Labels: Boss Tuneage
Review by: Oli Saunders
Boss Tuneage continue in their quest to make 80s punk bands easily accessible; this is a compilation of Doctor and the Crippens who released music from ’86 to ’88. It’s good stuff. The chorus in the first track gets on my nerves but midway things settle and there’s a beautiful chilled guitar passage and some more controlled singing. The wandering guitar is a highlight and the solo on track 2 is great. You can tell this is a band with punk roots but not afraid to do their own thing. Reading their Wikipedia entry, this latter point is certainly true! Incredibly fast but tight, a bit hit and miss here and there, but a worthy offering on the whole. The CD contains the LP ‘Fired From The Circus’ along with a Peel session, demos and even a recording of the band’s first practice. There are some interesting notes in the insert which helps to piece together a bit more what being an 80s punk band was like.
6th September 2015