CD & Vinyl REVIEWS:
Nervous Eaters Eaterville #1
by Chris Parcellin
Most bands' best work goes largely undocumented and is quickly forgotten. Original songs are rehearsed and played live before dissapearing into the ethers of time. Even if songs are demo-ed or released on CD--your average group is not going to penetrate the mass consciousness or even the Taxxachusetts consciousness.

But the mighty Nervous Eaters are a band that has beaten the odds by continuing to release music that recalls the glory days of the Boston punk/garage explosion of the mid-to-late '70s. A couple of years back they knocked it out of the park with the ferocious instant classic "Eat This!"

And this time the Rathskellar's finest have reached back to their early Rat Records singles. And a pile of outstanding basement recordings--captured on a Teac 4-track--that make a strong case for them staking their claim as the best hard rock band to emerge from Boston in the latter half of the '70s. (Aerosmith can probably take credit as being the best of the first half of the Me Decade--although they lost their edge eons ago.)

Frontman and songwriter Steve Cataldo and his revolving cast of Eaters pack plenty of punch sonically speaking on the Rat Records gems "Loretta," "Just Head," and "Get Stuffed." Cataldo's tough vocals and stinging guitar recall the best of the New York Dolls and the Stooges while establishing him as a rock'n'roll songwriter to be reckoned with.

And the home recordings offer up plenty of great garagey tunes, as well. "I'm A Degenerate" from 1974 perfectly prefigures the oncoming Rat scene and features vintage ultra-sleazy Cataldo lyrics like "stick a stilleto right up your asshole." Continuing in this vein, Cataldo--obviously never one to mince words--tells it like it is on the self-explanatory "You Smell Like Fish."

Early 70's recordings of She's Gonna Be My Baby" and "On the Avenue" provide a nice, raw(er) contrast to their later incarnations on the Eaters' mid 80's Ace of Hearts longplayer "Hot Steel & Acid." A gritty live version of Chuck Berry's "Beautiful Delilah" and home demos of the power-chord driven "Planet Fever" and "After Your Goodtimes Gone" also give the listener plenty to chew on.

Penniman Records has given the band's legacy its due respect with a nice packaging job on the CD, and a nearly 30-page insert booklet that features a detailed interview with Cataldo as well as his song-by-song analysis of the tunes that comprise the "Eaterville #1" collection.

Without a doubt this is essential rock'n'roll. My only question: When the hell do we get "Eaterville #2"?!

Sleazegrinder Presents "Cock'n'Roll: The World's Sleaziest Bands"
by Chris Parcellin
Putting out a collection of the "sleaziest" bands on the planet is a tall order, indeed. But since the rock scribe extraordinaire known as Sleazegrinder has his own self-named record label--he's attempting to do just that, with this new collection of tunes called "Cock'n'Roll". But does he succeed?

The CD packaging looks like it was designed by Larry Flynt (and who the hell doesn't love Larry?) which might lead you to expect unbridled lyrical smuttiness--with the music as a second thought. But what you actually get when ya the slap the CD into the player is just some good, old-fashioned, slammin', no-bullshit rock'n'roll from a myriad of cool bands including Lanternjack, Sugabomb, Rock City Crimewave, Muscle Car, Skum, Porn Rock--and the band with one of the best names ever: the Dog Shit Boys.

At the same time, some of these groups do "work blue" and topics tackled include strip joints, pornstars, sluts, fucking, etc. Personal faves include Sugabomb's "Speed Thrill" Porn Rock's "Porn Star," and the opening track "Pretty Hex" by Lanternjack. Other bands included on the CD are the Trashcan Darlings, Queer For Girls, The Beatings, Queen Bee and more. All in all, with "Cock'n'Roll" you get searing, balls-out rock'n'roll without the corporate sanitizing. Looking forward to the sequel.

Nervous Eaters "Eat This!"
by Chris Parcellin
The Nervous Eaters were one of the major Boston bands of the late '70s. Fronted by the snarling vocals and punked-up blues riffing of Steve Cataldo, the Eaters were known for their blazing live performances and turbo-charged singles like "Just Head." Bolstered by a stellar cast of Eaters vets Alpo, Rich Bartlett, Billy Loosigian and Jeff Erna (Dropkick Murphys), the new CD "Eat This!" continues Cataldo's penchant for great, guitar driven rock'n'roll songwriting and ballsy, Iggy-influenced (at times) vocals. The opening salvo "Scream (When I Dream)" signals a basically non-stop assault-although Cataldo manages to sandwich in a bit of biting social commentary in "Look Wot U Dun." And "5-2-8" is a bittersweet anthem that recalls the faded glory of the Boston scene from which the band sprang--while "New Face" is the classic ballad about a girl.

"Eat This!" packs the sonic punch the band has always been known for--and while it should definitely satisfy diehard old-school Eaters fans, the material does not come off as some "blast from the past." This is more like the perfect soundtrack to a knockdown, drag-out barroom brawl. And clearly, the Nervous Eaters are still one ass-kicking rock'n'roll band. My favorite CD this year.

