Retro Reviews: New York Loose - Born To Loose

Review by Rob Sheley

1990s New York City was a very different place than it is now. It was on the cusp of Mayor Giuliani giving the town a makeover, virtually eliminating the homeless and the Taxi Driver reality of the city. It was his sole mission to make it more tourist friendly and "safe". New York below 14th Street was gritty and dirty and downright dangerous - the perfect breeding ground for creativity in both art and music. Photos don't portray the feel of what the city was. It was something you had to experience, and it was more than just hardcore shows at CBGBs. Rock & roll was finally bubbling back up to the surface at places like Brownies, Tramps, Coney Island High, The Continental, and of course CB's.

One band that gets tragically lost in the shuffle is the New York Loose - fronted by singer/guitarist Brijitte West. Accompanied by a revolving door of players, she remained the one and the only constant member of the band. The band was perfectly poised to make a great splash in the music scene about 10 years before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs & The Strokes re-broke New York as the music hot bed. The New York Loose (named for the great Stooges song) was unique enough - borrowing from the Dolls/Heartbreakers (both Johnny & Tom) owner's manual sonically, with the jangle of '60s radio pop thrown in, similar to the Devil Dogs choice of bands to cover but with more finesse than fury. There were many unfair comparisons of Brijitte to Joan Jett, and they were simply short sighted. Just because a girl fronts a band with a guitar doesn't mean she is a cookie cutter mold of Miss Jett.

Born To Loose is a perfect cross section of a band that either needed to arrive a few years later to catch the mainstream NY wave or have had someone at the label give them the much-needed push they deserved. The band's only mainstream claim to fame was to have a song ("Spit") on The Crow soundtrack. That song is included here from the earlier 7" version with the Crow version on their major label debut Year Of The Rat. After a few tours and a bit of momentum, the band just dissolved, was dropped in the label mergers of the mid/late '90s, and never made the follow up. That was 1996. If they could have made it through the next record and toured a bit, history might be very different. The collection of their work presented here is tracked chronologically, from the 1st single A-side to several unreleased songs that would have made their 2nd major label record. It covers all of the band's most important works, especially the pre-major label songs and comp tracks. The collection does give the listener a taste of their major label work, but the songs are presented in different versions. It mainly shines the focus on their indie work.

The band released two tremendous singles in short order in 1993: "Bitch" b/w "Monolith Kids" & "Luckiest Girl" b/w "Green Light Semaphore". All four tracks are included here, all written by Brijitte with two co-written by Richard Bacchus of D Generation. That alone should give you an idea of what the band was going for. Rick played on them, and they do have a distinct feel of that 1st D Gen record. The band made a reasonable enough wave that Flipside magazine signed them to release an EP. Tragically it was never turned into a 10", but the five songs that it contained were so hopeful as to what could possibly be forthcoming. Aided by Gary Sunshine (Circus Of Power) on guitar, Danny Nordahl (Stiv Bators, Throbs) on bass, and John Melville on drums, this is the lineup that should have stayed together. But as we know, all good thing sometimes do not last. Lucky for us, the release includes all of the tracks recorded by this iteration of the band. These nine songs showcase the presence and power that they had. The fragile yet gravely wail that Brijitte possesses permeates the Flipside EP (all tracks included here), and the additional songs with this lineup are a perfect brush that the band paints with. Tender and hopeful, guttural at times, and defiant when it needed to be, the band's sound was one of the best to radiate out of '90s New York.

This collection doesn't include any tracks from Year of The Rat - I'm sure due to cost issues. But it does include the pre-release 7 inch versions of "Spit" & "Pretty Suicide". Both tracks presented here benefit from a grittier production that was lacking from the debut. "Tailspin" from the Flipside Compilation and "This Train Terminates Here" are excellent rock & roll songs. Painfully missing are their covers of "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker (B-side of the "Fade" 7"; "Fade" is included), "Wave of Mutilation" by the Pixies, and their revved up version of "Lust For Life" from the We Will Fall tribute to Iggy Pop.

The collection closes with several unreleased songs from the final lineup of the band. "The Case Of All Gone", "Lord Won't You Send Me A Devil", "Demons", and "Scene Of The Crime" (all recorded during or slightly after a tour with Reverend Horton Heat) spell what could have become of the band.

Upon the demise of the band, Brijitte moved to England and took some time off and then in 2010 began playing as Brijitte West and The Desperate Hopefuls. In 2016 the band created a Pledgemusic campaign to create From NY With Love following in the path that had started with the Flipside EP. The band has re-dialed in the sound that The New York Loose created in the '90s. However, Born To Loose is the necessary place to start. It is the roots and teething years for a band that was right there and should get the proper recognition that it rightfully deserves.



-Rob Sheley

Rob Sheley will be presenting 35 original drawings of Hollywood movie monsters at an art exhibition in Lancaster, PA on October 6th. For more information, check out the event page  on Facebook! 

Retro Reviews: The Vice Principals – After School With...

Review by Rob Sheley

The (sorta) lost record or the prospect that never was fully realized, After School With the Vice Principals was released in August of 2000 on Sympathy For The Record Industry, only two years after the Humpers ended. The upside is the band included Scott Deluxe Drake, Billy Burks, and for the first time officially playing with Scott, his brother Jeff Drake (from The Joneses). The downside is that this is all that exists from this magical union of the brothers Drake.

If you have Scott & Billy in your band, it's gonna sound something like the Humpers. This band was no different, but it did expand upon their sound and songwriting with Jeff in the band. Jeff brought a more '60s Stones vibe to the band; specifically the band drew from Between The Buttons (check out "Miss Amanda Jones", "Complicated", & "Let's Spend The Night Together"). Take that '60s pop sound the Stones created mixed with the fury of the later Humpers, and you get a pretty good feel for what the Vice Principals created.

The record is a flamethrower, clocking in at 33 minutes with only two of the 12 songs clearing three minutes (very Ramones style). The album opens with a cover of "Jack the Ripper" by the great Screamin' Lord Sutch, and Scott Drake is spitting fire. Peppered in are back-up vocals delivered by his brother. Moving through the record, the original songs are of the quality you would expect from what would have been the Humpers record following Euphoria, Confusion, Anger And Remorse. "When Girls Collide", "Hostility", and "Satellite Dish" are a 1-2-3 punch in the gut of Long Beach punk rock & roll. "Splitsville USA" sung by Jeff Drake is a nice break in the action. That is not to say that the track is slow, weak, or a throwaway. It is merely a welcomed break in the pace of a relentless record. Be it due to timing or purpose, in addition to "Jack The Ripper", the record adds a few more choice covers to broaden the band's palette. All are delivered in the band's signature sound, devoid of the originals' sound or arrangement. "Price Of Love" (Everly Bros) and "Glad All Over" (Dave Clark Five) show the depth of the Vice Principals' record collections. And despite having a Rolling Stones influence, it was nice to not have one of their songs on the record. They also included a reworking of an older Scott Drake composition from his pre-Humpers band Suicide Kings. Originally recorded in 1990, "Switchblade" and the rest of the record were never touched as song options for this or the Humpers. But the sound wasn't that far off of what you know as the band's distinctive sound. It was nice to see this resurrected to a wider audience. It is a shame they didn't mine some of the other tracks from that release for this project.

The Vice Principals were so very short lived (two, maybe three years) and never did a country wide tour. The only other recorded output by the band was a lone 7" "Wolfman Amadeus Jackboot" b/w "Showdown" (Archie Bell & the Drells cover). That's it. But if you don't have them, get 'em both. They are killer thru & thru. Scott went on to do two solo records before forming The Lovesores. Sadly, Billy Burks and Jeff Drake have yet to resurface in additional projects.



-Rob Sheley

Retro Reviews: Los Primos/Andy G & The Roller Kings- recorded output

Review by Rob Sheley

I would like to do this as a 2-fer. It makes the most sense because it covers all of Andy G's post-Devil Dogs recorded output. Sadly there is a limited but very essential amount of material; it is also listened to with a hint of what might have been.

We will start with Los Primos - of which there only are five songs. Los Primos was basically the Devil Dogs without Steve Baise. Sonically they were a continuation of what the band was doing around the ...Stereodrive! record. The prominence of saxophone as the lead instrument is what differentiates the two bands. Andy was moving towards almost a Little Richard type sound (without piano) mixed with the run-off-the-rails fury of the Devil Dogs. Think the immediacy of Saturday Night Fever with a lead sax, and you have Los Primos. While Steve Baise was in Norway working on the Vikings record, Andy was creating this project with Mighty Joe Vincent on drums, Candy Del Mar (Cramps) on bass, and Pete Linzell (Raunch Hands) on sax .

