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	.....YOU FOUND THE INVISIBLE TEXT YOU SCAMP fresh from the oven: THE LATEST BATCH - THE STOOGES - KAREN DALTON - ONO - HAZMAT MODINE - TODD SNIDER - THE SONICS - MARY WEISS - KIERAN HEBDEN AND STEVE REID - !!! - LINDA MCRAE - A TRIBUTE TO JONI MITCHELL - TIMBALAND - DINOSAUR JR. - GRINDERMAN - LOW - MELISSA MCCLELLAND - LEONARD COHEN - JOSEPH ARTHUR - I WOULD WRITE A THOUSAND WORDS - JOHNNY CASH - CARLY SIMON - BRATS ON THE BEAT - RICKIE LEE JONES - HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS - 120 DAYS - 21 TANDEM REPEATS - THE BREAKERS DK THE STOOGES THE WEIRDNESS (Virgin) Look, anyone expecting album number four, especially after a three decade hiatus, to rank right up there with the Stooges' immeasurable triple set of punk 101 classics will be sorely disappointed. But take it for what it is - a pretty good Iggy record that blows most of his bootlicking legions away - and "The Weirdness" is worth a listen. Iggy's records have always been about the dynamic with his guitarists, and when the two personalities are clicking it is vitriol magic. Of course that only happens in a blue moon, and here the moon is just a crescent, but for a few minutes here and there, Iggy and Ron Asheton create some beautiful noise. Nose thumbers point out Iggy's moronic, repetitive word play ("My idea of fun / is killing everyone"), but forget that that is exactly what Iggy does best: ride a body thumping electrical pulse with inane, primal thoughts into excruciating overkill ("I Wanna Be Your Dog" anyone?). Sure there's some drek here, but when The Stooges deliver several sonic blasts that don't sound outta place in their set list, there is definitely reason to celebrate - debauchery style of course. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP KAREN DALTON IN MY OWN TIME (Light In The Attic) Unique, mesmerizing voices, just as capable of clearing rooms as casting life-long spells of devotion, are a rare beast indeed. Karen Dalton was such a voice. Somewhere between Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, her creaky, husky delivery often reached for registers beyond her capabilities, and that adventurous journey is what created such polarity in her audiences. You either cherished the originality, or you smashed the vinyl to bits. Dalton emerged in the early sixties folk circuit as a long woman, with very long hair and a long banjo. Her jarring soul, jazz and folk gumbo stylings were perfect for the experimental beat movement, and she quickly became a concert favourite. Getting her to record was another matter. Ever the eccentric, Dalton was hard to track down and commit to studio time. In fact it only happened once, and this (record number two) is it. And what a record. Like Simone and Holiday, Dalton was a brilliant interpretor of music, reworking classic material into something totally her own. She was equally at home with subtle folk ("Same Old Man") as she was with translating soul ("When A Man Loves A Woman"). Her interpretations are simply divine, and really come to life after you get used to her unusual throat inflections. Dalton disappeared shortly after the recording, leaving music behind, and living a struggle of a life before passing in 1993. Damn shame. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP ONO YES. I'M A WITCH (Astralwerks) Ooooh Yoko! Who would have thought that from the far reaching Beatles family tree, that Yoko Ono would be the one making musical headway? But here she is, mingling with the current hip music crowd like Cat Power, The Flaming Lips and The Polyphonic Spree, in a polygamist recording marriage that unites Ono's eccentric vocal gymnastics with a stellar melodic backdrop that is refreshingly diverse as it is heartily digestible. It's really a lush makeover of Ono's best bits, presented in a slinky pop format that doesn't have the room clearing power of her earlier experiments. Heck, there's even several ear pleasing tonal passages from the first lady of shrill. Collaborations are iffy propositions indeed, but here the experiment works in spades, highlighted by a boppy, electro-atmospheric offering from Peaches (whilst Yoko croons), and killer hooks from DJ Spooky (whilst Yoko gags). Sir Paul must rolling over in his grave. