has given you an insight to one of the great Australian rock bands. See we didn’t just have AC/DC after all. Ha ha.

Thanks for checking out the Jets with me, I hope you enjoyed lending me an ear.

So long
The Motley Kid


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends