- - -
BACKYARD BABIES :
TOTAL 13
Now here is some kool music. Fresh Glam-Punk from Sweden. Six years ago, these boys sounded like Guns N' Roses wannbes, but now they're a fierce punk rawken' machine (kind of like Gn'R hopped up on goof balls). Now, don't go thinking that this is like the "punk" you hear on the radio. That's not punk, that's watered down shit. And well I'm on the topic, the "rock" you hear on the radio like Creed, and Our Lady Peace (of crap) is not rock, its manufactured pop for the masses of sheep out there, who only listen to what's shoved in front of them. End of rant. Now, this disc kicks from start to finish. You get loud, crazy, ear piercing guitar, and the vocals are more shouted as opposed to being sung. How's the production you ask? Well, I don't think there was any, it would have just slowed things down any way. Are there any sappy ballads? ...Not a fucken' chance. You better go buy it, cause MTV ain't gonna play it. So once you find it, grab a beer and get ready to ride.
RATING = 8 Glam-Punk (Released 1998)
- - -
BACKYARD BABIES :
MAKING ENEMIES IS GOOD
The Backyard Babies are here with the follow up to their last full release, 1999's "Total 13", and I must say this rocks!! The Babies are walking that fine fence post between punk, hard rock, and metal, without ever landing fully in one yard or the other. This CD is more polished than the last outing, which might piss off some fans who frown at clean production. But the lack of fuzzy guitar is made up for in sheer power. When you get this CD, turn your volume to the highest you can listen to before you press play, then, when that first track ("I Love To Roll") hits you, you'll be blown away by the sheer force (The first time I played this CD, I listened to that song 4 times in a row before movin' on to track 2). If somehow, that does not win you over tracks like "Pay Back" and "My Demonic Side" most certainly will. There is even a new version of "Star War" that was originally on the excellent "SuperShit 666" CD. This is the most instantly infectious CD I have picked up in ages! "Making Enemies Is Good" is a monstrous piece of music, and I advise all, from fans of LA Sleaze-Metal to Turbonegro to run out and get this disc.
RATING = 9.5 Glam-Punk (Released 2001)
- - -
BACKYARD BABIES :
INDEPENDENT DAYS
Not sure how to review this latest offering from the Backyard Babies. On the one hand it's a fabulous 2 disc set, filled with killer music and enhanced videos for your PC, but on the other hand, it's a super furious fist fucking up the ass for those that have been following the band for any length of time, cause we have all this stuff already!! Every track from 1998's "Total Thirteen" is on here (supposedly remastered), as is every track from "Safety Pin & Leopard Skin". The only thing you'll be missing if you have the back catalogue, is a couple different mixes, and the videos for "Look At You" and "High Lights". The band, or the money grubbing label, could have easily added older, more obscure tracks for us long time fans, like from their original demo, or the first 12 inch, "Something To Swallow", etc. Maybe they don't want the new fans to hear their early stuff, as it was full of Guns 'N Roses worship, who knows. My bitching aside, if you're new to the Babies, pick this up, it's full of killer glam-sleaze punk anthems, that'll haunt you the rest of your life. See my review for "Total Thirteen" for info on how good those songs are. If you have all the old stuff, you'll have to decide for yourself if a couple computer videos are worth the $30 or so you're gonna have to shell out to get this.
RATING = 8 Glam-Punk (Released 2001)
- - -
BACKYARD BABIES :
FROM DEMOS TO DEMONS 1989 - 1992
This is a two-disc set of unreleased early demos and alternative recordings, compiled in conjunction with the band. There is over 140 minutes of music. The first CD also includes the videos for "God's Favourite" and "Bad To The Bone". It comes in a clam-shell digi-box with a 14 page color booklet. This includes their earliest recordings, even going back to their high-school days, when they were known as Tyrant. Its kind of hard to judge a set like this. On the one hand, it's very cool to see how a band developed, and to hear all the stuff you never thought you would. On the other hand, most of these early songs are forgettable, and the production is lacking, to put it kindly. Still, the band has packed a lot of stuff on these discs (33 music tracks, and 2 videos), the packaging is excellent, and there are some interesting liner notes as well. However, only die-hard Babies fans are gonna care about this. I can't see myself playing this on any sort of regular basis. New comers looking for a crash course to the BYBs should instead pick up the two-disc "Independent Days" set. For all you collectors, make note; the Japanese release has two extra video tracks for the PC. Wow, two, two-disc sets in two years, how about a new album guys?
RATING = 6 Glam-Punk (Released 2002)
- - -
BACKYARD BABIES :
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Holy Christ was I stoked in anticipation of this CD, and holy Christ was I f*ckin' disappointed! This is of course the band’s studio follow up to the masterful "Making Enemies Is Good" from 2001. That disc, as well as its predecessor, 1998's "Total 13", are both Glam-Punk milestones. We've waited 3 years for "Stockholm Syndrome", during which time we've been subjected to a couple of over-priced, dual disc retrospectives to keep us salivating and cash poor. So, what do we get for our devotion and patience? Well, it looks like we got a "new" version of the Babies, or actually, the really old version. You see, back in '94, the band was more in tune with the LA Metal scene, as opposed to the Punk scene. That changed over the years, but now we seem to have gone on a backwards slide through time. The material of Stockholm could have just as easily come off a new Poison record (or an old one for that matter). The element of danger is gone, the edge is gone. Sure, they all look like bad asses in the booklet pictures, as they down their bottles of Jack Daniels, but sonically, they seem as tame as a kitten. There's nothing here that's actually bad, just nothing that great, and when you consider that last disc was pure gold from start to finish, that's a remarkable achievement in quality regression. This disc is at best average and forgettable, hopefully, the boys will pull out of this nosedive. It should be possible, we've seen what greatness they can accomplish, someone just needs to give them a slap and wake them up. If ya still care, you might want to know that there is a limited edition in a digi-pack with the bonus cut, "Shut The F*ck Up", which is about the only real attitude you'll hear on this disc.
RATING = 6 Glam-Metal (Released 2004)
- - -
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U/V
W-Z
SOUNDTRACKS
TRIBUTES
COMPILATIONS
GOT A PROBLEM WITH ONE OF MY CD REVIEWS?
DO YOU AGREE WITH ME?
THEN GO TO THE
- - -
"Greatest hits albums are for housewives and little girls."
-Bruce McCulloch K.I.T.H. '91
Sign Guestbook
View Guestbook
Old Guest Book
HOME
IF YOU THINK MY CD REVIEWS SUCK, CLICK HERE!
urotsukidoji_1@yahoo.com
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page