Hellacopters - Cream Of The Crap! Collected Non-Album Works • Volume 2

  by Geraint Jones

published: 28 / 3 / 2004

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Review

Providing the same kind of adrenaline-fuelled blood rush the likes of Motorhead and Radio Birdman did when I first heard them, it’s a mystery to me why The Hellacopters aren’t shifting the bucket loads lightweight poodle-metallers The Darkness do or for that matter their compatriots the Hives – fine though they are you can’t help but get the impression that they’re as concerned with their image as much as their music. ‘Cream Of The Crap Volume 2’, follows rather unsurprisingly the first volume which was released in 2002. Like that, this latest instalment of non-album cuts, extracted from a bewildering array of obscure singles, split-singles, compilations and collaborations – which would incidentally set you back a fortune if you could find them – demonstrates that the Hellacopters supposed crap leaves most of their peers work floundering in their wake. Of course it’s not crap at all. The band are just so damn prolific they’ve got to find an outlet for all this great stuff they keep churning out somewhere. And for sheer hi-energy, no nonsense, genuinely thrilling rock ‘n’ roll they cannot be beaten. This mopping up exercise only takes us up to 2000 and I know there’s probably already enough similar material out there to make up volume 3. So roll on 2006! Employing a twin-pronged guitar assault, clearly inspired by the MC5 duo of Wayne Kramer and Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, the Hellacopters play loud and mean, whilst retaining a melodic edge and an increasingly effortlessly funky feel that few bands could ever hope to emulate. And they’ve got impeccable taste too. Their originals are utterly fantastic, but they’ve also never been afraid to reveal and pay homage to their roots either via a series of versions of choice cuts by the bands and musicians that inspire them. And this time you can look forward to, among others, excellent versions of Love’s ‘A House Is Not A Motel’, Radio Birdman’s ‘Time To Fall’ and Black Sabbath’s ‘Dirty Women’. Further proof of their standing comes on ‘Slow Down (Take A Look)’ and ’16 With A Bullet’, both sides of their long sold out 1999 Sub Pop single collaboration with former Sonic Rendezvous guitarist Scott Morgan, who alongside Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith, provided yet another of the great rock guitar partnerships. The collection kicks off with the original ‘’I Only Got The Shakes’, which is as thrilling a 1 minutes 19 seconds as you’ll hear and is a superlatively condensed example of what the Hellacopters are all about and what’s to follow. To slightly paraphrase the first track I ever heard by the band, if you’ve ‘(Gotta Get Some Action) Now!’, get this album and you’ve got it!

Track Listing:-

1 I Only Got The Shakes
2 A House Is Not A Motel
3 Geekstreak
4 Another Place
5 Slow Down (Take A Look)
6 Holiday Cramps
7 Lowdown
8 Be Not Content
9 16 With A Bullet
10 Times Are Low
11 Low Down Shakin' Chills
12 (It's Not A) Long Way Down
13 Time To Fall
14 What Are You
15 Ain't Nothin' To Do
16 Kick This One Slow
17 Bullet
18 A Cross For Cain
19 All American Man
20 Ghoul School
21 Master Race Rock
22 Dirty Women