A rogues gallery of underappreciated rock icons from all over the world, plus mediocre bar-band hacks from some small town in Massachusetts, all on Vicious Kitten, one of the all-time great underground labels. Highlights include a moving, piano-driven ballad by Cheetah Chrome, “Love Song To Death” (mistakenly listed here as, “The Morning’s Gonna Come”); “Blood On The Knife” by romantic English troubadour Dave Kusworth; and “Jet Boy Blues” by former Johnny Thunders sideman, Michael Thimren. The Walter Lure track, (yep, still another tired version of “Too Much Junkie Business”) is especially fitting, as this hit-and-miss follow-up to last year’s mostly essential Vol. I is marred only by a few too many second-string impersonators who ignorantly confuse addiction with credibility. This is still worth checking out though, if for the Cheetah Chrome track alone. Right now Vicious Kitten is having an outrageous sale on its entire rock ‘n’ roll inventory — everything for $5. Go to viciouskitten.com.au and order some goodies to help this righteous label fight the war against the jive!
E-mail Dimitri Monroe at [email protected].
