Yee Haw, the South’s gonna’ rise again! So goes the
refrain from Lewis’ classic theme song to his classic gore film ‘2000 Maniacs’.
While no one is ever going to accuse Lewis of being a great singer (he’s more of
a talker, kind of like Red Sovine), his voice works just fine on these two
tracks. Despite the involvement of Cleveland punk legends The Pink Holes, these
are pretty much hillbilly country songs. Both tunes sound pretty close to their
original renditions, just slightly faster. If you’re a fan of the demented
drive-in flicks these two songs were written for, or a fan of The Pink Holes,
this is a must buy. (Bob Ignizio)
After 30 years, Rocket From the Tombs have finally released
their debut studio album. I was a little bit scared before I put this in the CD
player. Sure, these guys had put on an excellent show both times I caught them
on their not-a-reunion tour. But what if they toned it down in the studio, or
went for a slick modern production sound? Thankfully my fears were unfounded.
This sounds like it could have been recorded during the band’s original
incarnation during the mid seventies. The playing is fantastic, with Cheetah
Chrome (Dead Boys) and Richard Lloyd (Television) laying down killer riffs and
tasteful leads over the rock solid rhythm section of Craig Bell (The Mirrors)
and Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu). And of course lead vocalist David Thomas (Pere
Ubu) has one of the most distinctive voices in rock. It’s a voice perfectly
suited to classic songs like “Sonic Reducer” and “Final Solution” (presented
here in a very different version than Ubu’s). Cheetah also sings a couple in a
raspy but emotional voice (“Ain’t it Fun” and “Amphetamine”) and Craig Bell
handles the vocals on “Muckraker”. Every song here is a keeper. It’s a real
testament to the energy and passion these guys put into this recording that even
the songs that had been recorded by Thomas and Chrome’s post-Rocket bands come
off sounding like the definitive versions here. The only downside is that
original second guitarist, and co-writer of many of these songs, Peter Laughner
didn’t live to play on this album. At least his legacy is well represented on
‘Rockets Redux’. I’ll be really surprised if anything else comes out in 2004
that I like better than this album. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a three song demo from
Hellvis bass player B.J. Lisko. Here he not only plays bass, but sings, plays
guitar, and pounds the skins. He does a pretty good job at all of it, too.
Overall this reminds me of bands like Nashville Pussy and The Supersuckers. In
other words, punk rock crossed with seventies hard rock/metal but with more
emphasis on the hard rock/metal side of things than most bands who mine this
particular vein. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before but it’s done well and
with sincerity. The production and mix are professional sounding and the songs
have catchy riffs and good vocals. Only the last song, “You’ve Been Caught”,
comes up a little short. I’m willing to overlook the main riff having been
swiped from Judas Priest’s “Heading Out to the Highway”, but the end results are
kind of lackluster compared to the first two songs on here. (Bob Ignizio)
U.N.K.L.E. – ‘Never, Never Land’
(London Records, currently import only)
U.N.K.L.E.'s
latest album, ‘Never, Never Land’, is an opus of dark emotions in a cruelly
misunderstanding world. The vocals whisper amidst chaotic and overbearing
music. Not unlike the manic tortured souls of Poe's tales, the various singers
recruited for this album are eerily calm, and the listener cannot help but
anticipate an outburst. Thoreau once said that most men lead lives of quiet
desperation,and U.N.K.L.E. translates this sentiment into music that leaves the
witness feeling naked and breathless. No relief is offered--the protagonist of
"Never, Never Land" does not break down as Poe's characters so often do--the
album concludes with him crooning, "you don't want to see inside of me," and a
gentle anticlimax that makes one wonder what will happen next. U.N.K.L.E. will
bring tears to the eyes of the stoic survivors out there with their uncanny
ability to transform desperate feeling into beautiful music. (Janelle Martin)
Yee Haw, the South’s gonna’ rise again! So goes the
refrain from Lewis’ classic theme song to his classic gore film ‘2000 Maniacs’.
While no one is ever going to accuse Lewis of being a great singer (he’s more of
a talker, kind of like Red Sovine), his voice works just fine on these two
tracks. Despite the involvement of Cleveland punk legends The Pink Holes, these
are pretty much hillbilly country songs. Both tunes sound pretty close to their
original renditions, just slightly faster. If you’re a fan of the demented
drive-in flicks these two songs were written for, or a fan of The Pink Holes,
this is a must buy. (Bob Ignizio)
After 30 years, Rocket From the Tombs have finally released
their debut studio album. I was a little bit scared before I put this in the CD
player. Sure, these guys had put on an excellent show both times I caught them
on their not-a-reunion tour. But what if they toned it down in the studio, or
went for a slick modern production sound? Thankfully my fears were unfounded.
This sounds like it could have been recorded during the band’s original
incarnation during the mid seventies. The playing is fantastic, with Cheetah
Chrome (Dead Boys) and Richard Lloyd (Television) laying down killer riffs and
tasteful leads over the rock solid rhythm section of Craig Bell (The Mirrors)
and Steve Mehlman (Pere Ubu). And of course lead vocalist David Thomas (Pere
Ubu) has one of the most distinctive voices in rock. It’s a voice perfectly
suited to classic songs like “Sonic Reducer” and “Final Solution” (presented
here in a very different version than Ubu’s). Cheetah also sings a couple in a
raspy but emotional voice (“Ain’t it Fun” and “Amphetamine”) and Craig Bell
handles the vocals on “Muckraker”. Every song here is a keeper. It’s a real
testament to the energy and passion these guys put into this recording that even
the songs that had been recorded by Thomas and Chrome’s post-Rocket bands come
off sounding like the definitive versions here. The only downside is that
original second guitarist, and co-writer of many of these songs, Peter Laughner
didn’t live to play on this album. At least his legacy is well represented on
‘Rockets Redux’. I’ll be really surprised if anything else comes out in 2004
that I like better than this album. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a three song demo from
Hellvis bass player B.J. Lisko. Here he not only plays bass, but sings, plays
guitar, and pounds the skins. He does a pretty good job at all of it, too.
Overall this reminds me of bands like Nashville Pussy and The Supersuckers. In
other words, punk rock crossed with seventies hard rock/metal but with more
emphasis on the hard rock/metal side of things than most bands who mine this
particular vein. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before but it’s done well and
with sincerity. The production and mix are professional sounding and the songs
have catchy riffs and good vocals. Only the last song, “You’ve Been Caught”,
comes up a little short. I’m willing to overlook the main riff having been
swiped from Judas Priest’s “Heading Out to the Highway”, but the end results are
kind of lackluster compared to the first two songs on here. (Bob Ignizio)
U.N.K.L.E.'s
latest album, ‘Never, Never Land’, is an opus of dark emotions in a cruelly
misunderstanding world. The vocals whisper amidst chaotic and overbearing
music. Not unlike the manic tortured souls of Poe's tales, the various singers
recruited for this album are eerily calm, and the listener cannot help but
anticipate an outburst. Thoreau once said that most men lead lives of quiet
desperation,and U.N.K.L.E. translates this sentiment into music that leaves the
witness feeling naked and breathless. No relief is offered--the protagonist of
"Never, Never Land" does not break down as Poe's characters so often do--the
album concludes with him crooning, "you don't want to see inside of me," and a
gentle anticlimax that makes one wonder what will happen next. U.N.K.L.E. will
bring tears to the eyes of the stoic survivors out there with their uncanny
ability to transform desperate feeling into beautiful music. (Janelle Martin)