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP HAZMAT MODINE BAHAMUT (Barbes) A modine is a great big contraption that blows copious amounts of hot air. Hazmat is short for hazardous materials. Oy vey. Roaming somewhere between John Zorn and Mickey Katz, Wade Schuman could be the newest king of way out Jewish music. Slinking behind the Hazmat Modine banner, Schuman plays deft klezmer tinged roots folk that often slips into old timey blues territory, and brings in throat singing Tuvans Huun-Huur-Tu to add an exotic flavour to several tracks. The froggy harmonies, high pitched whistles and galloping horse rhythms mix well with Schuman's mandolin and tuba swing. Dazzling musicianship, bouncy arrangements and whimsical vocals make for an intoxicating, cross-pollinating record, that really, all denominations should embrace. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP TODD SNIDER PEACE, LOVE AND ANARCHY (Oh Boy) After years of pinballing around, Todd Snider has settled into a nice little quirky folk niche under John Prine's Oh Boy label. A career marred by inconsistent releases in both quality and style (highlighted by a superb major label release no one remembers), Snider has flown well under the radar. This collection of demos and b-sides shows he now resides comfortably in the folk mainstream, and ranks among the best of the current crop of bare-footed, guitar strummers. He's got a terrific knack for telling stories, a great sense of humour, and impeccable timing - all traits John Prine himself must surely have spotted. Whilst throwaway comps of this ilk are curios at best, there's plenty of moments to savour on this one. The cheeky "Nashville", "Combover Blues" and "Barbie Doll", are as strong as anything he's committed to tape in the past. He may be a little off the wall, but then all the great characters of music are. If this is your introduction to Todd Snider, you couldn't do much better. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP THE SONICS BUSY BODY!!! (Norton) Talk about yer lo-fi, it doesn't get any lo-fi than this baby. Maybe if it was recorded from a close'n'play on to a rusty pick up truck 8-track. Maybe. Recorded way back in '64, when technology was just ushering the space age analogue revolution, this is a live radio broadcast (the "TEEN TIME" show you all Tacoma ex-pats fondly remember) engineered by a couple of smarmy radio DJs with a mike and some wires, captured directly to a reel to reel (translation: real big tape recorder) over fuzzy radio waves by a 15 year old. And you know what? It sounds great. It's the Sonics after all, it's 1964 (have I already mentioned that?), and it's the dawn of the first punk scene. Don't kid yerselves, this is the very beginnings of snotty garage punk that has since been mimicked by many, but captured by none. The Sonics' wild and woolly guitar bangers in front of pimple bursting teens - what could possibly be better? Well, maybe a few more vocal numbers, but that's about it. The boys crank out classic rumble versions of "Have Love, Will Travel", "Oo Poo Pah Doo" and of course, "The Witch". In spite of my wiseass remarks earlier, the sound is actually quite decent - maybe all live recordings should adopt this revolutionary 4-step recording process. Culling two all too brief sets from the Red Carpet and the Tacoma Sports Arena, "Busy Body!!!" is a glorious half hour of Sonics mayhem bookended with a couple of nifty KTNT radio spots. And as the concert poster on the back of the jewel case states: "DRESS UP: no Blue Jeans, Sweat Shirts or Toreadores". Ouch. But you know there were a couple of Toreadores snuck in that night, you just know. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP MARY WEISS DANGEROUS GAME (Norton) Of all the girl bands from the fabulous sixties, The Shangri-Las were probably the most fabulous. Gravity defying beehives, cashmere sweaters and those pastel coloured leg grabbing slacks suggested a squeaky clean image ripe for Elvis movies, but it was when Mary Weiss sang about leather and motorcycles that the group reached their zenith ("Leader of the Pack"). And here she is, some 38 years after the group's demise, dishing out a familiar blend of sweet beach music mixed with just a right amount of edge on her comeback album. And damn if Mary doesn't sound good. Backed by the Reigning Sound, she rips through fourteen timeless tracks, showing her pipes are still in terrific shape, and her tough chick attitude well in place. It's like the ladies never left (though two are up there with Elvis) - and that, my friends, is a good thing. