Pretty much any Ramoneage Cloneage bands from the last fifteen years or so owe a debt of some sort to one of two parties: Head, from Seattle, to whom “I Don’t Wanna Be Learned/ I Don’t Wanna Be Tamed” was just about right, “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” was evolved and brilliant, and “Loudmouth” was just too friggin’ fancy—and the Richies, from Germany. And, as big a fan as i was of the early singles like “Magic 8-Ball” and the early 12” “Street Level Assault,” i thought their first true full-length, “The Monkeys,” fell flat, largely owing to the band’s inability to charm in songs with more than, say, four lines of lyrics. And, while it’s good to hear the band again in any way/ shape/ form, i think that’s still somewhat the case—Head seem to be angling for position as sort of a dumber version of M.O.T.O. (“I’m 35 Years Older Than You”); a task which i remain unconvinced they are able to successfully undertake. Includes a neat and unexpected cover of the Turtles’ “Outside Chance.” BEST SONG: I dunno, i suppose “Outside Chance” BEST SONG TITLE: “Girl-Girl Action” FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: Comes with a large poster of the band. Unfortunately, the band ain’t exactly much to look at these days…
–norb (Evil Clown)