Overwhelming Colorfast - Overwhelming Colorfast - 1992

From the opening chords of the frenetic and furious "It's Tomorrow," the self-titled debut by Overwhelming Colorfast bears an obvious Hüsker Dü influence, with Bob Reed's voice at times resembling Bob Mould's. Like Hüsker Dü, this quartet churns out catchy tunes powered by abrasive guitars and impassioned vocals. Influences aside, Overwhelming Colorfast proves quite adept at draping its lively melodies with layers of fuzzy guitar on tracks like "Totally Gorgeous Foreign Chick," My Trip," and "Arrows." The band also delivers a solid cover of the Beatles' classic "She Said, She Said," injecting the song with a little more muscle than the original version. The album's emphasis on a thick guitar sound could be attributed to the fact that Butch Vig produced the record, shortly before presiding over sessions for the Smashing Pumpkins' similarly crunch-heavy Siamese Dream. Though certainly not a groundbreaking album, Overwhelming Colorfast will easily satisfy fans of brisk, post-punk rock & roll. -AMG

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Overwhelming Colorfast - Overwhelming Colorfast - 1992

The Dials - Flex Time - 2005

Formed in 2002, Chicago-based indie rock outfit the Dials fuse new wave and punk into a rowdy, melodic, and street-smart tonic that echoes the great girl groups of the '60s turned up to 11. Relying on the talents of Rebecca Crawford, Patti Gran, Emily Dennison, and Chad Romanski, the band released its debut EP, Sick Times, in 2003 to critical acclaim, both local and national. The group's first full-length album, Flex Time, was released in 2005 on the Latest Flame label. -AMG

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The Dials - Flex Time - 2005

Nick Lowe - Jesus Of Cool - 1978

On the cover of his solo debut album Jesus of Cool, Nick Lowe is pictured in six rock & roll get-ups — hippie, folkie, greasy rock & roller, new wave hipster — giving the not-so-subtle implication that this guy can do anything. Nick proves that assumption correct on Jesus of Cool, a record so good it was named twice, as Lowe's American record label got the jitters with Jesus and renamed it Pure Pop for Now People, shuffling the track listing (but not swapping songs) in the process. As it happens, both titles are accurate, but while the U.K. title sounds cooler, capturing Lowe's cheerfully blasphemous rock & roll swagger, Pure Pop describes the sound of the album, functioning as a sincere description of the music while conveying the wicked, knowing humor that drives it. This is pop about pop, a record filled with songs that tweak or spin conventions, or are about the industry. Only a writer with a long, hard battle with the biz in his past could write "Music for Money" and much of Jesus of Cool does feel like a long-delayed reaction to the disastrous American debut of Brinsley Schwarz, where the band's grand plans at kick-starting their career came crumbling down and pushed them into the pubs. Once there, the Brinsleys spearheaded the back-to-basics pub rock movement in England and as the years rolled on the band got loose, as did Lowe's writing, which got catchier and funnier on the group's last two albums, Nervous on the Road and New Favourites of Brinsley Schwarz. -AMG

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Nick Lowe - Jesus Of Cool - 1978 pt1

Nick Lowe - Jesus Of Cool - 1978 pt2

The Insomniacs - Switched On! - 2004

David Wojciechowski and his fellow light-sleepers in the Insomniacs aren't offering anything strikingly new and different on 2004's Switched On!, but in the great tradition of "it's not what you do, it's how you do it," their blend of garage rock swagger and power pop jangle still sounds fresh and full-bodied, and they throw in enough variety along the way to keep things interesting. From the Byrds-ian 12-string chiming of "Somewhere" and the sitar-fueled Eastern accents of "Leave" to the organ swirls on "The Pudding Club," the Insomniacs have a good notion of when to throw in a left-turns into their classicist garage bluster to keep listeners on their toes, and even the relatively straightforward numbers are committed to tape with enthusiasm and commitment. Dan McKinney's engineering put just the right amount of meat on the bones, and his keyboard contributions are smart and well executed. Garage loyalists will love this, and a few of the unconverted might even go for it if it ever crosses their path. -AMG

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The Insomniacs - Switched On! - 2004