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP KIERAN HEBDEN AND STEVE REID TONGUES (Domino) Just when it was safe to finally bury your ancient love affair with avant garde music here comes the addictive electronics noodler / percussionist duo record to rekindle that experimental crush. "Tongues" offers up an ear licking delight of sensual synthesizer blips and sinuous beats that doesn't stray too far from similar plodding projects not really worth the listen. Yes there's a fine line in there, but this record works the magic like few "out there" collaborations do. Kieren Hebden (better known to those in the know as Four Tet) and Steve Reid (better known as percussionist to the stars: Miles Davis, James Brown, etc...) combine for great sonic wallpaper. Slinky samples, some improvised tangents and precision drumming won't have the masses stampeding to cut any rugs, but there's enough melodic gold swirling about to have plenty of earbudded noggins bobbing joyfully through the otherwise tortuous daily grind. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP !!! MYTH TAKES (Warp) Alright: the return of the wah-wag pedal. If anything !!! are too damn good for their own good. The ability to master various styles of music shouldn't lead to a thorough demonstration of said point on one cramped record, but that is exactly what we have here. Still the fallibility of falling in love with one's own excess seldom hinders career paths, in fact some dinosaur acts thrive on it. Will !!! overcome their silly name (file THAT in the cd bins!) and take their rightful place among the alterno prog popsters of the day? Perhaps. There are certainly enough glamourous rock moments here that like minded experimentalists like The Flaming Lips should take notice, but !!! have more funk in their rock which leads to the inevitable dance floor shenanigans. Gyrating hippies will celebrate all the way to Burning Man with this as the soundtrack. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP LINDA MCRAE CARVE IT TO THE HEART (Black Hen Music) "This Winding Road" may be a gorgeous drawler driven with a haunting slide guitar, and a lovely ode to country greats Hank, Johnny and Tammy, but it's the mention of Hudson Bay that brings it all home. All Canadians will stand tall with hand over heart in a patriotic fervour that only music can bring. And Linda McRae brings it. She may the best kept country secret around but albums such as this will test that anonymity. With a voice that can be heartbreakingly croaky and velvety smooth, McRae has the pipes to match her considerable writing skills. Cowboy boots, golden curls and silver moons - it's all here, and it's all good. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP VARIOUS A TRIBUTE TO JONI MITCHELL (Nonesuch) Bjork, Sufjan Stevens, Prince and Brad Mehldau on the same record? Only on a Joni Mitchell tribute. And just in case you had doubts, Prince's quavering falsetto fits right in. Joni's vast and varied catalogue, one that touches on flighty folk to noodling jazz, gives carte blanche to the perpetrators at hand. Stevens opens the doors with a fabulous, over the top version of "Free Man In Paris" that is driven by Herb Alpert style sixties trumpet blasts. Bjork follows with a meandering take on "The Boho Dance". Yes "The Boho Dance". Apparently Bjork can still do whatever she wants and people will take it very seriously. That bit of flighty cinematic dreamscape serves as the perfect interlude before Caetano Veloso tackles "Dreamland" with his trademark South American breezy flair. Perfect. Then the big names take over: Sarah McLachlan, Annie Lennox, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, and k.d. lang (still missing her capitals) - all paying respectful homage, though sadly, not brave enough to mess with the material. And to top it off, if nothing else this record answers the nagging question on everyone's mind: is James Taylor still alive? Apparently yes. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP TIMBALAND SHOCK VALUE (UMusic) These albums are like an Entertainment Tonight event: a gathering of music biz movers and shakers who have little in common other than their tabloid potential. As producer, Timbaland invites the usual rap superstar suspects (Missy Elliott, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent), throws in some names from the rock pool (The Hives, Fallout Boy), then marches in the paparrazi fodder (Elton John, Justin Timerlake). It's an unequivocal mess good for the half hour attention span audience it shoots for - fast food for the aurally challenged that peaks with the theft of Nina Simone's "Sinnerman" on the opening track (changing it to "Timbaland" - what a card!), and grows exponentially tiresome, climaxing with Sir Elton's yawning finale (only obvious because of a gratuitous name check). At least there are no commercials. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP DINOSAUR JR. BEYOND (Fat Possum) Was it really a mystery? As soon as Lou Barlow and Murph left Dinosaur Jr. after the glorious "Bug" album, J Mascis made a shambles of the band. Seemed odd at the time that a rhythm section would pull such weight, but apparently weight they pulled. The proof in the pudding comes with this power trio reunion album, which considering the twenty year lapse is remarkable in it's ability to pick up the slacker grunge magic right where they left it. It's as if plaid jackets and extended guitar solos never went out of style (what a relief), and J has his freak scene back on. Which brings up what could be a very important point: despite the heavenly, melodic thrashing pop flowing forth here, is this but an album out of time, or a delicious guitar romp that will storm the alternative scene like Dinosaur Jr. did back in the day? Your call. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP GRINDERMAN GRINDERMAN (Anti - Mute) Mid-life crisis alert, mid-life crisis alert? Battling a receding hairline and escalating "soft" cover versions of his rock anthems, Nick Cave grows some gnarly facial hair and bites back with what is billed as his most ferocious work since the teetering out of control Birthday Party days. Hiding behind the Grinderman monicker, Cave enlists three of his Bad Seeds to join him in raucous rock and facial hair explorations. The results are mixed. Ditching his standard piano, Cave straps on a guitar and proves he can still create beautiful racket that is quite funny in it's machismo stance. Yet the inclusion of intricate passages reveals this for what it really is: another fine Bad Seeds record masquerading as something else. A great listen, but why the facade? Better than shacking up with a silicone model and driving penis cars I suppose. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP LOW DRUMS AND GUNS (Sub Pop) How low can ya go? For years Low have been noodling with low level ambient rock to good effect, and are one of the few practitioners of that art to keep unearthing fresh approaches to their art. "Drums and Guns" bring the band to a whole new (sub) level. It's a sprawling record creeping along with dirge guitar chords, slinky keyboards, heart beat rhythms and delicate (Robert Wyatt style) vocals. This is more of a peppy mood piece than any Low predecessors, in spite of the sometimes morbid subject matter. There's almost a prog rock feel to some of the numbers as the band has figured out (or let themselves give in to) grandiose arrangements that flourish at high decibel levels.. A bit of a remarkable album that deserves very close inspection. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP MELISSA MCCLELLAND THUMBELINA'S ONE NIGHT STAND (Orange / Universal) There may not be a better music moment than the opening "Passenger 24": a ballsy bluesy tom Waits style ballad sung in an angelic voice, accompanied by a drunken piano and aching slide guitar, that rhymes American scum with (a girl as) sweet as rum. Brilliant. Maybe too good. Hard to live up to that opening salvo, though McClelland gives it the old college try. She slips in another handful of nice moments, showing a diverse taste in music and a killer pen instinct. She almost pulls it off, and shows there's obvious potential here for something really big. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP LEONARD COHEN SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN SONGS FROM A ROOM SOMGS OF LOVE AND HATE(Columbia / Legacy) Stop complaining cuz here come the long overdue reissue of Leonard Cohen's first recordings, allowing all to properly digest the musical beginnings of Canada's eccentric ladies man. A seasoned thirty-something poet armed with a basic guitar technique and a monotone drawl, Cohen survived his critics to become quite the respected figure in the music world, and here are his baby steps. Done up right by the Legacy folks, the albums are packaged in vinyl like foldout book form, stuffed with lyrics, period pics (check out the stash!), articles, master tape log sheets, and just a sprinkling of bonus tracks. Either Cohen wasn't very prolific (likely since he would only release an album every couple of years) or extra material was mercifully