Dimitri Monroe & The Saviors 7" single
by Chris Parcellin
Through his earlier incarnations with The Pale Imitations and The Naked Flames, Dimitri Monroe has maintained his allegiance to gritty, authentic and impassioned rock'n'roll. So, it's no surprise that on his latest single-backed by his current band The Saviors-Monroe continues this fierce commitment to the ideals of what rock'n'roll can and should be. Monroe has a fine, hard-edged vocal style that recalls great garage punks such as D-Generation era Jesse Malin or The Real Kid's John Felice. But he has undeniable songwriting prowess that is all his own. Both "Ruby Gloom" and "Recipe For Disaster" combine catchy melodic hooks with Monroe's searing brand of punked-out hard rock. Grab a copy of this one now, kids. It looks like Dimitri Monroe is just about the last of the real rock'n'rollers, and rock'n'roll needs a shot in the arm now more than ever.

Tracks "Brakes On You!"
by Chris Parcellin
Tracks was a raw late-'70s Boston punk band that combined a Ramones-ish buzzsaw guitar attack lead by Jeff Rey--with the growling, impassioned vocals of the late Lorry Doll. Now Rey has released a 5-track 25th anniversary CD commemorating the live 1977 single "Brakes On You/'/"Bombs Away." The original single was recorded at The Club in Cambridge, Mass. And this expanded edition contains three additional tracks from that same gig. "Bombs Away," which was the live single's b-side in '77 still bristles with tough, no-bullshit lyrics and hard-driving rock'n'roll. "Yes I Do," "Gang War Rumble," and "Hotel Room" are all amphetamine-amped punk gems that evoke a classic era in Boston rock'n'roll. And the title track has jagged lead guitar breaks and a great shout-along chorus.

"Brakes On You!" is a fine, unvarnished document of hopped-up vintage garage punk at its gritty best.

The Laternjack "Look Alive"
by Dan Satwicz
The Lanternjack are from the Detroit area, yes that is true (for those who care, they are proudly from Downriver). Yeah you could definitely compare them to that band (one of the bands I swore I would never compare anyone to in a review). Do yourself a favor though, and don't confuse these guys for one of those (fine in their own way) hype gettin' Detroit "garage rock" bands of the moment.

The Lanternjack kick out a dirty punky sub-metallic grind that I might compare (at least on this record) to a faster Danzig, with vocals that are more snotty/mean/punky than Jimboid (Morrisonesque) dark/mysterious/pretentious. They've toned it down som of late, but this band has a hard earned rep for confrontational, stories-for-the-grandkids live shows. The kind you don't wanna miss.

Maybe their recorded work could use a little more of that feel, but enough is here to get yr blood pumpin'. This one's gonna sound great comin' outta the ol' car speakers. If the world had any justice, it'd be somebody else's at a stoplight. Do yourself a favor and go get this bad boy at the next gigthey play near you (they'll be at SXSW this year).

ALL HAIL THE HOLY GOAT!!!!!!!!

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Nocturama"
by Dan Satwicz
Nick's last few albums haven't really hit the spot for me. Yes, they're very good. They really show off Nick the Romantic. The thing is, that's not the Nick I wanna hear. I want Nick the passionately raving madman. I want screamin' about murder and drugs and the devil and sex! I want the hairs on my neck to stand up. I wanna play this thing at 3:00 and keep nudgin' the volume down for fear that I've been rockin' it too damn loud and I'm gonna wake somebody up.

Well, the first few tracks on Nocturama didn't give me much hope. Yes, they are very good, but I was thinkin' "ahh, I'll hafta put it on when I'm in a sappy mood sometime (which - to be fair - has been hapenin' more and more since I've become a Dad.) The about hafly through, the pace picks up. Next thing I know Nick and Seeds are layin' "Babe I'm On Fire" on me. Fifteen minuets of gloriously over the top rantin' and ravin' about true love and bein' on fire (duh) over squilin' guitars, crazed organ noise, and frantic drums/percussion. Oh. Hell. Yes. This is what I've been waitin' for! This is what the world needs now! Thanks Nick.

Immortal Lee County Killers "Love Is A Charm of Powerful Trouble"
by Dan Satwicz
I've been anticipatin' this disc for what seems like forever! Ever since their debut, The Essential Fucked Up Blues, I've been dyin' for more of this bands rockin' madness. Well, it's finally here and not the least bit dissapointin'. There's a coupla more low key, down 'n' out bluesy type things this time, but those just help you catch yr breath for when they kick it into high gear. When this band (duo, whatever) gets goin' they kick out a noisy blues punk sound that no one else can match for sheer get Dan goin' power. This is destined for the top of my year's best list (and I don't usually like to say that as early as June, let alone Febuary!)