Crypt & Sympathy For The Record Industry both stepped up to the plate when Andy came around with his new project. In 1995 Crypt released Los Primos' "On My Floor" 7", which was Andy's 1st post-Devil Dogs recordings. The A-side is "On My Floor", a trashy, two-minute, rollicking, scorching original. The B-side is a clean, jangly cover of Manfred Mann's "Pretty Flamingo". One year later in 1996, the band released its second and final single on Sympathy. It follows the same format as the first: original A-side, cover on the B-side. This one may up the ante because the B-side is even better than the first. "Summertime Girls" follows the same trashy, sax-filled, adrenalized sleaze that you would expect from Andy G. The B-side is the Beatles' "Hard Day's Night". As a music fan, garage fan, Beatles fan, or Devil Dogs fan, get the single just for that. Wailing sax and a wall of NY sound create one of the best Beatles covers ever recorded, completely essential. In late(r) 1996, a compilation CD was released celebrating the famous NYC rock club Brownies. The disc features The Waldos, Turbo A.C.s, and Pillbox. The lost Los Primos track "Here She Comes" is included on the comp. With that release, the band was finished. Joe Vincent left to form The Prissteens, and Andy reloaded for his next phase.

With the end or demise of Los Primos, Andy kept the core of Los Primos: himself on guitar & vox, Candy on bass, and Pete on tenor sax. He added a baritone sax player named Steve Greenfield who previously worked with The Fleshtones. The exit of Joe Vincent opened the door for drummer Ron Salvo, and Andy G & The Roller Kings are born. Debuting four years later on March 25th, 2000 at NYC's famous Continental Club, the band would once again tap Long Gone John from Sympathy to do its first release. That Kings County Sound was released as a CDEP & 10" in 2001. Five songs (three new originals, one re-record, one cover), and the Roller Kings hit the ground running. Expanding on the Los Primos sax driven garage trash, The Roller Kings sound is bigger and more refined (but only slightly). It is still trashy with a '60s New York Dolls flair, what you'd expect from Andy. The addition of the baritone sax adds some bottom end that helps the overall sound. "Dance Last Night", "Feelin' So Good", and "My GTO" are the three originals you'd hope for from the mind of Andy G. "Summertime Girls" from the second Los Primos 7" is the re-record. There was nothing wrong with the original version. I would rather have any other song, be it an original or cover. There was no need to re-cut this track. The EP closes with a cover of Dusty Springfield's "Stay Awhile". It is not the first time Andy dipped into the '60s girl group cannon. The Devil Dogs covered The Ronettes' "Best Part Of Breaking Up" on their first record to similar success.

The band toured a bit outside of NYC shortly after the release, so very few people saw this incredible band slay audiences in the same way the Devil Dogs did. The band was relatively silent as far as releases go. It reemerged in 2005 on a Gun Club compilation called Salvo Of 24 Gunshots. The track the band chose to cover was "Bad India". The rest of the comp includes Dirtbombs, Come Ons, Demolition Doll Rods, and plenty of other good stuff. Later in 2005, the band released its final track called "Party Shoes" on the Rapid Pulse Records compilation Let's Have Some God Damn Fun! Just like that, the band was done. Nothing has been re-released since, and nothing has surfaced. It is a total shame.

As an epilogue to this story, Andy G & The Roller Kings did do a live session for WFMU on June 7, 2001. It is archived on the WFMU site under the show Three Chord Monte. They did an interview and played live on the radio. The live performance does include two songs not available anywhere else: "No Good Annie" (1910 Fruit Gum Company) and "Dead End Street" (Lou Rawls). Both songs are perfect choices to cover: sax driven songs easily adapted to Andy G's unique interpretation.

Between both bands, it is only 14 songs counting the WFMU live stuff and 12 if you don't. It is the great mystery on what happened, especially since the band was together at least five years. I would have to think with that amount of time together, there is an album's worth of material or a few singles that got recorded but couldn't find a home due to the band breaking up, not wanting to tour to promote them, or the changing of the industry in the mid-2000s. If there is something that exists, I hope that it comes out sooner rather than later. Andy G is one of the few artists that there are no bad songs that have his imprint on them. He really is that good and that important to garage music and music in general. His style has spawned countless bands, some better than others but none better than the original. God Bless Andy G.



-Rob Sheley

Retro Reviews: The Vikings – Go Berserk

Review by Rob Sheley

For my opinion, there is a big five of '90s garage rock & roll. Everything these five bands did and what they morphed into is necessary in every collection. They are The Devil Dogs, New Bomb Turks, The Humpers, Lazy Cowgirls, and The Dirtbombs. No five more perfect bands from that era have existed in similar friendly competition, each release more essential than the last. I will eventually focus on them. But as you know, all good things must come to an end. So I'm interested in focusing on their next big things.

Enter The Vikings, originally conceived as a two single side project that morphed into a more complete (albeit short) project with some of Norway's finest. When the Devil Dogs toured Norway in 1991, bass player Steve Baise met Morten Henriksen of the Yum Yums. Morten convinced Steve to come over and do some shows as a pickup band called the Devil Frogs. The band would do Devil Dogs songs and some choice covers. By 1993 Steve made a return trip, and Morten recruited two new members to the band to do five shows and record four songs. Those members were Happy Tom (Thomas Seltzer) on drums and an 18-year-old second guitar player named Euroboy (Knute Schreiner) - who of course went on to join Turbonegro a few years later. They cut the singles (one original & three covers) for two separate releases on Sympathy and Screaming Apple and changed their name to The Vikings. Released in 1994 to great reviews, the Vikings' "Rock All" & "Savage" singles were perhaps the warning signs that may have ended the Devil Dogs. By early 1995, the Devil Dogs had called it a day. Steve had eight songs (that would have been the next Devil Dogs record) and a budding relationship with a girl and new band in Norway. He took his songs and a bag full of covers to record what would become The Vikings' lone album Go Berserk.

Go Berserk is a flawless album. It is everything that is great about garage rock in general. A great formula to make a killer record is a balance of strong originals and a few covers (famous or obscure) peppered in. The trick is to interpret the covers in your style so that no matter how iconic the song, it becomes yours. Look at the early Stones, Beatles, Little Richard, Jerry Lee, Elvis (both of them), The Sonics, and Otis Redding. All were great writers and great interpreters. The Vikings followed that similar path of blending influences with originals; it gives you as a listener a spyglass look into the band's record collection and how they craft their songs and their sound. I'm a big fan of covers and how bands choose those covers, how they change or play them straight and how well they fit. As a side note, The Dirtbombs' Ultraglide In Black exemplifies this point. But that is another entry altogether.

Released in 1995, Go Berserk was a monster of record. The power of the band jumps off the record with the first track, "My Friend’s Little Sister". Clocking in at two minutes, it is the best song that the Devil Dogs never recorded. Big drums, crisp cutting distortion, and immediate vocals propel the record forward at a very live aggressive pace. Similar to the way the Devil Dogs made records, but this is different and not a copy of what they did. In hindsight, you can hear the power pop leanings of the Yum Yums and the best parts of what made Turbonegro great coming through in the performances - making this a unique entity unto itself. "Bad To Be Good", "Hard Knox High", "Strikeout King", "Summer of Hate", "Stop It", "(5-4-3-2) Baby You're The 1", and the debut single "Rock All" are everything that one would expect from Steve Baise as a songwriter. Catchy, fast, and big hooks that get stuck in your head. It takes great skill to write songs this good and this consistent.

The other story on this record is what is brought to the table by way of covers. None of the covers are big hits (with the exception of "Surrender" by Cheap Trick). I would say that they are more unique rather than completely obscure. An astute collector would know most if not all of the bands but not necessarily the song choices by those bands. "It's Cool To Rock" by the Accelerators is the one cover that could be mistaken for an original because they stay rather faithful to the original. There was no need to improve upon the original; it is just that good. "Let's Go" by Bay City Rollers is a WTF moment, but it works perfectly, played at triple speed of the original. It takes on a very Slade-like feel and removes all of the schmaltz you may be thinking it would contain. The back to back of "The Fly" by Chubby Checker and "Push & Stomp" by Joan Jett are rollicking versions of the originals, a double paring of songs about dancing that is a very nice touch. The record closes with a triple threat of goodness: "Surrender" followed by the Nervous Eaters' "Just Head" and closing with "Savage", one of the four lone songs by Australia's Fun Things. The opening verse says everything you need to know. "I am the rock & roll kamikaze, and you know that I'd die for you. When you're paying your bills to see me, I gotta do what you want me to." Pure rock & roll poetry and a perfect ending!