Various Artists - Come and Get It - A Tribute To Badfinger - 1996

Badfinger deserve a tribute album a lot more than most, because few modern rock fans know them. Their four Top 15 singles for the Beatles' Apple label, from March 1970 to April 1972, all rank in anyone's Top Ten of the greatest post-Beatles, heavy power pop songs. Sing the choruses of "Day After Day" (done here by 20/20), "Baby Blue" (Aimee Mann), "No Matter What" (the Knack), and the Paul McCartney-penned "Come and Get It" (Adrian Belew), and the response invariably is, "I know that song! I love that song! That's Badfinger?" Likewise, their four LPs for Apple (before their two so-so Warner Bros. releases) contain many special moments. But a more loving tribute than Come and Get It: A Tribute to Badfinger would be hard to imagine. All 22 artists exhibit the sort of reverence Badfinger once had for the Beatles! The dais is a bit strange: no quibble with Mann, whose "Baby Blue" is really crisp, the Loud Family, the Rooks, the Salteens (Ken Stringfellow from the Posies in disguise), and a few others. And it's nice to see '60s guru and Zombies' champion Al Kooper, who once sat in with Badfinger in the studio (as he'd already done with Bob Dylan and the Who), take a turn. But the Knack? 20/20? Belew? Dwight Twilley? The re-formed Plimsouls (albeit with hot Blondie drummer Clem Burke)? Can you say '70s new wave party? Completely conversely, too many acts here are no-names with the scent of studio project, a common tribute album disease, however (in this case) enthusiastic. Such baby bands are overmatched by Badfinger's talent and soulful interplay. Where is all the cream of indie talent? Still, whatever attention these too-old and too-new fans draw to Badfinger is welcome, and in the end, miraculously, there isn't a single total stinker! -AMG

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Various Artists - Come and Get It - A Tribute To Badfinger - 1996 pt1

Various Artists - Come and Get It - A Tribute To Badfinger - 1996 pt2

Various Artists - Come and Get It - A Tribute To Badfinger - 1996 pt3

Broken Hearts - Want One? - 2003

In 1985, a number of years before Mike Mazzarella started The Rooks, he formed a nice little power pop unit called the Broken Hearts. Along with guitarist Tom Bittel, bassist Jamie Beckett, and drummer Pat Yourell, this spunky quartet recorded Want One? in December/January '84/85 and released it—as was then the fashion—on vinyl. Reissued on Paisley Pop in 2003 on CD, the original nine songs have been augmented with 11 extras. Perhaps the first thing that calls attention to itself on Want One? is how non-pretentious and fun these songs are. Pieces like "You Won't Find Me" and "Play That Song Again" will remind the listener of the best of '60s pop, bouncing happily along for two or three minutes to the jangle of electric guitars, a steady backbeat, and an ever-present bass. The odds and ends that make up the extras help to fill the album out a bit. The energy level—raw and hyped up—on songs like Circle of Fools" and How About That" burns even brighter than the studio cuts. There's also a longer version—a prototype—of "Just Love Ya'" that includes an extended, surreal jam in the middle. The last two tracks ("Not Really in Love" and "Fool for Love") were recorded in 1986 and steer, interestingly enough, toward country-rock. Want One? provides a nice portrait of four young men finding their muse, and will be of interest to Rooks' fans and anyone who loves good, energetic pop music. -AMG

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Broken Hearts - Want One? - 2003 pt1

Broken Hearts - Want One? - 2003 pt2

The Hellacopters - Rock & Roll Is Dead - 2006

Just why would an album be titled Rock & Roll Is Dead when the contents within are good old-fashioned rock & roll? Undoubtedly, it's because one of Sweden's most popular rock acts, the Hellacopters, is displeased with the state of rock music. So it would be a highly logical guess that the title is aimed at all the homogenized rock acts running amok on the charts. While most "retro rockers" have no problem replicating the sonics of yesteryear, it's when it comes to penning memorable tracks like their heroes that they usually run into a stumbling block. But the Hellacopters are one of the exceptions — as evidenced here by such standouts as "Monkeyboy," the very Stonesy "Leave It Alone," and "Murder on My Mind." And as with most modern-day garage revivalists, the Hellacopters can't resist slipping in a few "bash and wail" numbers as well ("Bring It on Home," "Put Out the Fire," etc.). For those seeking garage rock patterned after late-'60s rock & roll (MC5, the Stooges, a dash of the Stones, and the Amboy Dukes), Rock & Roll Is Dead may just be your choice album of 2006 — although it was issued a year earlier in the Hellacopters' homeland. -AMG

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Dorian Gray - The Sounds of Dorian Gray -1999

