One The Juggler

One The Juggler were, and are again, a South London based band who deserve to be better known. This album was originally released in 1984 and the band had considerable success with it.

Over the years many promising bands had come and gone after a brief spell at the top, but you know the story: bad management, bad decisions, bad luck, and disagreements within the group. Sad to say, fate had a similar blow in store for One The Juggler! Things looked up when legendary rock icon Mick Ronson produced their second album, however, Ronson wanted to synth it up – thus distracting from the band’s sound… and it went nowhere. And that was the last we heard of One The Juggler – up until now!

Thanks to Angel Air, first album NEARLY A SIN is now re-released and re-mastered, with fourteen tracks in all plus nine bonus tracks. Now you can find out for yourself why the album did so well back in 1984. Most of the tracks are written by lead guitarist/singer Rokko Lee and his versatility is obvious throughout! The influences are clearly evident, ranging from Bowie (‘A Minor Goes EFF’, to name but one) to T.Rex grooves (‘Nearly A Sin’) and even the Velvet Underground-style crescendos (‘Secret Of Love’).

Most of the lyrics are both humorous and poignant, and One The Juggler is a very tight unit who complement each other only too well.
Opener ‘Enjoy Yourself’ gives us a fair idea about the raw energy and enthusiasm on offer here. Watch out for second track ‘Mr. Wolf’ – a cautionary tale with some snarling guitar interludes performed by Colin Minchin.

In contrast, ‘Barnaby’ kicks off in typical 70’s funk groove, and has a nice counter-play between Minchin and bass guitarist Lushi. The obligatory 80’s synth comes in and the epic stretch has to come… “Barnaby on my mind / Barnaby on my brain”. This should have been a film!

‘Damage Is Done’ starts with a similar chord sequence as The Animals’ ‘House Of the Rising Sun’ before we enter a different area altogether. Some nice quick guitar pickings here, and sax player Ian Trimmer gets a chance to shine here. This track is reprised later in the album as an instrumental version, but given an almost ethereal feel.

‘Django Is Coming’ boasts some atmospheric Spanish guitar interludes – one can’t help wondering whether the guys are paying homage to the iconic film starring Franco Nero?

Utterly spunky and fast-paced is track 12, titled ‘Patience Of A Saint’ with its dominating drum beat courtesy of Steve Nicol, and its peculiar spoken-word ending (“You could be responsible for the thousands of outbreaks every year! Keep it clean, keep it cool, keep it covered!”). Whatever that means!

Some of the bonus tracks were already mentioned earlier on. Other bonus highlights include the speedy ‘Rip The Cat’ – a track that would be perfect for films such as The Monster Club. A honking sax solo by Trimmer and a relentless frenzied beat and stop-gaps whip you into action on the dance floor. Meow!

‘Diamonds You Meet’ is an invigorating blend fusing Psychedelic Furs-style grooves with a distinct Bowie influenced chorus. What a scorcher, and this should have been the closing track as far as I’m concerned.
Not there is anything wrong with the smooth and slick ‘It Hurts’ mind you, where everyone comes splendidly together.

All in all, this is not only one hell of a groovy album but the bonus tracks don’t come across like any left-over material that’s been added just for the hell of it but each and every one is a little gem in its own right.