Go Berserk was released in 1995 on Sympathy on CD. The CD includes both the "Rock All" (also on Sympathy) and "Savage" (originally on Screaming Apple) singles. The record was released a year later on vinyl by Roto records out of Spain. In 2005, Just Add Water Records re-released Go Berserk as a double CD called Best Head Ever. It includes everything from the Sympathy release and four more songs from a 7" called High Time on Hit Me! out of Norway. It includes a very early version of "Good Head" - later made famous by Turbonegro. The two-CD set also includes a 12-song live record from Oslo. To the best of my knowledge, that is everything they recorded.

Though short lived, The Vikings are a crucial sign post of '90s garage rock. Even if the members never recorded another note, this still would rank as a masterpiece. It is surprising that more bands from both the states and Scandinavia didn't pick this up as a copycat project and do something similar in terms of sound and the blend of covers and originals. I implore you to track this down and make it one of your favorites; I assure you that you will not be disappointed in the least. You will only wish you could have discovered it to sooner to have the pleasure of enjoying it longer.



-Rob Sheley

Retro Reviews: The Lillingtons - Death By Television

Review By Mick Fletcher

I was born in '64 in a northern English city and grew up listening to whatever chart fodder the radio deemed fit to play. This was back in the days before the internet provided easy access to music - even the UK music papers like Sounds, Melody Maker, and The New Musical Express still used quills on parchment. Then at age 13, I was introduced to a new type of music by one of the real cool kids in my class at school and my tastes changed overnight. For many years after that, if anyone was to ask me what my favourite album was, I'd either say The Clash's debut (or London Calling) or Stiff Little Fingers' Inflammable Material. Those seminal LPs are still pretty much perfect. But nowadays when I get asked that question, the answer is gonna be the album I'm reviewing today.

The Lillingtons are a pop punk band (as in proper old school pop punk, not the anodyne type that's so popular at the moment) from Newcastle, Wyoming who formed in 1995 and who despite long periods of inactivity are still around today (watch out for a new album later this year!!!). They released a debut album on Clearview Records in 1996 called Shit Out Of Luck. But it wasn't until three years later that they unleashed their piece de resistance, Death By Television. Produced by Mass Giorgini, it was released on March 30th, 1999 on the Ben Weasel/John Jughead owned Panic Button Records (Fat Wreck Chords wanted to release it but have had to wait almost 20 years to add The Lillingtons to their roster of acts. Fat Mike has said Death By Television is the best pop punk record of all time, and I ain't gonna argue with him). The lineup of the band has undergone several changes down the years, but on this album it featured ever present vocalist/guitarist Kody Templeman as well as bassist Cory Laurence and drummer Timmy V (Tim O'Hara).

The Lillingtons are often compared to the likes of The Ramones, Queers, and Screeching Weasel. But on Death By Television, they blow all their peers out of the water. The album is comprised of 14 (mostly) sci-fi themed classics. Cast your mind back to outlandish Saturday morning kids' TV shows, EC comics, '50s B movies...Think back to when you were a kid growing up desperately wanting the x ray spex that you saw advertised in your favourite comics ("lots of laughs and fun at parties"). Run and hide as the saucermen attack at lightning pace. Look up at the moon- there's an apeman up there having a bad day. There are so many fun things on there: aliens in flying silver discs that want to see us die, a crimefighting maggot that aspires to be a fly, plus songs about wanting to bang your head against the wall and the everyday horrors of a dead end job. It's not just the lyrical content that makes Death By Television so great. Lyrics would be nothing without a great backbeat, and the music on the album is pretty much perfect. Granted it doesn't deviate much from your typical Ramones-core low slung bass/guitar/drum template, but that's the beauty of it. It's simple, basic, and oh so effective. So many bands play this kind of music, but none do it as well as The Lillingtons.

Death By Television is just FUN FUN FUN. To paraphrase one of the songs, when I get up, you know I'm going to spend another 30 minutes with you. It never gets old; it never fails to thrill. The new album will be great. Whether it will come close to their masterpiece...that's virtually an impossible task, but fingers crossed!



-Mick Fletcher 

https://www.facebook.com/TheLillingtons/
https://thelillingtons.bandcamp.com/

Retro Reviews: Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds – self titled

Review by Rob Sheley

November 1991: it is announced that Izzy Stradlin has left Guns N Roses. No one could have predicted what would happen next. Izzy has been called the heart and soul of the band that he helped form. It is no doubt that he was the Stones, Hanoi, Faces element that blended with Slash's love of Aerosmith and Duff's Damned & Heartbreakers leanings to create that unique sound. Upon his departure, what would they sound like and more importantly what would HE sound like? He was 29, finally clean, and rich enough to either retire comfortably or do whatever he wanted. He chose the latter.

Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds stands up as one of the best debut records in rock history, but it is not the players' first rodeo. Izzy recruited a brilliant band with a murderers' row of side men to assist. He ran as far away from Guns' direction as he could. Izzy's longest musical sidekick is Georgia Satellites guitarist Rick Richards - he has played on every single solo recording that he has released. Along with drummer Charlie Quintana (Plugz, Cruzados, and later Social Distortion) and bassist Jimmy Ashhurst (Broken Homes), that became the lineup. Sonically Izzy was to draw primarily from his love for The Rolling Stones, Faces, and The Clash- much more of the roll than rock and far removed from anything he had done before. Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds was released in October 1992, less than one year after his leaving the Illusion tour. The record is a combination of originals and influences. From the opening swagger of "Somebody Knocking" to the Clash informed cover of "Pressure Drop", the record is bursting with energy and uniqueness for the time. Supporting the band on seven of the 12 songs was Faces organ player, the great Ian McLagan. His contributions really aligned him as the unsung fifth member of the band. Special guest number two is Ron Wood performing on their cover of his solo track "Take A look A The Guy". Rounding out this star-studded list is Nicky Hopkins's incredible piano work on "Come On Now Inside"- a track that could have easily been an outtake from side 4 of Exile On Main St. It is really that good.

One must remember that in 1992, the musical landscape, despite Izzy's cache, was not ready to support a rock & roll record influenced by songs and bands from 20 years prior to its release. Even though the Black Crowes were enjoying success with their second record, I believe the public and the label were expecting and hoping for something closer to Appetite than Exile. Lead single "Shuffle It All" did catch a slight bit of MTV airplay, but the blazing rocker "Train Tracks" much less so. Despite a lack of commercial success, the band did tour the world with wider success coming from Europe and Japan. America was not so supportive. And due to this disappointment, Izzy stopped touring altogether to focus solely on recording.

Because of drug issues with Jimmy Ashhurst, the band was dissolved - with Izzy only keeping Rick along for the future. The record (and subsequent singles and live EP) is an all too brief snapshot. Their recorded output as this unit is incredible, no bad songs at all. The live Japanese EP is a much more stripped-down, raw, powerful version of the band. It contains a great version of the Stones' B-side "Jivin' Sister Fanny". And with all of the B-Sides and live tracks, there are enough songs to make what would have been a second record. The original record was re-pressed in 2016 on vinyl by the label Music On Vinyl with remastered sound. It is fairly easy to find. CD versions can be tracked down on eBay or Discogs for cheap. Try and get the version with the extra EP for three more songs.

Izzy has continued to record ever since 1992. Most of his work has been released in Japan, and later records have gone straight to iTunes. He has recorded nine records on his own. All spring forth from the groundwork laid down with this original lineup. Every time I see a used copy of the self-titled album, I buy it and keep in in my car to pass on to a like-minded individual. I'm shocked that the record is off everyone's radar despite the name printed on the top. This is the best place to start. And the sooner you do, the longer you will have to enjoy this nearly lost album.