Dorian Gray plays melodic, guitar-based pop/rock in a style derived from Anglo-American bands of the mid-'60s, even if singer/lyricist Torben Freytag heard much of it secondhand through '70s new wave groups like Blondie. Producers David Myhr and Anders Hellgren have given those guitars a shimmering sound that sustains through the songs, lending a confectionery tone to Freytag's lyrics, most of which concern the dichotomy between ordinary life and stardom in the entertainment business. This theme is introduced in the opening track, "Daydreamer," in which the singer addresses a companion named Sheila, exhorting her to give up her waitressing job, remember their "master plan," and accompany him in leaving for a place where they may be able to realize their dreams. That those dreams concern fame as an entertainer is made clear in later songs such as "She's With the Band" and "We Could Be Stars," the latter making things explicit in lines like this: "Life is tragic in a way/at least for those who never make it." So far, however, Freytag seems to have a better sense of ordinary, mundane life than he does of life in the fast lane, as he devotes other songs to such subjects as watching the news on television ("Delirious") and juvenile delinquency ("Running With the Dogs"). He only occasionally betrays his origin in these English-language performances, now and then coming up with an awkward combination of words or singing something with an odd emphasis. For the most part, however, he is buoyed along by the surging music. It's not clear that the American music market of 2000 is looking for an eager, energetic power pop band, but if so, Dorian Gray stands ready. -AMG

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Dorian Gray - The Sounds of Dorian Gray -1999 pt1

Dorian Gray - The Sounds of Dorian Gray -1999 pt2

The Shazam - Godspeed the Shazam - 1999

Taking cues primarily from early Cheap Trick and Electric Light Orchestra, The Shazam mold hard rock that, initially, sounds out of place on the Not Lame label, which focuses entirely on power pop. However, on repeat listens it becomes obvious why this group is so often lumped in with fine pop acts; their hooks are remarkably strong and melodic. While they're clearly out of step with the times (The music here is entirely steeped in the late '70s, and while it may have sold millions then, it is unlikely to go past "cult" status now), Godspeed the Shazam is an excellent hard rock pleasure. Many of these songs sound like lost classics, especially the excellent "Super Tuesday" (an anthemic rocker on the lament of the loser of a presidential election) and "Gonna Miss Yer Train." The Shazam also occasionally dip into glam, especially on "Sunshine Tonight" and "The Stranded Stars" and, not surprisingly, they make that work too. It all amounts to yet another gem on the Not Lame label. -AMG

The Krinkles - Revenge of... - 1998

Having known each other since they were tiny infants, the Krinkles men share an intense chemistry on and off stage. Having grown up in Detroit Rock City, the guys never had any problems finding great music to hear and play. Lured by the bright lights and beautiful creatures of Chicago, the brave young men made the move some years ago. Inspired by the city’s rich history of great Rock ‘n’ Roll acts, such as Cheap Trick, The Krinkles were soon formed.The Krinkle sound relies heavily on the songwriting team of Henry Krinkle (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Dan “The Fox” (lead guitar, vocals), along with the snap-crackle-rock rhythm section of Jerry O (bass) and Matty (drums, vocals). 2007 will see the release of their third CD “3 - The Mordorloff Collection”. Finally, they were able to capture the raw explosive power that The Krinkles legendary live shows are known for. With influences ranging from Badfinger to Kiss and all rock in-between, The Krinkles have a sound harkening to the glory days of Rock ‘n’ Roll with crisp vocal harmonies and delicate melody. This “hit you over the head without leaving a mark” approach is undercut by thunderous drums, pounding bass and thick crunchy guitars, giving The Krinkles a sound and future that continues to grow. -Hooka.com

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The Krinkles - Revenge of... - 1998

Showbag - The Town We Loved In - 2004

Produced by the incredibly talented Michael Carpenter, you can take that as a stamp of quality assurance----such is the case with Showbag. "Beautiful, sweeping pop from outta Western Australia way. They always manage to come up with the goods and this full lengther is no exception. The gorgeous melodies of Perish Union, with its perfectly harmonised dual vocals and sad, sad chorus launches the bitter-sweet slab of pop nibblies, ahead of the aerated simple snappiness of Break It and the slightly tougher guitar stance of Bandy....Mean To You has Jodie Bartlett leading the vox department sweet, soft rhythms that blossom slowly, before East Or West scorches it up a notch ahead of the swirling carousel that is Goodbye Friend. Beginners is sheer killer pop in all its simplicity. Catchy, passion-draped and an instant hook! Never Get There dishes up more of the sameawesome in every sense of the word, with some beautiful harmonies to boot. If you love your pop, then you gotta get your flappers around one of WA`s finest exponents of the ilk. Simple, beautiful stuff."-RedBackRock. The lushness of REM, the lyric smart of the Go-betweens, thoughtful, heartfelt, angry and joyful. Set in the fictitious Australian town Perish Union it tells 14 tales, which, through a tapestry of girl/guy vocals, piece together the story of broken relationships, and how these coincide with the deterioration of the town In many ways this collection of songs feel somewhat like a disguised autobiography. Like reading somebody`s diary, telling tales of illness, ballads of love, hope and fear, and of the painful sorrow of saying goodbye. At times, delivering their tunes upbeat and at times almost silent, when you hear the album it feels like Showbag is sitting in the room reflecting with you - The lyrics hit you with such raw emotion you can reach out and feel the reality of the songs. -Not Lame

