Formed in the South West of England in the late 70s, with an initial line-up of guitarist Alan Wilson on guitar and Paul and Kevin Hancock on drums and bass respectively, The Sharks were initially a traditional rockabilly outfit. Things changed in 1982, however, when the Hancocks were replaced by Steve Whitehouse on slap bass and Paul “Hodge” Hodges on drums, hardening their sound and moving towards what would become known as “neo-rockabilly”. Though they never took on the trappings of the emerging psychobilly scene, they were accepted into its ranks.
The Sharks’ debut album, Phantom Rockers, was released by Nervous in 1983 and, lyrically at least, explored themes more in tune with psychobilly, with titles such as Take A Razor To Your Head and Skeleton Rock. When all looked set for the band, though, “musical differences” saw them split at the end of a tour of Holland, just a few months after Phantom Rockers’ release.
Ten years later they reformed and, with varying line-ups, continue to this day, even though Wilson is busy running the Western Star studio and record label. This set, first released in 2003, rounds up The Sharks’ choicest material, plus some perhaps less obvious choices that are personal favourites of Wilson’s, such as Publican Gullican and My Neighbour’s Garden.