-Rob Sheley

Retro Reviews: The Waldos - Rent Party

Review by Rob Sheley

It could easily be argued that The Waldos' Rent Party is the best record that Johnny Thunders didn't appear on. Originally released in 1994, three years after Johnny's death, his foil Walter Lure created one of the most perfect rock & roll records released at that time. Originally comprised of 12 songs (three covers & one from the Heartbreakers days), this album saw Walter picking up the torch and running with it. The record stands up as a tripod with L.A.M.F. and So Alone.

Produced by Andy Shernoff of the Dictators and featuring special guests Michael Monroe, Jesse Malin, Danny Ray, and Daniel Rey, Rent Party showcases the heavy girl group influence that is evident in both the Dolls & Heartbreakers records - making this a welcomed addition to the catalogue. Unfortunately this is the only one. Within one year of its initial release, original drummer Charlie Sox & bassist Tony Coiro had passed away, leaving Rent Party as the only snapshot of a band that had been playing since the mid '80s. The best rock & roll records emphasize the roll, which is always far harder to do than the rock. Everyone can rock. But if you can showcase the roll, then you've got something. Rent Party toggles that line perfectly with the style and swagger that is missing from making a good record great and a great record classic. The record was re-released and remastered in 2013 by Jungle Records (as well as getting a proper vinyl issue as well) - raising the overall sound to proper levels, showcasing the sax & harmonica parts, and adding some bite to the guitars and moving them more to the front. Any one of these songs could have made the cut for L.A.M.F. You could easily put them right next to "Pirate Love" or "Get Off The Phone". "Flight", from the What Goes Around or Down to Kill compilations, gets a proper release. "Never Get Away", "Count Down Love" (penned by Jerry Nolan), and "Love That Kills" exemplify the simple direct nature of rock & roll at its very best. The covers featured here show that the band could take anything and make it its own. "Busted", the Harlan Howard song made famous by Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, the wild party of the Doc Pomus song "Seven Day Weekend" (originally recorded in 1983 by Walter as The Heroes [also find the Dolls version, it is killer as well]), and the closing raucous of "Party Lights" (nearly unrecognizable to the original in its power) show that Walter and the band were well-schooled in their influences and how to incorporate them into their rock & roll soup. The 2013 reissue on Jungle adds the original 1991 7" tracks (recordings prior to and different from the LP versions) of "Crazy Little Baby" and what would become the LP's opener "Cry Baby". In addition, the reissue includes the 7" from the Blessed (featuring D Generation bassist Howie Pyro). The two tracks from 1979 are very similar to the work of the Zeros - nothing bad, just a comparison point.  

Rent Party is a lost gem originally released on Sympathy For The Record Industry with little fanfare. It got a bit lost in the shuffle of Long Gone John's insane release schedule at that time. I cannot urge you enough to make the record part of your collection. You will be thrilled to have it and only disappointed that you haven't had it since its original release 'cause you could have enjoyed it that much longer!



-Rob Sheley

https://www.facebook.com/theWALDOS/

Retro Reviews: The Dictators- Manifest Destiny

How great were The Dictators? So great that even their "bad" album is darn near a classic. Conventional wisdom says that 1977's Manifest Destiny was at best a blatant sellout and at worst a weak entry in an otherwise unassailable catalog. In no way do I concur with this sentiment. Straight up, Manifest Destiny freakin' rocks! It may not be the first Dictators album you should buy. But like all the The 'Taters albums, it belongs in the collection of every human being who knows good music.

Discouraged by the poor sales of their brilliant debut album Go Girl Crazy, The Dictators found themselves wondering if the general public was capable of "getting" their ironic/satirical lyrics. Lead songwriter Andy Shernoff had actually quit the band for a brief time - replaced on bass by future Twisted Sister stalwart Mark "The Animal" Mendoza. Upon his return, Shernoff moved to keyboards. Determined to change their fortunes with the record-buying public, The Dictators set out to craft a more commercially viable sophomore LP. Shernoff's lyrics were intentionally dumbed down - and it was hard to deny that Manifest Destiny took aim at the lucrative arena rock market that KISS and Blue Oyster Cult were tapping at the time. The irony was that the album flopped every bit as badly as Go Girl Crazy. Let's face it - The Dictators were such an incredible band that they couldn't have "sold out" even if they'd tried. And while some would say they did try, Manifest Destiny has proven over time to be far more musically credible than most people think. With a couple of notable exceptions (The Dictators were never meant to do ballads), the material is quite good. Shernoff, one of the all-time great songwriters, just wasn't capable of penning a bad tune. And in his attempt at writing trite rock lyrics, there's an essence of parody in some songs ("Disease") and outright brilliance in others ("Science Gone Too Far").

Sequenced as it is, Manifest Destiny is like two albums in one. On the first two-thirds of the record, The Dictators make their play for mass appeal with a mix of radio-friendly pop songs, intended arena anthems, and corny ballads. The final third of the album, on the other hand, is like a blueprint for the band's future direction. Handsome Dick Manitoba was transitioning from "secret weapon" to full-time lead singer, and he leads the charge on the hard-driving originals "Science Gone Too Far" and "Young, Fast, Scientific" (two of the band's greatest songs) plus an inspired cover of The Stooges' "Search and Destroy". But while it's reasonable to wish that there were more songs on this album like its final three tracks, the "sellout" portion of the album is not without its gems. "Exposed" is one of my all-time favorite Dictators songs. Perhaps on the heels of Go Girl Crazy, this number was not particularly well-received by hardcore fans. But if it were to come out today, most people would describe it as really good power pop. "Disease" - rescued from its lyrical ridiculousness by Handsome Dick's genius spoken word intro and engaging vocal performance - is pure horror rock fun. And for all of the cheesiness it embraces, "Heartache" boasts a hook that should have made Shernoff millions.

One thing that needs to be remembered is that The Dictators never claimed to be a "punk" band. Their existence predated punk music - and no doubt they influenced it with the attitude they presented and the Detroit rock/'60s garage inspired sounds of Go Girl Crazy. If Manifest Destiny sounds largely like the work of a completely different band, there's really no sin in that. Overly "commercial" or not, it's a very good album from one of the greatest rock n' roll bands of all-time. Four of its nine tracks, in fact, were deemed good enough to appear on the band's new Faster... Louder best-of collection. I would urge the uninitiated to swiftly get their mittens on 1978's Bloodbrothers and the extraordinary 2001 "comeback" effort D.F.F.D.(my personal favorite 'Taters album). But it would be a mistake, I assure you, to sleep on Manifest Destiny.



-L.R.

Retro Reviews: Jackie Brentson - The Mistreater

As far as "retro" reviews go, it doesn't get much more retro than this! Jackie Brentson's claim to fame is having written and sung lead on (arguably) the very first rock n' roll song - 1951's "Rocket 88". Granted, it's hard to dispute that "Rocket 88" is the shining star of Brentson's catalog. Yet he deserves better than to be remembered as a mere footnote in music history. While hardly worth the exorbitant price tag it's fetching on Amazon (somewhere in the neighborhood of $50), Rev-Ola Bandstand's 24-track retrospective The Mistreater is well worth owning if you can nab it for a decent price.

The story behind "Rocket 88" is legendary. It was March 1951, and a 19-year-old Ike Turner traveled with his Kings of Rhythm from Clarksdale, Mississippi to Memphis to record with a young Sam Phillips. This was a year before Phillips founded Sun Records - when he was still leasing his studio's recordings to labels like Chess and Modern Records. It was Phillips who insisted that the recording session go on in spite of guitarist Willie Kizart's damaged amplifier. A quick fix was to stuff some paper in the amp cone - and in that instant the distorted fuzztone guitar sound of rock n' roll was born by pure happenstance. The band recorded a number of songs - some featuring Turner on lead vocals and some featuring second sax player Brentson on lead vocals. The prize of the session was "Rocket 88" - essentially a rewrite of Jimmy Liggins' 1947 jump blues number "Cadillac Boogie". Phillips unscrupulously credited the track to "Jackie Brentson and his Delta Cats" and sold the masters off to Chess Records. Turner, with great justification, was pissed. "Rocket 88" went on to become a massive hit - going to #1 on the R & B charts. With its pounding piano, driving beat, wailing sax, and raw vocal, it's viewed by some as the precise moment in history when up-tempo blues became rock n' roll. Sadly, stardom would be fleeting for Brentson. His second single "My Real Gone Rocket" - an attempt to re-create the magic of "Rocket 88" - was a total flop. He soon parted ways with Turner and had little success on his own - issuing three more failed singles on Chess. By 1953 he was a side man again, playing saxophone for Lowell Fulson. Brentson reunited with Turner in 1955 as a salaried sax player. He did sing lead on two singles with the Kings of Rhythm, but Turner forbade him from singing "Rocket 88" on stage.

