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ZUKIWARKANIKINZANI AKAKAKAN
R
COR
WOLFSBANE
RECORD
Wasted but Dangerous
Def American 12"
Wolfsbane, a British band with an
American feel, is a fun dose of rock
that grabs hold with gusto. This four-
piece will be the front runner in Rick
Rubin's new stable of bands. The
tight, clean sound has a zesty ap-
peal. Vocalist Blaze Bayley is the
British equivalent of David Lee Roth;
the similarities are uncanny. This
adds to the way their music echoes
early Van Halen. With four tracks to
open up Wolfsbane's door, rockers
should be rolling. Another classic is
on its way. MH
3
VIOLENT FEMMES
Warner Bros., Lp
It's about time for this gang to
come out of its hole. It's been three
years since their last release and
there are three guys in the band, so
3 is a fine title for the new Femmes
record. 3 is an excursion back to their
sparse, obscure and oh so playful
first Lp. Remember "Gone Daddy
Gone? Yes, instead of growing up.
the Femmes have grown down and
it is definitely where they belong.
With titles like "Dating Days," "Fat
and "Nothing Worth Living For," it
sounds like they've stumbled upon
a fountain of youth. A bit of acoustic
guitar, a little xylophone, a smidgen
of heavy bass, a touch of banjo, and
lots of kooky vocals make 3 a record
worth listening to at least three times.
If early Violent Femmes is what blows
your whistle, then 3 will definitely
honk your horn.DO
ALL
Allroy for Prez
Cruz, Ep
All/Descendents have long been
the great unrecognized LA surf-pop
band-the sort of artifact the Beach
Boys would have become had they
grown up a decade later. Except for
one awful instrumental inclusion (the
Stephen Egerton penned "Son-O-
Qua), Bill Stevenson's post-Millo
brainchild delivers an effort worthy
of the hoopla that initially surrounded
ex-DYS/Dag Nasty punk hero Dave
Smalley's union with the then-
COLLECTION
disbanded
Descendents.
In this disc, Smal
ley delivers a perfor-
mance which combines
the rage of his earlier hardcore years
with the finesse and talent unleashed
on DYS more obscure "metal
album." The unfulfilled adolescent
has moved into the realm of becom-
ing one pissed off adult. There's real
conviction here. Propulsive, though
occasionally jarring, riffs blend with
sucker-punch vocal harmonies a la
Van Halen ("Hate to Love") or
straight-forward harmonious anger
("Wrong Again"). This six-songer is
an addictive step forward for an
underground classic outfit. MG
MUDHONEY
Superfuzz Bigmutt
Sub Pop Records, Ep
Sub Pop has a reputation for put-
ting out some pretty grungy rock and
roll. The Seattle-based label has a
good track record with bands such
as Soundgarden, The Fluid, Scream-
ing Trees, Scratch Acid and Green
River. Mudhoney is no exception to
the growing Seattle rock scene.
Former Green River crooner, Mark
Arm, and fellow mud monsters put
this batch of guitars through a "Big
Muff" distortion box to get their
sound-something similar to a gang
of dirty bikers blazing through a quiet
suburban neighborhood. Superfuzz
Bigmuff mixes a punk rock attitude
with the raw energy of great 70s
bands such as the Stooges, the New
York Dolls, and even Black Sabbath.
If you like Green River or Sound-
garden, then the mud boys should
be right for you. Also, check out their
Sonic Youth cover song Ep. The flip
side has Sonic Youth doing
Mudhoney covers! DO
MELTING POT
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Melting Pot
SST Records, LP
The people at SST have lost their
minds. They have put together the
sickest, trashiest compilation ever
made, and boy is it good. 70s thrash,
bubblegum pop, hits, misses, and
just plain flops are all covered by the
best of the worst SST bands. Sonic
Youth, Redd Kross, Das Damen,
Painted Willie, the Hellcows, and
Celebrity Skin are just a few of the
culprits who took part in this fiasco.
Some of the uh songs on this
record were taken from the original
soundtracks of the now infamous
twisted rock films Desperate Teenage
Lovedolls, Lovedolls Superstar and
Astro-Turf. The Osmonds" "Crazy
Horses," ABBA's "S.O.S.." Tommy
Roe's classic "Yummy, Yummy"
Elvis "Burnin' Love," the disco
dynamo "Boogie Fever" the Eagles
"Hotel California," and Led Zep-
pelin's "Stairway to Heaven" guitar
solo are examples of the abused
material. This compilation blows
away anything K-Tel could ever con-
jure up. These SST artists are even
sicker than the groups that originally
performed the tunes. DO
EXODUS
Fabulous Disaster
Combat Lp
The Exodus attack continues with
the third chapter in their novel. It's
a maniac metal onslaught of the
speed and viciousness that brought
this five-piece to the top of the violent
thrash-metal heap. Though this disc
is tame in spots and more polished
than the previous two efforts, Exodus
still throw in enough insanity to keep
their smile wicked. The production
could be fuller, and the snare drum
could be dropped back a bit, but
these elements don't hold the snark
ing dog from sinking its fangs in
deep. What makes this album stand
out from the rest of the metal rat-race
(not to the unfamiliar ears of out-
siders, but to those who shag) is the
musical thrust of grinding guitars and
an abrasive structure that weaves
back and forth and keeps a
trademark that is true Exodus, heavy
and ready to battle. If it's your genre,
then I'm sure some brain cells will
be smashed. MH
MG - MMH Mark Halderman, DOD
JINGO DE LUNCH
Perpetuum Mobile
We Bite, Lp
This is just the sort of record that
comes along all too rarely, plops
down on yer gramophone and brings
a smile to jaded ears. Current Ger-
man underground faves, Jingo De
Lunch combine dynamic hard rock
riffing with American vocalist Yvonne
Ducksworth's impassioned croon-
ings. The dual guitar whallop is
enough to send one bouncing
against the walls, madly jamming air
guitar while tough metallic chords
shift gears. Add Ducksworth's
undeniably humane presence, her
voice wrenching forth a gamut of
emotion from anger to joy, in-
quisitiveness to self-assurance. The
combination is at once jarring and
monstrous yet moving and inspira-
tional, Jingo De Lunch borrow heavi-
ly from recent American post-
hardcore bands, especially the
Washington DC variety, but they
don't let go of their healthy hard rock
upbringings. Restrained to a minor
budget independent production, it's
clear that this first album doesn't fully
reflect the capabilities this outfit has.
Jingo may soon be a major force in
the rock world. MG
THE SONG RETAINS THE NAME
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Song Retains the Name
Mad Rover Records, Lp
It seems that 1988 was a good year
for 1970's covers. Music in the late
1980's has become so weak that
sometimes the only way to get notic
ed is by doing covers of 70s bands
or sounding "just like" a good 70s
band. This compilation, which was
put together by relatively unknown
Northern California bands, is a per-
fect ending to all this revival busi
ness. At least the bands that joined
in this project don't sound like Led
Zeppelin in the least bit. The metal-
rap version of "Black Dog" shows
how much influence Led Zeppelin
has had on rap music. "Living Lov
ing Maid" is done in a Roy Orbison-
ish country style by Rich Hardesty.
and the Del Rays. The Tent Poles do
a delta-blues version of "Rock and
Roll," while the funky Sacramento
band, Headface, funk up "The Im-
migrant Song." This compilation
pays a fair tribute to the legendary
super group without sounding comy.
Each band covers a Zeppelin tune
in its own way, and whether the
songs are good or bad, at least
they're not carbon copies. DO