THE EROTICS
RARITIES AND REACHAROUNDS
LIMITED TO 100 COPIES
RELEASED 2011
Nice! A limited edition CD that looks like vinyl & sounds like the music you used to get excited about when vinyl was king. The very notion of releasing this as a limited edition of 100 kind of made me smile, it is a post-modern comment on the state of the music industry or... Let's face it who cares! It ROCKS and makes you want to break things. For those of you not aware of The Erotics do yourselves a favour & check out one of the dirtiest bands around...
The EP itself is another affirmation that not only are The Erotics one of the Sleaziest of modern day rock bands, it also underlines the genius song-writer that is Mike Trash.
With a title that suggest that this is just a collection of ‘odds and ends’ for the fans, playing it – it turns out as anything but, the tracks culled from recordings dating to the period 1996-2001, see 4 different line-ups of the band.
Opening track from 1996 ‘Down In Flames’ is down and dirty fast-paced rock and roll and ‘Kicked In The Teeth’ from 1999, is just one of those songs that you wonder why it’s not seen the light of day before. An anti-love song for masochists!
It’s ‘Girls On Drugs’ though from 1999 that really changes the tempo – acoustic Erotics anyone? Who’d have thought that would have worked so well! Maybe one day we’ll get the unplugged treatment? (Best wait till it’s really uncool before you try that Mike!). Continuing in a reasonably similar vein is ‘Luuft Waffe Bop’ all proto-rock and roll, catchy as hell and probably the best track here – think Buddy Holly meets the Ramones in a time tunnel…
‘Pills For My Thrills’ that follows is dirty Erotics at their down-in-the-gutter best. All sex and debauchery.
And finally if there are any Springsteen fans out there that also happen to love The Erotics (I must admit that’s not something I’ve ever pondered before) the down and dirty take on ‘Born on the USA’ may just bring on a warm round of applause in your household. It really works, and recorded after the 9-11 aftermath you have to give a nod to the sentiment.
This EP is a limited edition of only 100 copies and it said somewhere that each copy would be autographed by the band (mine wasn’t – and I paid for it!) Irrespective of that get the hand in the wallet and but this now, otherwise your life may just not be complete…
By Mark Diggins