Brentson would remain in Turner's employ until 1962. After a couple more failed attempts at solo hits, Brentson more or less gave up on his musical career by 1963. He returned to Clarksdale, found work as a truck driver, and faded into oblivion. He passed away in a veterans' hospital in Memphis in 1979 at the far-too-young age of 49. The Mistreater, which includes not just his Chess singles but also those later Federal sides, reminds us that Jackie Brenston was far more than a one-hit wonder. "My Real Gone Rocket", in spite of its failure to chart, was a raucous cut and a formidable sequel to "Rocket 88" (Turner on piano was likely a big influence on Jerry Lee Lewis). And Brentson's 1956 sides with The Kings of Rhythm are all overlooked gems. "Much Later" and "Gonna Wait For My Chance" compare favorably with Little Richard's early hits, while "What Can It Be" is doo-wop gold. It's the inclusion of those particular tracks that separates The Mistreater from earlier Brentson collections that only compile his Chess sides. No doubt his best work was done in collaboration with Turner, and there's no telling what the two of them might have been able to achieve together if old Ike hadn't carried such a grudge. Far more than a mere journeyman, Brentson was a fine singer and more than a bit player in the rise of rock n' roll. If "Rocket 88" is all you know of him, there's more to be heard.



-L.R.

Retro Reviews: The Automatics - self titled

"Scurrying from the rain-soaked basements of Portland, Oregon like hyperactive chimps with bad haircuts come The Automatics and their poppy three-chord buzzsaw attack on your brain. Crisp vocals and deep harmonies deliver the goods over a steady wall of guitar grind."
- from the original Mutant Pop one-sheet 

Ah, '90s pop-punk! Either you loved it, or you hated it with a murderous passion. I loved it - and honestly it was the reason I started doing zines in the first place. I recently declared that my holy trinity of '90s pop-punk albums consists of Green Day's Dookie, The Queers' Love Songs for the Retarded, and Screeching Weasel's My Brain Hurts. Perhaps they all seem like safe choices. Fair enough. Assuming that Parasites' Punch Lines is my number four, I'll round out my top five with a less obvious selection. I'm going to go with my favorite band on my favorite '90s pop-punk label: The Automatics. Released in 1996 on Mutant Pop Records, the band's self-titled debut CD seems to be mostly forgotten. But in my humble opinion, it's aged pretty well over the last 18 years. And I can't say the same thing about all the pop-punk releases I touted back in the day.

The Automatics were one of the bands I most frequently and favorably reviewed in the mid-to-late '90s. I sought out their numerous recordings with a zeal I now reserve for German lagers and pastrami sandwiches. There were two things that put this Portland, Oregon trio near the top of the Clinton-era pop-punk class. Number one, they went back to the source for their inspiration. They weren't aping Screeching Weasel or Green Day. They drew their sound largely from the first two Ramones albums – rarely a bad thing in my book. Number two, the two Jesses (Kimball and Sutherland) were exceptionally talented songwriters who understood the perfect simplicity of early rock n' roll. Compared to the typically polished '90s pop-punk offering, The Automatics comes off raw and lo-fi. Rather than obscuring the consistently great songs and hyper-energetic playing, this actually highlights them. The band could have re-cut this album a thousand times in a better studio with a bigger budget, and not once would they have been able to top the minimalist genius of what they already had on tape.

The Automatics is one of those albums that you can just put on, and you've got yourself an instant party. It's total fun from the first note, mixing primal Ramones-ian thump with the harmonies and high spirits of bubblegum (they even cover "Chewy Chewy"!), a dash of Angry Samoans insult comedy, and a dancy garage-pop vibe a la The Hi-Fives. The hooks are all over the place, and the melodies are more infectious than Chlamydia on a college campus. It's a delirious, fast-paced romp, 17 songs whizzing by in well under a half hour. Yet it all comes off with a totally ballsy vocal delivery (something quite rare in the '90s pop-punk specimen), and the tough, scratchy guitars kick way harder than anything that was coming out of Sonic Iguana studios at the time. With song topics ranging from personal dissatisfaction ("My Life Is Shit") to good girls gone bad ("Prom Queen") to old-fashioned misanthropy ("Hate The Human Race") to the ultimate in unattainable females ("She Likes Girls"), there's something here for everyone. "All the Kids Just Wanna Dance" will make you wanna, uh, dance, and "I Can't Cope" is as good of a straight Ramones rip as the Riverdales or Head ever did.

Who knows if you'll ever see this particular disc in your travels? There were probably only a couple thousand of these ever pressed, so it's not like you can just find it anywhere. But if you do find it, given that the whole world has apparently forgotten The Automatics ever existed, it'll probably be tagged for less than five bucks. Money well spent, I say! The Automatics is everything punk music should be: fast, fun, simple, stupid, sometimes in poor taste, and so utterly listenable that you'll wear out the disc before you ever grow tired of it. Let's steal!



-L.R.

Retro Reviews: Material Issue - Freak City Soundtrack

I've gone on record calling Material Issue the greatest power pop band of all-time, and not once since have I felt like changing my mind. I'm sure if you polled hardcore Ish fans (myself included), International Pop Overthrow would be the overwhelming choice as the band's best album. But if there's any major flaw to IPO, it's that it's heavy on the pop but a little light on power. Second LP Destination Universe, in spite of mostly terrific songs, also lacks anything resembling a hard edge. For their third album, Jim Ellison and co. turned to a producer capable of harnessing the energy and punch of their legendary live shows. That individual was the great Mike Chapman - whose work with Sweet, The Knack, and Nick Gilder had been huge influences on the band's music. It was a match made in heaven, and not surprisingly the result was a classic pop/rock album. Sadly it was a classic pop/rock album released at the height of grunge mania, and it was such a massive commercial flop that it led to the band getting dropped by Mercury Records the very next year. It would be the last album that Material Issue would complete during Ellison's lifetime.

Considering that "Goin' Through Your Purse" and "Ordinary Girl" are two of Jim Ellison's finest achievements as a songwriter, the label's choice of the Green Pajamas cover "Kim The Waitress" as the lead single confounds me to this day. Ultimately, though, it probably made little difference. It was 1994, and there wasn't much salable about a band like Material Issue in the heyday of Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. But two decades later, Freak City Soundtrack doesn't sound so much misplaced in time as it does genuinely timeless. Ellison, undeniably one of the most overlooked songwriters of his day, again delivered a fine collection of hook-laden odes to love and loss. And the trio never sounded better on record - Chapman punching up the guitars and drums and making those harmonies positively soar. From the first glorious drum-thump of "Goin' Through Your Purse", Freak City brings an entirely different vibe compared to the band's first two releases. While the album does have its share of tender moments (the lush "I Could Use You" is one of Ellison's most beautiful songs), overall it's the kind of high energy rock record that sounds great in the car on a warm sunny day. And it really showcases one of rock's great unheralded rhythm sections in Ted Asani and Mike Zelenko. If you were lucky enough to have seen Material Issue in concert, surely you'd say this is the one album of theirs that best captured their live essence.

While Freak City is by no means a stylistic departure from Material Issue's previous work, it really brings the influences of glam rock and Cheap Trick to the forefront (Rick Nielsen even makes a guest appearance!). And the massive sound elicited by Chapman only heightens the power of Ellison's voice and lyrics. If the songs aren't quite as brilliant as those on International Pop Overthrow, for the most part they're still very good. I made a lot of Material Issue compilation tapes back in the day, and the likes of "Help Me Land", "Funny Feeling", and "She's Going Through My Head" (originally a 7" track from early in the band's career) were always mainstays of those collections. "Goin' Through Your Purse" is my favorite Material Issue song. It's a classic Ellison tale of love doomed by mistrust and deception - with the tone of his voice conveying far more than mere words could say.

