Another in a spate of reissues, this one containing some classic retardo garage punk from 1980. Remixed a bit (not to its detriment) and powerful, it contains “Right Side of My Mind”, “You Stupid Asshole,” “Get Off the Air,” and two more gems. Get it.
The tracks on this album exemplify the BAD BRAINS’ unique blend of reggae and metal-embellished hardcore. Ric Ocasek’s excellent production works especially well on the thrashers by underlining some of their complex arrangements and superb musicianship, and even though a fair proportion of this material has been released previously, it’s difficult to ignore memorable blasts like “Fearless Vampire Killers” and “How Low Can a Punk Get?” Solid and powerful.
A lot more “rock’n’roll” than their ancient debut, this one has your metal/rock feel to it, and despite the usual dumbo lyrics, the music don’t cut it (the West Coast MEATMEN?). Amazingly, they do one “punk” tune, a cover of…BAD POSTURE’s “GDMFSOB.” Not worth the wait.
Total CRAMPS rip-off here, but these guys (from lyrics to cover art) are really into their “macho” BS. (Interestingly, this record is marketed by Jem Records, who applies the same mentality toward indie labels these days.) Fun music, lame men.
The DICKIES’ first vinyl in almost four years ranks up there near their previous funnypunk triumphs. Most of the eight songs here veer toward amphetamine pop, with irresistible layered choruses to boot, but the highlights include the poppish “Rosemary,” “She’s a Hunchback,” and an incredibly fast cover of LED ZEP’s “Communication Breakdown.” Buoyant and entertaining as hell!
Mark E. Smith has always opted for making ugly, twisted music during the career of the FALL, so I expect him to be sacking just about everyone in the band after this record. They continue with hypnotic drone songs with sly pop melodies, with lyrical lashings against middle-class mores and attitudes.
As with most extremely prolific bands, the FALL hit and miss with most of their compositions. This is basic middling FALL, with the repetitious arrangements and obscure, taunting vocals that aficionados of the outfit have come to expect. About every other song is pretty good, and nearly everything is very, very predictable.
The LONG RYDERS are a highly touted neo-’60s band from Southern California. Their debut EP contains a potpourri of ’60s styles, including folk-rock (“Join My Gang”), a rousing guitar-oriented rocker (“10-5-60″), and MASON PROFFIT-type country rock (the rest). They waste too much time on the latter for my taste, but the epic quality of the title song demonstrates that they’re capable of occasional greatness.
This band was great early on in the San Francisco punk scene, but before they split up they went way soft. Back again now, they’ve taken up where they left off, with soft pop. Unless wimpy BLONDIE meets bad NICO is your passion, avoid this.
While this is undoubtedly ’60s punk revival time, this particular approach leaves me somewhat unexcited. It’s on the pop/folk-rock side of the genre, with a little too much cuteness and too many “girl” songs. There are some rough edges (good!), but they’re few and far between.