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Showbag - The Town We Loved In - 2004

Sparkle*Jets U.K. - Bamboo Lounge - 2002

You can only come out of left field once, and the Sparkle*Jets U.K. had already managed to stretch their novelty by following up their irreverent debut with a full-fledged tribute album to themselves. So the band wisely decided not to replicate In, Through and Beyond and took a different approach entirely with Bamboo Lounge. Susan West is utilized more directly here; while her off-kilter character added variety to the debut, now she's brought front and center. The production on her tracks makes her vocal growl sound like her DNA was lifted from Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson. And her material ups the ante, too — instead of being ambivalent about the death of a controlling boyfriend, she's now a caterwauler at a square dance where the participants will all be shot dead (yes, really). And Simmons responds by turning out a set of songs that are more faithful to power pop conventions than anything on the debut, such as the gorgeous "Sorry." There are no covers this time and they are missed, but to replace them the band makes a few liberal lifts from '70s classics like "Rock & Roll All Nite" by Kiss (in "She May Be Nice") and Elvis Costello's "Alison" (in "Beautiful Girl"). And the package is rounded out by a lounge instrumental, a twisted children's song, and album packaging that resembles the drink menu at a Chinese restaurant. Adoration of junk culture has never been as silly or as fun as this. -AMG

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Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution - 2004

There's nothing fancy about Eugene Edwards' debut record, My Favorite Revolution. Powered by simple guitars, bass, and drums, influenced by power pop from the '60s to today, and firmly in the classic verse-chorus songwriting tradition, the record could have been a cookie-cutter nonentity. Certainly, in the wrong hands this kind of guitar pop can come off as studied and dull or, on the flip side, frivolous and camp. Edwards makes it work by being deadly serious. There are no winking asides, no arch tributes to pop icons, and not a drop of silliness. Every note sounds like it matters to Edwards and every note sounds real, and it gives the record an authenticity that most modern power pop records lack. Of course, authenticity isn't worth a dime unless it is backed up with tunes. Edwards delivers in fine fashion, whether he is making you smile nostalgically ("It Doesn't Get Better Than This," "Not That Kind of a Girl," "It's All About You"), breaking your heart ("The Next Time You Go," "Shattered Flower"), or just rocking you ("My Favorite Revolution," "At Your Place"). Edwards' voice is lively and pleasantly rough, reminiscent at times of Marshall Crenshaw or early Elvis Costello (without the sneer). His playing (and he plays everything on the album except the drums) is fiery and the production is tight and sharp without being slick, featuring nicely jangled guitars and smooth vocal harmonies. In fact, everything sounds note-perfect, and there isn't a wasted note or a bad idea anywhere. Impressive for a debut from out of nowhere, My Favorite Revolution is quite a pleasure. Of course, it is a pleasure that will likely only appeal to a small band of guitar pop enthusiasts unafraid to take a chance on an unknown, but that isn't Edwards' fault. All he has done is craft the kind of record that, if it had come out in 1977, would be talked about now in the same reverent tones as Dwight Twilley's debut or Tom Petty's first couple of singles. It isn't quite at that level, but it comes a lot closer than anyone else has lately, and for that, My Favorite Revolution deserves all the praise it gets. -AMG

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Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution - 2004 pt1

Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution - 2004 pt2

Superscope - Torpedo -2003

Superscope are the quintessential (i.e great one) post Beatles, post garage, post mediocre pop band. Sweet and hard. . . . somewhat like. . . .a lollipop. Quintessentially Australian, the rich, loud open chord that echy here will remind listeners of classic bands like DM3, The Chevelles and Pyramidiacs. After releasing many EP`s over the last 6 years, their full length is here! Woo-Hoo and it`s cause for celebration for pop fans worldwide. This is pure adrenaline infused power pop. Muscular workouts with happy guitar-based melodies and hooks that exquisite may just bring a tear to your eye. -Not Lame