When Ellison tragically took his own life in 1996, Material Issue was in the process of shopping new material to record labels. Telecommando Americano, a compilation released in 1997, paired recordings for the unfinished fourth Material Issue album with the band's self-titled EP from 1987. We'll never quite know what that fourth album could have become if Ellison had lived to complete it. As is, Telecommando Americano features a couple of Ellison's finest songs in "Carousel" and "You Were Beautiful" and hints that the band was poised to continue in the edgier direction of Freak City Soundtrack. Considering that Material Issue is officially my fourth-favorite band of all-time, it goes without saying that I urge you all to check out this criminally overlooked group. Whether you start with International Pop Overthrow or Freak City Soundtrack isn't really important. Either way, you're going to want to own all the music this band ever made.




-L.R.

Retro Reviews: The Alarm - Declaration

With hair bigger than Bono's ego and an anthemic, socially aware repertoire, The Alarm never really escaped the shadow of Clash and U2 comparisons. But unlike their Irish counterparts who merely thought their music had the power to alter the course of human history, this Welsh foursome was a legit heir to Strummer and company's warrior legacy. Declaration, The Alarm's 1984 full-length debut, was largely comprised of singles recorded throughout the band's infancy, and as such it burns with youthful idealism and a bold purpose bordering on pretension. Every song comes off like an intended anthem – the barnstorming set list closer that incites an enthralled crowd to go home and change the world, to overcome the forces that oppress by any means necessary. Such aspirations would be hard to stomach…if the songs weren't so freaking good! Who can manage to listen to "Sixty Eight Guns" and not want to immediately run out into the street and start kicking the oppressors' asses? Not I! With its rousing chorus and indelible melody, it's not just a call to arms – it's a great, even classic, rock n' roll song.

Previously a punk band out of Rhyl, Wales called Seventeen, The Alarm adopted a new moniker to go with an evolved sound and a more pronounced political angle. But while the Top 20 U.K. hit "Sixty Eight Guns" is an obvious nod to punk's high-powered indignation, much of the album favors an acoustic/folk approach that's more Dylan than Clash, more Woody Guthrie than The Jam. "Blaze of Glory" demonstrates that you don't need high voltage to make a soaring anthem, while "Tell Me" improves immensely upon the early U2 blueprint. And the songs that rock really rock. "Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke?" is like "Sixty Eight Guns" V.2; "Marching On" is pure jangly adrenaline. These anthems, while vague about specific social ills, call for a collective fight against all that ails the world. Lyrics about fighting the good fight and standing up against the powers-that-be abound - and with music this convincing, who could possibly resist joining The Alarm's army? Sign me up now! I'll grab my hairspray, cowboy boots, and weapon stockpile and meet you at the town square. Who are we fighting? Does it really matter?!

I've never been able to forgive U2 for its grandiose self-righteousness, yet the very same qualities about The Alarm have always struck me as endearing. Maybe that's because U2 never delivered a song as genuinely rousing and triumphant as "Sixty Eight Guns". Or maybe it's because The Alarm came off more like soldiers on the street than bloated messiah figures casting judgment from pearly thrones. The best "socially conscious" rock bands are the ones who'd be equally awesome if they were singing about girls or Twinkies instead – the ones who understand that great tunes will outlive even the most pressing social issues. Declaration, for all its naiveté and intended grandiosity, could be thoroughly enjoyed even by someone who didn't understand a word of English. While far from flawless, it's a terrific, exciting rock album that sounds surprisingly undated today. How often can you say that about an album issued on a major affiliated label in the early/mid '80s?

In the 30 years since the release of Declaration, The Alarm has continued to tour and make amazing records that have been largely ignored by the media and the music industry. If you get the chance to catch the band in concert, don't pass it up. And any and all recordings by The Alarm are worth buying. Declaration, of course, is the perfect place to start.



.

-L.R.

Retro Reviews: Teenage Head (self titled)

A number of years ago, Shawn Abnoxious asked me why I had never written about Teenage Head. It was a very good question. And I don't really have a good answer. Maybe it was one of those things I've just never gotten around to doing - like reading Crime And Punishment or trying a Krispy Kreme doughnut. It does seem odd that over a two decade "career" spent celebrating the pop/rock n' roll side of '77 punk, I've never done an article on the great Teenage Head. Well, I had never done an article on Teenage Head - until today!

When we talk about the great "scenes" of early punk rock, London, L.A., and New York usually get brought up first. If the Canadian punk scene circa the late '70s and early '80s isn't mentioned in the same breath, it probably should be. Canada had so many great bands - Viletones, D.O.A., Forgotten Rebels, Pointed Sticks, Subhumans, Diodes, Modernettes, Demics...I could go on and on. My personal favorite of the lot has to be Hamilton, Ontario's mighty Teenage Head - one of Canada's first and best punk bands. With a name and a sound inspired by the Flamin' Groovies, Teenage Head specialized in fun songs about girls, cars, boozing, and good times. Spiritually akin to The Dictators with the hooks of the Ramones and the swagger of the New York Dolls, this was a band that typified first wave punk while also drawing largely from early rock n' rollers such as Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry. With its raw production and simplistic musical approach, the band's 1979 debut LP remains the purest and finest representation of what Teenage Head was all about. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that it's full of classic songs!

In the tradition of Johansen/Thunders and Bators/Chrome, Teenage Head featured a star tandem on vocals and lead guitar - with front man Frankie "Venom" Kerr (R.I.P.) providing the personality/charisma and Gordie Lewis dishing out the hot guitar licks. And in Steve Mahon and Nick Stipanitz, the band had one of the greatest rhythm sections of the first wave punk era. Kicking off with two of the band's finest songs - "Top Down" and "Ain't Got No Sense" - Teenage Head could easily be forgiven if it failed to sustain a fast start. But it doesn't! It's a great album the whole way through - never relenting in its punked-up '50s rock n' roll attack with additional nods to the Stones and Stooges. Straight-ahead rockers like "Lucy Potato" and "Bonerack" sound great with the volume cranked to ten and a cold beer in your hand, while "Little Boxes" ought to be a staple on the Ramones' Pandora channel. Listening to a song like "You're Tearing Me Apart" and its gleeful blend of rockabilly, pop, and glam, I just can't deny Teenage Head's influence on a whole bunch of my favorite bands of the '90s and beyond.

Teenage Head were probably one of those bands that never fully captured the electrifying energy of their legendary live shows on record. But they came awfully close on this self-titled debut. It was considered a commercial flop upon its initial release, but time has proven it to be a stone cold classic. The 1996 CD reissue is long out of print but well worth tracking down if you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it (or just get it off iTunes for $10!). I also highly recommend the band's second LP, Frantic City. No doubt there were a ton of great bands in the early years of punk. But in my book, Teenage Head was one of the very best.

  

-L.R. 

https://www.facebook.com/teenagehead

Retro Reviews: The Vapors - New Clear Days

I once wrote a short story about a woman who so vehemently objected to her significant other's dismissal of The Vapors as a cheesy one-hit-wonder that she literally murdered him. My own stance on the matter is only slightly less passionate. The band's 1980 debut LP New Clear Days is my favorite album of all-time. The hit, "Turning Japanese", is well-known by all. If you don't like it, there must be something fatally wrong with you. The rest of the songs stick to the same new wave pop template, and are every bit as good. There is not a single track on the album that isn't totally great. Heck, even some of the songs that didn't make it onto the album are great! Often categorized as one of the standards of skinny tie power pop, New Clear Days actually transcends genre with its quirky sensibility and thoughtful lyrics.

As its title suggests, New Clear Days was a song cycle about love and life set against a backdrop of impending nuclear annihilation – overtly political in spots and otherwise informed by the tenor of Cold War times. While many of the best tracks ("Waiting for the Weekend", "Spring Collection", "Somehow") are simple variations on the songs-about-girls theme, few pop groups in 1980 were referencing military cease fires ("60 Second Interval") or World War II era nationalism ("Letter from Hiro"). The album's best track, "News At Ten", is a generational statement as pointed and literary as anything ever penned by Paul Weller (I always played Side Two first when listening on vinyl so the album would start with this song!). And David Fenton's lyrics to "Bunkers" read like something straight off the first Clash LP:

Government thugs keep me in for the week/

They call out the cops if I'm seen on the street/

It drives me spoolers in millions of ways/

I think I'll be a government thug one day/

Don't tell me in anger just tell me for real/

Why does everybody try to be a real big wheel/

It doesn't matter but if they live on the street/

With all these cowboys and bunkers and creeps

Fenton's songwriting muse would turn darker and weirder on the band's excellent second LP Magnets (the most accessible song was an ode to suicide cult leader Jim Jones!), and the album didn't even crack the top 100 on the U.K. charts. And that was all for The Vapors. To his credit, Fenton never gave in to the temptation to "unretire" from the music business. He gave up recording and became a solicitor. There have been no half-assed Vapors reunions or warmed-over comeback albums mimicking the new wave glories of yesteryear. The band's music remains in the early '80s, where it belongs - a cultural artifact as enduring and awesome as the Atari 2600, Billy Beer, and movies about truckers.



