Recorded in 1986, it shows the band at its most heavy and least experimental. For fans who’ve tired of the band’s increasingly experimental and spotty output.
The five tracks on this EP are drawn from the original Australian versions of the band’s early LPs, whose track listings were different from the American LPs.
Fly on the Wall introduces drummer Simon Wright, and the production shows concessions to the era’s production practices, but otherwise, it’s business as usual.
Fans regard this as the beginning of the end, but it’s actually quite a strong album: Fine performances, strong songs, and the bludgeoning closer “Brain Shake.”
“That’s the Way I Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll,” approximately the band’s 357,985th ode to the joys of rock ‘n’ roll, is just as enjoyable as the previous 357,984.
You know you’re in for a high-energy live set when the opener is the berserk “Riff Raff,” considerably crazier than the already hepped-up Powerage version.
Nick Oliveri’s meth-riddled, screeching 13-year old Queens of the Stone Age persona is given an album’s worth of space in which to jump around and break stuff.
From the same Detroit pop scene as The Sights and Outrageous Cherry, The High Strung compose pop songs worthy of being mentioned alongside those two fine bands.
Rock and roll that’ll remind you of your grandad’s scratchy copy of The Stones’ Between the Buttons and The Creation’s early Mod power pop (Who-style) singles.