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Superscope - Torpedo -2003

The Kicks - Hello Hong Kong - 2004

The Kicks return with Hello Hong Kong, a second album that actually plays more like a revamped version of their debut: seven songs — more than half the album — originally appeared on The Kicks. This is somewhat excusable, considering that Hello Hong Kong is the Kicks' major-label debut and the Kicks had a lot of hooky songs that make for a good introduction to the band. However, some of these songs seem to have suffered a bit during their major-label makeovers; Butch Vig's trademark shiny production tends to make the band's already radio-friendly melodies and hooks sound slick and generic instead of appealing. While the most urgent songs ("Radar") cut through the sheen and the poppiest ones ("Satellite," "Mir," and "Pop Star Radio Crown") work with it, the tracks that fall in-between these extremes sound even more in-between than they did before. As for Hello Hong Kong's new songs, "What Do I Have to Do?" is one of the better offerings, with a desperate, bordering on pathological chorus that is equally catchy and creepy. "12 Steps" flirts with emo earnestness, and "The Exorcist"'s wry but vulnerable look at relationship woes recalls Pinkerton-era Weezer (as does "Ninety-Nine," an "I'm into her, but she's into girls" rant that could be a rewrite of "Pink Triangle"). Indeed, Hello Hong Kong's main flaw is that it sounds like a block of modern rock radio programming all by itself; while the Kicks are adept at sampling from power pop, punk-pop, and emo, crafting something truly distinctive-sounding from those influences still eludes them. Even the album's most unique moment, a mix of crooning, faux-British vocals, cheesy synths, and big guitars known as "Pretty One," doesn't feel convincing as anything other than a crafty pastiche. Hello Hong Kong isn't at all a bad album, but it does suggest that the Kicks might be too competent at sounding like other bands for their own good. -AMG

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The Kicks - Hello Hong Kong - 2004

Brent Cash - How Will I Know If I'm Awake - 2008

It's the sound of endless summers and good vibrations. “From the start, multi-instrumentalist Cash decided to record his songs like "they did it back then," hiring the best musicians in town and assembling a mini-orchestra featuring strings, brass and even a harp. The results are simply stunning. From the opening chords of "Everything That's Grey," we enter melody wonderland, a place where major 7 chords rule and beautiful vocal harmonies dazzle your mind. "Digging The Fault Line" is full of Byrds guitar jangle, sounding like the perfect soundtrack to cruise into golden California sunsets (with a great Wes Montgomery-like guitar solo along the way). "Only Time" explodes with 100 % fat-free youthful euphoria -- Roger Nichols meets The 5th Dimension. Music made the way it was meant to be heard. -Not Lame

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Brent Cash - How Will I Know If I'm Awake - 2008

The Jam - All Mod Cons - 1978

The Jam regrouped and refocused for All Mod Cons, an album that marked a great leap in songwriting maturity and sense of purpose. For the first time, Paul Weller built, rather than fell back, upon his influences, carving a distinct voice all his own; he employed a story-style narrative with invented characters and vivid British imagery à la Ray Davies to make incisive social commentary — all in a musically irresistible package. The youthful perspective and impassioned delivery on All Mod Cons first earned Weller the "voice of a generation" tag, and it certainly captures a moment in time, but really, the feelings and sentiments expressed on the album just as easily speak to any future generation of young people. Terms like "classic" are often bandied about, but in the case of All Mod Cons, it is certainly deserved. -AMG

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The Jam - All Mod Cons - 1978

