THE DICKIES
"Dogs From the Hare That Bit Us" (Triple X
Records; 1998)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Veteran punkers The Dickies have always been known for their cover songs. In fact, it was their cover of the theme song from "Gigantor" that first attracted me to the band. Their original stuff was great, too - sort of what you'd expect if the Ramones tour bus crashed into the Sex Pistols tour bus - but it was those damn cover tunes that stuck with you.
So now the Dickies have recorded a bunch of more obscure covers, thrown 'em on one CD, and called it "Dogs from the Hare That Bit Us." As expected, it's a peppy punk rock collection with some typical covers - Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin'," The Hollies' "Can't Let Go," a tune by the Beatles. But there are some cool surprises here, too: A tune by the Weirdos ("Solitary Confinement), one by Iron Butterfly (not "In A Gadda Da Vida," thank goodness) and a rippin' cover of "Let Me Out" by the Knack.
Every song has been Dickie-ized, of course, so it's probably a lot faster than you remember it and the vocals warble a little more but that's part of the charm. The Dickies still combine humor and peppy punk rock and deliver pure rock'n'roll fun. Pick up "Dogs From the Hare..." and see if you don't agree.
For more information, check out http://www.thedickies.com.
"Stukas
Over Disneyland" (Restless Records; 1983)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
There was a time when punk rock was weird. It wasn't all dolled up and sweetened so that it'd get a lot of airplay (like so much of what is called punk rock today is). Instead, it was different, it was unique. When you heard it, you'd sit up and go, "What the hell is that?" Only The Offspring come immediately to mind when thinking of that quality and today's modern punk bands.
But that's what the Dickies' "Stukas Over Disneyland" did upon its original release and, surprisingly, still does today. If you've never heard of the Dickies, try imagining a band that mixes the Ramones pure and simple rock'n'roll with Oingo Boingo's bizarre attitude and sense of humor.
"Stukas Over Disneyland" is 11 tracks with a total running time of just over 27 minutes that are peppy, poppy and just twisted enough to give them an edge. This isn't Good Charlotte or even Blink-182. The Dickies have their own, unique sound and more sly attitude than the headliners on any year's Warped Tour.
Reviewed here is the 1993 re-issue of the band's classic album, plus the classic tracks "Bedrock Barney," the surprisingly sweet "Rosemary," a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" (!) and perhaps the song the Dickies are best known for, their version of the theme from the animated television show, "Gigantor."
The Dickies are punk rock legends for a reason. "Stukas Over Disneyland" may not be the best example of their work, but it's still great stuff.
For more information, check out http://www.thedickies.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2004 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 18 Nov 2024 13:33:10 -0500.