Flaming Lips "They Day They Shot A Hole in the Jesus Egg"
by Dan Satwicz
The Day They Shot A Hole In The Jesus Egg collects one my all time favorite LPs, In A Preist Driven Ambulance together non LP tracks from the killer Unconsciencely Screamin' EP and whole disc of demo/unrealesed stuff. If yer at all into bands like The Butthole Surfers, The Meat Puppets, Jane's Addiction or Mercury Rev you really need to check this stuff out. Even if you think the more recent Lips stuff is a little too wimpy (and to be honest, I can't totally blame you), give this a whirl.

The Lips were more of a rock band then. Wayne Coyne's ability to turn oddball observations into make-you -think lyrics was just comin' into it's own at this point. He and Jonathan Donahue (later of Mercury Rev) formed one of the all-time greatest noise guitar teams without sacrificing any of their brilliantly twisted popiness. One of my all time favoritest albums got even better. I can only hope it finally gets the audience it so richly deserves.

Bob Dylan "The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 The Rolling Thunder Revue"
by Dan Satwicz
This is not a new live album, but a newly released live album recorded on Mr. Dylan's 1975 "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour ( as the title implies). If yer the kinda freak that gets into rock history ( uh .. OK, I am too, a little bit) you probably already have this. If yer not, and that's cool too, I just wanna report that this disc is pretty great to sing along to when yer drunk. That is all

The Charms "Charmed, I'm Sure"
by Chris Parcellin
There aren't too many bands out there--especially these days--who combine old-fashioned rockin' and undeniable power pop smarts. And while very original and catchy "Charmed, I'm Sure" shows a band who knows their rock history. Ellie Vee's vocals are girlishly appealing and fresh-sounding. And Joe Wizda has the metal chops on lead guitar (as well as some fine countryish licks), but manages to keep things tasteful throughout, as does keyboardist Kat Kina. "Roses Are Red" is the lush ballad that has senior prom written all over it. Unless I'm hallucinating, "Saturday" seems to contain a nod to The Cars with a passage that recalls their classic "Bye, Bye Love." And "Marianne" is a cool rocker that gets bonus points for sporting a reference to the obscure Marc Bolan/T.Rex flick "Born To Boogie." The CD's opening track, "Top Down," is irresistible heavy-guitar pop that recalls"In Color"-era Cheap Trick. This is the sort of timelessly infectious rock that ought to be the soundtrack to a million teen slumber parties. Producer Richard Marr keeps the sense of fun that makes the Charms so great live intact, and the CD promises big things to come.

Thundertrain "Teenage Suicide"
by Chris Parcellin
This CD really takes me back to the glory days of Boston Rock'n'roll. I'm talking about the mid-to-late '70s when the Ratskellar, Cantones, Jack's, etc. were jumping with great original bands. One of the biggest and best was Thundertrain with their hard-driving, heavy blues rock. Originally released on Jelly Records in 1977, "Teenage Suicide" retains its delinquent swagger twenty-five years after the fact--and the scorching solos of Steven Silva still cut through the wall of sound created by the muscular rhythm section of guitarist Gene Provost, bassist Ric Provost and drummer Bobby Edwards. Lead vocalist Mach Bell's throaty vocals keep things raunchy as the Steven Silva-penned songs delve into the teenage psyche with chest-thumping odes to adolescent frustration and hedonism like "I'm So Excited," "Hot For Teacher," and "I Gotta Rock."

This CD package includes fun extras like Thundertrain's singles, tracks from the legendary 1977 album "Live At the Rat" (Rat Records), a radio ad promoting a show in Lowell, Mass. as well as a pre-WBCN Oedipus interviewing Mach for Worcester's WAAF on such varied topics as the perils of bootlegging and his opinion on great local bands like Reddy Teddy, Baby's Arm, The Real Kids and some guys who called themselves The Cars.

And the CD booklet includes vintage photos, interviews with the band, and Mach Bell's highly readable account of the Thundertrain story. Every home should have a copy--although, you might want to cover the youngsters' ears when "Modern Girls" comes on.

Gary Valentine "Tomorrow Belongs To You"
by Chris Parcellin
Gary Valentine got his start as the bassist/songwriter in Blondie who was responsible for the ultra-catchy "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear"--and his solo CD, "Tomorrow Belongs To You," indeed features Valentine's own radio-ready rendering of the tune. The 18-song disc is dominated by punchy songs with a pleasing pop savvy and great, jangly guitars. But several songs--notably "Dreams (Out of Reach)"--feature raw, snarly, punked-out riffing. Valentine's vocals often have a similar breathy urgency to another CBGB's vet, Richard Hell. A rockin' live version of the Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner" is a nice surprise wedged between the strong original tunes. "Infatuated" has the kind of soaring falsetto back-up vocals favored by '60s girl groups and the New York Dolls. And there's also a heartfelt nod to NYC art/punk godfathers the Velvet Underground with a rumbling, hopped-up run-through of Lou Reed's demented gem "Heroin." It should be emphasized (in case you were wondering) that fans of Blondie's '70s albums will find plenty to enjoy here.

Valentine's CD harkens back to a time when pop songwriting craftsmanship was the order of the day, rather than godawful teenybopper lip-syncing and tuneless hip-hop. Highly recommended.

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