'CHECK THIS OUT MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!'
Alleycat Scratch, possibly
sunset boulevard's finest purveyors of trashy sleaze-glam have finally re-mastered
their legendary 'Deadboys In Trash City' via Regeneration records. Amongst the
glam fraternity, Alleycat Scratch are highly regarded as one of the top 5 glam
acts of all time, their songs and attitude towards the sunset strip way of life
typifies what other bands could only ever aspire to. Second time around, this
release is just crammed with extras - basically what I'm saying here is, this
is an Alleycat Scratch fan's biggest wet dream.
I still remember putting on 'Deadboys' for the very first time, anxious to hear
what all the fuss was about. The first 20 seconds of Boa and Robbie pounding
on the bass and drums to 'Stilletto Strut' struck me as a bit dark and gothic
but as soon as Eddie screamed the words 'Check this out motherfuckers' a shiver
went completely through me and once Devin started ripping through the rest of
the number, there was no going back.
How do you follow that, I thought? Quite simple really - with 'Take A Bite Outta
Me' and another eight equally as strong numbers which make this a glam masterpiece
from start to finish. Alleycat Scratch sing about what most other bands sang
about at that point, except they did it with more of a classy arrogance and
they had lyrics which whilst being quite sleazy, were still imaginative and
a bit more original.
There aren't any weak songs on 'Deadboys', every song has something to keep
you hooked until the end but together with the first two, 'Cheap City Thrills'
and the quite haunting 'Roses On My Grave' are the other stand-out songs for
me. Finish it off with 'Plastic Dolls' which just explodes half way through
and your ears will be bleeding from the audio onslaught that has just bombarded
them.
The CD has a further two bonus tracks, a live cover of the Boomtown Rats number
'I Don't Like Mondays' and 'Love Song', alternatively and eloquently known to
loyal fans as 'Fuck Her Up The Ass'. The Alleycat boys were always a phenomenon
and a large pull on the strip so their fast paced rendition of the Rats number
goes down particularly well and for those who have never heard 'FHUTA', well
all I can say is that lyrically this is just in your face, unadulterated and
sexually explicit with no need for innuendos - don't take it too seriously -
hey, the females in the front row used to howl and bay back to the band when
they announced this number, so if it works for them……
If the extra couple of tracks aren't enough for you, the CD is bundled with
a bonus DVD featuring 45 minutes of live Alleycat Scratch at the Troubadour
in 1993 which includes rare and unreleased Alleycat tracks like 'Grave Gina',
'Revenge', 'You're All I Drink About' and 'Fuck Her Up The Ass' not to mention
a cover of Hanoi's 'Malibu Beach Nightmare'.
As if that wasn't enough,
there is a further bonus section which features the band in their apartment
practising their pyrotechnics before a show and then a further 20 mins of the
boys playing the Whisky in 1993. Even the end credits contain an unreleased
Alleycat song!
So there's no need to re-mortgage your house anymore just to lay your paws on
an Ebay original of 'Deadboys'. For those who were always curious, here's your
chance to see what all the fuss was about and then your gonna kick yourself
for having not heard this thirteen years ago but hey, better late than never.
A further release called
'Last Orders' may be in the pipeline but we'll just have to wait and see if
that ever gets to reach our ears and finally for those of you, like me, who
want to see an Alleycat Scratch reunion so badly, well I'm told that what looked
like a possibility at one point now looks very doubtful but if it takes another
thirteen years to convince some of them well, I'll be there and after listening
and watching this, SO WILL YOU!
by Grant W.
Visit the Alleycat Scratch Myspace & Regeneration Records Website