-L.R. 

Retro Reviews: The Simpletones - I Have A Date

If you start naming all the most underrated and overlooked bands of first wave punk, you turn to southern California and the list starts to fill up fast. While maybe not as good as The Gears, or as important as The Dils, or as influential as The Crowd, Rosemead, California's Simpletones may have been more underrated than all of the above. Among the band's members were Snickers of The Klan, Jerry Koskie and Rabit from The Cheifs, and Jay Lansford of the Stepmothers, Channel 3, and Rik L Rik. Considering that they were kind of precursors to what would be later termed "pop-punk" (albeit with an authentic early punk edge), the Simpletones merit a special place in history. It's absolutely shocking, then, that their music has not been kept in print. Immortalized on Poshboy's 1979 Beach Blvd compilation, the Simpletones are loved by record collectors and original So-Cal punks but completely unknown to the more casual fan. That's a damn shame.

I can't tell you for sure if The Simpletones were an influence on the Descendents, but I'll bet you a six-pack that Milo, Bill Stevenson, et al owned Beach Blvd and played it 'til it wore out. While a number of bands beyond the sea were incorporating melody into the punk rock sound, the Simpletones were one of few American punk groups of their era to be overtly "pop" both in sound and sensibility- wearing a Beach Boys influence on their sleeves and writing songs about girls. But while these lads were typically hormonally-driven teens with designs on the fairer sex, they weren't nice, clean-cut kids…they were punks! If the Beach Boys in the '60s typified the bright sun and innocent fun of Southern California life, the Simpletones were like their wayward sons a generation later – going to school high on drugs, chasing girls of ill repute, and unable to really enjoy the beach because of all the smog polluting the air. And although the band's anthem "California" reads lyrically like an early Beach Boys song, it's sung with such disdain and irony that it leaves no doubt that these kids believed they lived in a shithole. As redolent as "Tiger Beat Twist" and "Kirsty Q" may be of Dick Clark approved teen idol rock n' roll, this was not your grandfather's beach band. "I Have a Date" is so wholesome and cute on the surface, but you just know that this date is going to end not with a kiss on the front porch, but rather with a sordid coupling under the boardwalk or a drug binge at some stranger's house. And like the Ramones, whom they clearly emulated, the Simpletones were not against using the three-minute pop song as a vehicle for twisted social commentary. Note the black-humored environmentalism of "Dead Meat (Killer Smog)" or the way-ahead-of-its-time statement "TV Love".

Released back in 2002, the 22-track retrospective I Have a Date gives you EVERYTHING the Simpletones recorded during their original run – the Beach Blvd tracks, the "Kirsty Q" 45 (which was Poshboy #2 – how's that for historic?!), and all sorts of outtakes, which if not quite first-rate, are still a hell of a lot of fun (e.g. "Nasty Nazi" and a disco rendition of the Dickies' "You Drive Me Ape"). Featuring three different lead singers but held together by Lansford's superb songwriting and guitar work, these songs just sound like late '70s southern California – the half-spoken vocals that manage to convey boredom and anger, the melodic sensibility that's practically imbedded in the Californian's DNA, and the chip on your shoulder that can only come from having to watch entitled tourists frantically descend upon your home turf like they own it. As such, these songs have as much in common with the Adolescents or early Social Distortion as they do with any modern pop-punk band you could name. The best of these songs – "I Like Drugs", "I Have a Date", "Don't Bother Me" – are as classic as anything in the annals of punk rock. Lansford reformed the band a few years ago, and they even released a new album in 2010. But there's nothing like the classic material. Considering that dozens upon dozens of lesser bands have been given the full reissue/anthology treatment, it seems high time for I Have a Date to return to print. In the meantime, happy hunting. Land yourself a copy of the 1991 CD reissue of Beach Blvd, and that will do you almost as well!





-L.R.

Retro Reviews: The Many Moods Of The Vindictives

"As you wait for your lobotomy in line/
 The cranky little clones wet at once and cry/
 But mommy says it's always better to obey/
 And the tiny lights burn out more and more every day"

I often talk about the '90s being the second golden age of punk rock. If I ever got around to doing it, I could fill multiple volumes of books with write-ups on all the great punk bands of the '90s. It was a wonderful time to be a young writer coming up in the punk world. And all these years later, those bands and their music still hold up incredibly well. A few of the great bands of that time received the acclaim they justly deserved. Others toiled in obscurity and were totally overlooked. In between were the bands who got some recognition, but should have been way bigger. I'd put The Vindictives in that latter category. Signing to Lookout! Records at the height of the label's popularity, the Chicago band didn't exactly go unnoticed. But I've always maintained that most people failed to grasp just how incredible The Vindictives were in their prime. They were, to my mind, criminally underrated. They shoulda been huge. If I had to make a list of the ten greatest punk bands of the '90s, that would be really, really hard. But for sure, The Vindictives would have to be on that list.

If you weren't particularly paying attention, you might have dismissed The Vindictives as a typical '90s pop-punk band. But while they were definitely in the top tier of bands to be associated with that whole scene, there was nothing even remotely "typical" about The Vindictives. Sure, they had the melodic sensibility and unassailable Ramones influence of their well-known peers. But they were an incredibly unique band - creating manic and neurotic punk music full of fiercely intelligent ruminations on alienation, madness, and the general hollowness of respectable society. While the band's contemporaries mostly waxed pathetic on love and infatuation, The Vindictives tackled far more troubling subject matter with smarts and humor. With his deranged, snot-nosed vocals, Joey Vindictive would have been a distinctive artist even if he hadn't written such brilliant & bizarre lyrics. I'd put him up there with the greatest punk rock singers.

I can still remember where I was the first time I heard The Vindictives: sitting in my bedroom by the turntable, delighted and completely stunned by what I'd just heard. I thought to myself, "Holy shit, that guy's nuts...and I love it!" Rocks In My Head, the band's first EP for Lookout!, was one of a handful of recordings that propelled me into a "career" of writing about punk music. I yearned for much more, and Lookout! came through in 1995 with The Many Moods Of The Vindictives, a deluxe 28-song collection of the band's recorded output circa 1991-93 (their first six EPs plus a few comp cuts). While the band did release several more EPs in between 1994 and 1996, I always reach for The Many Moods Of... when I want to hear "vintage" Vindictives. Rather than make the mistake of trying to re-record their classic 7" tracks for a "proper" studio album, the band simply remixed and re-released all the original recordings. The result was one of the best punk albums of its time. Compared to a lot of stuff that I raved about back then, it stands the test of time way better. I consider The Vindictives to be not just one of the greatest punk bands of the early '90s, but also one of the greatest punk bands ever. That may sound like hyperbole, but the proof is in the pudding. How often do you hear a 28-song compilaton that isn't at least half garbage? The Many Moods Of... is almost all gold and features legendary tracks like "...And The World Isn't Flat Anymore", "Ugly American", "The Terrible Monster", "I Know People", "The Invisible Man", "I'm Sick", and "Circles". I fondly remember listening to it multiple times a day for weeks on end. And when I put it on today, I don't have to wonder why I loved it so much. It still kills.

The Vindictives called it a day in 1996 due to a serious health crisis that threatened Joey's life. The band would eventually re-unite and in 1999 released the wildly inventive concept album Hypno-Punko, which may have been too "out there" for fans who were expecting the same old Vindictives. After a handful releases in the early 2000s, the band was largely inactive until the release of last December's mono-flexi EP. The band is currently working on a new full-length album which will surely be great. I wholeheartedly recommend any and every thing The Vindictives have ever put their name on (their rendition of Leave Home was by far my favorite of the Ramones covers LPs). But The Many Moods Of The Vindictives is definitely where you'll want to start if you are currently unfamiliar with this incredible band. It's jam-packed with classic songs and primarily features the vintage Vindictives lineup of P.J. Parti on drums and Billy Blastoff on guitar joining Joey on vocals, Johnny Personality on bass, and the late Dr. Bob on guitar. If you've written off The Vindictives as a mere footnote of '90s pop-punk, check these clips below and prepare to be turned to the dark side!





