This is an interesting comp CD. I was totally expecting your stereotypical modern rockabilly sound; a little Stray Cats, a little Reverend Horton Heat and a whole lot of punk. Happily, I was wrong. Sure, the aforementioned influences are there (because honestly, how could they not be), but there’s also a whole lot more served up for your slicked back enjoyment. Like I said, most of the music on this comp is rockabilly, but it also branches out into rock, country, Celtic, street punk, and dare I say it, ska. Yes motherfuckers, people still skank. Halleluiah!

Being unfamiliar with most of these bands, almost every track was like one more present on Christmas morning. I’m not saying this disk is perfect or life changing (even though a 15 year me would’ve worn this disk out), but as a compilation CD, it definitely has more than a handful of high points. The classic rockabilly sound of The Chop Tops’ “My Curse”, the punk distilled sound of The Koffin Kats’ “Wild Ride”, the more country than rockabilly “Old Number 7” by Devil Makes Three and “Berwick Hills 90210” by The Hitchers being some of the best track on the disk. Sadly, they are also four of the first six tracks, which at points makes the disk feel a little too long. Don’t get me wrong, there are gems throughout this thing and every track is decent at the very worst, but 25 tracks just strikes me as being too much for one CD, with some of the later bands getting lost in the sheer enormity of the disk.

Final Thoughts: All in all, this is a quality CD featuring some underground bands that deserve a first or second listen. If you’re a fan of rockabilly or underground music in general, be sure to check this CD out, it’s worth your money.

Oh yeah, I’d be remiss in my obligations as an old punk if I didn’t mention that my favorite track on the disk is The Merry Widows’ cover of the one and only (and one of my favorite bands) Sloppy Seconds’ “I Want You Dead.” Awesome job, ladies.

I have a problem with split 7 inches: you usually only get one or two songs per band, in this case only one, which doesn't always give you a chance to really get to know the band and their music. Luckily for us, this one song happens to kick much ass.

First up is Thee Merry Widows with "Up Yours." Hailing from Oakland, California, Thee Merry Widows are an all-girl rockabilly band fronted by the slightly scary Eva von Slut, which I'm gonna assume isn't her real name. The reason I use the phrase "slightly scary" is because she looks like she'd do horrible things to you, sexual things, the kind of things that leave you wallowing in sin and guilt for the rest of your life. That isn't the rest of the ladies in the band could't do horrible and diviant things to you, too, but it's kind of like the the difference between King Kong and Big Foot: they're pretty much the same thing, but where Big Foot might beat you to death, King Kong is going to fucking destroy you. Anyway, back to the music. I was slightly surprised by The Merry Widows. A lot of girl bands have rudimentary talent and ability and get by simply on their sexuality and good looks, and while Thee Merry Widows' music is rudimentary in the stripped down rockabilly sense, and they definitely do play up their sexuality (how could they not), their musicical ability if obviously solid. Sure, they're not breaking any new ground here but goddamn if it ain't catchy, and never has screaming "Up Yours!" been so much fun.

On the backside is The Grit with "Victim." Holy shit, this band is awesome. I'm not a huge rockabilly fan, but I'd buy an album by these guys. Coming from across the pond, these Londonians? Londoners? fuck it, these Brits know how to fucking tear it up. Where Thee Merry Widows play lo-fi, down and dirty rock, The Grit are polished as all get out, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's polished, professional and tight as Mother Teresa on her death bed. This is where the problem of one song per band comes in. With Thee Merry Widows, you hear their song and you know what you're going to get, but with The Grit, with a song as good as "Victim," you have to wonder if the rest of their stuff could possibly hold up to this one track. Luckily I think it's something anyone with good taste would want to find out.

Final thoughts: This is a great 7 inch by two great bands, and I highly recommend fans of punk and rockabilly go out and pick it up. Plus it comes with awesome cover art and is pressed on clear green vinyl. Could you ask for anything more.

To quote Joan Jett, "I love rock n roll." Thanks to my brothers, I grew up on bands like AC/DC, Queen, The Rolling Stones and the like. Much later, during a six month period in 1989, I saw L.A. Gunns, Faster Pussycat and Dangerous Toys, so I feel reasonably secure in my love and critical ability when it comes to, if I might quote the immortal Andrew Dice Clay, rock n rape n roll. And this is why I hate music reviews.

I bet when I was a young, mullet sporting teen (it was the 80s, fuck off) I would have fucking loved Southern California's The Amplifires. They definitely know how to rock and I bet they put on a killer live show. So what's my problem with their song? I'm not really sure, I'm just not feeling it. They're musically tight and obviously very talented, they sing about demons and losing yourself to evil, but it's nothing new, and I feel like I've heard it all before. And while breaking new ground isn't always necessary for making good music (see my review of the Thee Merry Widows/The Grit split), in a genre as tried and true as rock n roll, sometimes it necessary.

Next up is San Francisco's Space Vacation with "Keith's Sister," and I'm afraid my opinions aren't getting much better. When the song opened and the bass and drums started, I'll admit, I had high hopes, and while I wasn't totally disappointed, I was let down. For simplicity sake, I'm going to call this metal. It's got double bass and metally guitar leads and metal vocals, so I think that's an apt description. However, like a lot of modern metal, it just doesn't grab me by the balls and make me listen like awesome metal should. I love metal. Pure and simple, I love it. Old Metallica, Slayer, Sepultura, SOD, they changed my life. That's what good metal does, it makes you go, "Holy fuck, lets grow our hair out and go burn shit!" This however, doesn't elicit that sort of emotion. Instead, it just left me thinking, "I wonder if there's any Coke left?" Good metal shouldn't make you feel this way.

Final thoughts: This isn't the worst thing I've ever heard, it's just kind of bland. At least it comes on awesome white and green marbled vinyl.