Michael Carpenter - Rolling Ball - 2004

Michael Carpenter produced some of the best singer/songwriter rock & roll records around the turn of the millennium, but until 2003's Kings Rd. Works he was handling most of the instrumentation, recording, and production entirely himself. It seemed that having a full band in the studio with him would provide an extra dose of power and energize his normally humble efforts, but for some reason the end result was a record that sounded more constrained than his prior work and came off as a bit of a disappointment. He retrenched with the follow-up, 2004's brilliant Rolling Ball, a dizzyingly diverse record that borrows from a cornucopia of styles and bursts with enthusiasm. Rolling Ball doesn't represent a break from form so much as an increase in focus: this is still the same Michael Carpenter who's been releasing rootsy and earnest pop/rock records since 1999. It is a return, at least to some extent, to the sound of Carpenter's first (and best) record, Baby, but not self-consciously so. Instead, Carpenter has shattered the "next Tom Petty" tag and realized that his many influences, which he has always tended to wear on his sleeve throughout his records, can merge to create a record that sounds like his own work, and that part of that process is to actually allow them to seep through fully. Essentially, Rolling Ball is where Carpenter decided to stop recognizing the boundaries of his influences and to instead fully integrate them, and the end result is excellence: the title track and "Emily Says" recall classic bubblegum, "The Ache" nods toward the twang of the Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo without cribbing too liberally from the source material, ballads like "Good Enough" and "Everyday" resonate in a way that his slower material didn't before (especially on Kings Rd. Works, where they were the obvious Achilles' heel), and he also creates some of the most complex and dizzyingly diverse songs of his career, in particular the neo-psychedelic "The Day Before." Building from tense and foreboding verses, the song bursts into an anthemic, chunky classic rock-styled chorus before sinking again into the pulsating depths of the Nuggets-inspired verses. It's one of the best examples yet put to tape of just how much this artist is capable of achieving, and stands as the centerpiece of his brilliant return to form. -AMG

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Michael Carpenter - Rolling Ball - 2004 pt1
Michael Carpenter - Rolling Ball - 2004 pt2

Owsley - Owsley - 1999

Alabama born multi-instrumentalist Will Owsley followed a career path not unlike Sheryl Crow's, by backing up big mainstream pop artists, collecting the rewards and channeling them into his own solo work. Owsley plied his wares in the bands of Shania Twain and Amy Grant in the mid-'90s, then recorded his own material at home, and offered the finished product to record companies on a take-it-or-leave-it basis — just like Tom Scholz did with the first Boston album, Owsley notes. Giant Records took it, and released Owsley's debut in 1999. Another of Owsley's old bands contained Ben Folds, and their like-mindedness is hard to miss; this album's "Zavelow House" and "Sonny Boy" are practically Ben homages. While both craft pop hooks which make similarly instant impressions, Owsley toughens them up with meatier singing and crunching guitars, avoiding the occasional maudlin sensibilities of Folds' stuff — the "wimp factor" is wisely absent here. Owsley's power-chord crunch and serviceable soloing amplify matters in songs like "Oh No the Radio" and "I'm Alright." Owsley's sonic references originate in the '70s: there's Todd Rundgren's keyboard melodicism, the offbeat arrangements of 10cc, and even a throwback to the stylized country-rock of Dave Mason. In terms of amplitude and attitude, though, this album is a direct product of the late '90s. Owsley is about as ideal as pop solo debuts get; like Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown and the first Folds album, it introduces expert tunesmithing and by an unassuming musical personality. Smart, tasty and guilt-free. -AMG

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Owsley - Owsley - 1999

Hollywood Brats - Hollywood Brats - 1980

The Hollywood Brats announce their presence on their self-titled album, re-released in 1999, with a plinky piano that drips with campy fun — especially the last wrong note hit before a wave of guitars washes away the tinny sound with a full rock & roll barrage. And these wink-wink touches are layered onto the album thicker than the blusher caked onto the boys who played on it. "Courtesan," has a slinky go-go dance beat, over which a nasally croon warns of, "the girl with the dollar sign eyes." They deliver an amped up version of "Then He Kissed Me," complete with a gender-bending interpretation, and the hint of an exhibitionist's thrill at doing something naughty. These boys could give the New York Dolls a run for their money, and both would be evenly matched in their towering platform shoes and flying feather boas, although their songs lack some of the raunchy punk and dirt under your press-on fingernails sound of their New York boyfriends. They were forming across the pond at the same time in the early '70s, though, when a disgust with the bloated redundancy of popular rock and the cotton candy emptiness of disco caused all the fabulous freaks of punk rock to let out a squeal. The songs were recorded in 1973 but were not released in Britain until 1980, when Cherry Red Records did the honors. And the Hollywood Brats definitely bring to mind the hair bands that followed them, especially the way that Hanoi Rocks flirted with both street credibility and over the top drama, and an echo of their sound can be found in Motley Crue's cow bell. Of course, it's not just light songs about skipping school and cross-dressing — they do let their inner punks out to play. "Sick on You" is the ultimate break up song, flaying a now tiresome six week romance with "if I'm gonna puke, Babe, I'm gonna puke on you." While this album does inspire a few giggles, for anyone who likes the tradition of electrifying bluesy R&B-based rock, and delivering it with both a sneer and a dusting of glitter, this album is a worthwhile score. -AMG

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Hollywood Brats - Hollywood Brats - 1980