-L.R.

http://vindictivesmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theVINDICTIVES

Retro Reviews: The Pagans - Shit Street

"The Pagans were as unwrought, impudent and gnarly a buncha rock'n'roll bedlamites as America's ever spewed outta its queasy underbelly."
-Mark Trehus
 
Of all the classic first wave punk bands, The Pagans are hands down the most under-appreciated. It's unforgivable that they are usually left off of people's all-time great lists while vastly inferior bands get the glory. Never able to get a proper album out during their first incarnation, the red-hot Cleveland foursome nonetheless amassed enough killer material between 1977 and '79 to allow for the legendary posthumous compilation Buried Alive. Even more definitive, the Crypt Records issue Shit Street compiles the entirety of the original Pagans' studio cuts with a 13-song live set from August of '79. If your list of top-tier class of '77 bands does not include The Pagans, you ought to give Shit Street a listen and get your pen and paper ready. You will need to do some revising.

Unlike many of their contemporaries who formed in the wake of Sex Pistols hysteria and more or less copied the formula, The Pagans were making punk rock music before anyone knew what to call it. The Hudson brothers had been playing in bands together since 1974, years before "Anarchy in the UK" was even conceived. Perhaps they were influenced by the true first punk song, Iggy and The Stooges' "I Got a Right". More likely they were influenced by Cleveland, Ohio in the mid-1970s - a crumbling blue collar city on the verge of bankruptcy, beset by burning rivers, mob wars, and perennially losing sports teams. Most likely they were influenced by extremely large quantities of drugs and alcohol. Whatever the case, the resulting music was wild and ferocious and straight up on fire. As snotty as their fellow Clevelanders the Dead Boys, no less unsavory than those rotten Pistols, as sonically destructive as the Stooges, and more lunkheaded than the Ramones and Dictators combined, The Pagans were the archetypical first wave punk band. And although their influence on modern-day sub-genres such as "punk rock n' roll", "garage punk", and "snot-punk" is undeniable, there has never really been another band that sounded quite like The Pagans. Only the American Midwest could have given birth to such a violent force of sonic nature. The Pagans were the best band to ever emerge from Cleveland, and that's saying something!
 
Shit Street has all the songs you know (or ought to know!): both sides of the "Street Where Nobody Lives"/ "What's This Shit Called Love" 45 from '78 (one of the five greatest punk singles EVER!), the gloriously awfully-recorded 1977 classic "Six and Change", the blistering, demented "Eyes of Satan", the Denny Carlton penned shaker "Boy Can I Dance Good", the Cleveland manifestos "Dead End America" and "I Juvenile", and the tasteless proto speed punk of "She's a Cadaver" (surely the Angry Samoans were fans!). And although a handful of the studio tracks were either too hastily recorded or simply not as inspired, the best stuff here absolutely kills. From the very opening notes of "What's This Shit Called Love", you know you're hearing something extraordinary - Tim Allee's thick, stabbing bass lines and Brian Hudson's abusive drumming laying the ground for Mike Metoff's guitars, which growl like alien destruction machines. And then in comes Mike Hudson with his powerful, wailing vocals, and forget about it! Try to name some punk singers better than a young Mike Hudson. Come on, try! You won't get very far.

The live cuts capture The Pagans in their natural habitat, the fabled dive Pirate's Cove, and give you a tiny taste of what it would have been like to have caught these guys in their prime, when they gigged relentlessly, drank heavily, fought internally, trashed hotel rooms, and delivered the goods on-stage to the delight or horror of whomever happened to show up that night, their savage & frenzied brand of rock n' roll arriving at least a decade too soon for any kind of recognition from the "respectable" world. And once Cheetah Chrome and Jimmy Zero join the fellas on stage for bang-up renditions of "It's All Over Now" and "Search and Destroy", you're gonna wish so badly that you had been there! The Pagans were soon to break up, and they'd come back to life a few years later with a new lineup and turn out the not-unworthy Pink Album. But come on, man. There's nothing like early Pagans. Your classic punk collection is not complete - or even truly started - without a copy of Shit Street. 

An earlier draft of this piece appears on the blog Dirty Sheets.




-L.R.  

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pagans/358666525201 

Retro Reviews: Dogmatics 1981-86

When it comes to all the fabled punk rock scenes of "back in the day", I'd probably take Boston over New York, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, or even L.A. And my favorite Boston band, by far, would have to be the Dogmatics. To me, they're pretty much the definitive Boston garage/punk band. Their music is Boston. Although the group's recording career was cut short by the tragic death of bass player Paul O'Halloran, the Dogmatics produced more legendary songs in a six-year period than most bands turn out in decades. Originally issued on CD by Shredder Records in 1995, Dogmatics 1981-86 is one of the all-time essential compilation albums. It's a must-own for anyone who reads this blog or digs the kind of music I write about. Seriously: I'm giving you all 30 days to acquire it. There will be inspections.

By the mid-'80s, punk music was largely turning away from the melodic sensibility and rock n' roll roots of its early days. But the Dogmatics didn't fit in one bit with that trend. They were pure fun. They played sloppy, poppy punk rock n' roll with a heavy rockabilly influence. They were like Eddie Cochran, Johnny Thunders, the Ramones, and early Replacements all rolled into one. And at a time in which punk rock was becoming very political and overly serious, the Dogmatics preferred writing songs about chasing girls, guzzling beer, and enduring the terrors of tyrannical Catholic school nuns. The classic track "Hardcore Rules" hilariously goofs on the bonehead direction punk music was beginning to take circa the early to mid '80s. It's my favorite Dogmatics song. Never ones to take themselves seriously, the Dogmatics were the class clowns of mid-'80s Boston punk - Irish/Catholic hooligans in search of teenage kicks playing shambolic three-chord rock n' roll with melody and guts. Comprised primarily of the band's LPs Thayer St. (1984) and Everybody Does It (1986), the 20-track 1981-86 is pure gold from start to finish. It sounds like a "greatest hits" collection, and in a certain respect that's precisely what it is. I'll put the likes of "Hardcore Rules", "Shithouse", "Teenage Lament", "Drinking By the Pool", "Sister Serena", "Gimme The Shakes", and "Thayer St." up against the classic songs of any garage/punk band of the Dogmatics' day. While these guys may have presented themselves as marginally talented degenerates making simplistic party music, they truly had a knack for writing perfect punk/rock n' roll songs. They shoulda been huge.

Brothers Pete (guitar/vocals) and Paul O'Halloran (bass/vocals) and Jerry Lehane (guitar/vocals) were Catholic schoolmates and childhood friends for eight years at St. Matthew's in Dorchester. Although separated for several years when both families moved out to the 'burbs, they stayed in touch and reconnected in Boston as young adults. Paul, who'd previously played in the Savage Beasties, recruited Pete and Jerry to join him in a new band along with drummer Dan Shannon. Tom Long eventually replaced Shannon on drums, and the permanent Dogmatics lineup was set. As their band bio says, "The Dogmatics would eventually end up playing every shitty little club and backyard party in most of the United States." At a time when the likes of Gang Green, Lyres, Outlets, SSD, Classic Ruins, Negative FX, Unnatural Axe, Jerry's Kids, and Mission of Burma made Boston a true hotbed for underground music, the Dogmatics and their Thayer St. loft were at the heart of the city's thriving scene. Paul's death in a motorcycle accident in 1986 essentially ended the band - it just would not have been the same without him. In recent years, the Dogmatics have done a number of reunion shows with Paul's brothers Johnny and Jimmy O'Halloran taking turns filling on on bass. I, along with my fellow Now Wave writers Brian Mosher and Vinnie Bratti, was lucky enough to see one of those shows - on Cape Cod back in the summer of 2007. It was without doubt one of the ten greatest performances I've ever witnessed. Several top bands of recent years, such as The Locomotions ("Saturday Nite Again") and Heap ("Whipped"), have kept the music of the Dogmatics alive by covering their songs. And while 1981-86 has been long out of print on the CD format, you can still buy it in digital form off of iTunes or Amazon. While the Dogmatics are rightfully revered in their home territory, outside of Boston I'd still consider them to be criminally underrated. Their Facebook page has a mere 790 likes. Come on, world! You're missing out!




-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/thedogmatics
http://www.thedogmatics.com/