left on the cutting room floor. As a debut. Songs of Leonard Cohen is near perfect. Sparse, tepid and beautiful, it's the perfect introduction, and it contains no less than three classic songs: "Suzanne", "Sisters of Mercy" and So Long, Marianne". Album two was even better. Timeless standards "Bird on a Wire", "Story of Isaac" and "The Partisan", were but bits of a very cohesive album. Cohen started losing his way with album three. Sure he still managed to crank out another classic ("Famous Blue Raincoat"), but his ill advised experiments with countryfied numbers and vocal stretches were just plain off. There were of course several music changes to come, and Commander Cohen would reinvent himself several times over, but for some, this early "Songs" triptich is still his best work. Well worth the rediscovery. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP JOSEPH ARTHUR LET'S JUST BE (Indica) Oft misunderstood Joseph Arthur (folkie, hippie, rockstar, world beater?) brings the goods with the chameleon album of the year. It's one of those sprawling bluesy sessions riding some kickass studio playing as the singer teeters on his totter. Arthur is certainly out there, and proves the theory that wackos make great art. Assembling music from everywhere at once, Arthur comes close to finally fulfilling his much ballyhooed potential, and he does it with some smarm. Imagine copping a King Crimson (Elephant Talk era) axe lick - what balls. Wait there's more. The chug on "Cocaine Feet" marries Reverend Horton Heat bar blues psychobilly with Nirvana power chords, which will no doubt have nineties Sub Poppers wetting themselves. Nicking riffs is a long standing rock tradition, and Arthur disguises his thefts very nicely, though Adrian Belew is probably speed dialing his lawyer as I write. Always an enigma, dodging labels as fast as journalists were hurling them, Arthur creates a mammoth CD-squeezing 79 minute opus that covers pretty well any genre out there. It's a glorious mixed tape smorgasbord of brilliant rock moments and inexcusable excess. The 20 minute mid-album track: "Lonely Astronaut" - a space oddity if ever there was one, should be it's own concept album. Where's the producer to step up and slap this prima donna off his very high perch? Maybe next time. Still a great record. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP VARIOUS I WOULD WRITE A THOUSAND WORDS (The Beautiful Music) Volume two of an expected (gasp) ten volume tribute set to the much loved Television Personalities, picks up exactly where Volume One left off: cramming tewnty-something disparate tracks by a surprising range of performers, then sneaking in a bonus disc just in case your TVP fix wasn't complete. Which, for folks out of the know, begs the question: what the hell is going on here, who the hell are the Television Personalities, and does Pearl Jam know about this? Well, anyone hearing the hypnotizing clever quirk pop emanating from Dan Treacy will set you straight. There's just something magical about the tunes, something that begs anyone with any musical leanings to play the damn stuff. So here we are: Volume Two and we're barely getting started. Bookended by two wonderful versions of "If I Could Write Poetry" (the dreamy stringed section version by The Shambles, and the stark dreamy version by the late Nikki Sudden), Volume 2 craftily mixes new and old performances, known and osbcure, fun and serious. It's a wonderful mix of excellent performances, daring versions and some charmingly iffy moments (all much like the TVP themselves), and a testament to the power and diversity of one of Britain's most overlooked songsmiths (Dan Treacy). Keep up your collection whatever you do. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP JOHNNY CASH LIVE FROM AUSTIN TX (New West) It's 1987 and Johnny Cash is on Austin City Limits. What must have seemed like a career summation at the time, what with Johnny bringing out all the old hits and wife June for a duet, is a rather odd listen some twenty years later. Who could have foreseen the remarkable resurgence of Johnny Cash with his string of excellent American Recording sides - covering songs by Inch Nails and U2, and winning Grammies at retirement age? This time snippet is a great adios to Cash's first career, a document of his effervescent stage persona, the storyteller at his best, and a chance to hear the old hits when Johnny could still belt them. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP CARLY SIMON INTO THE WHITE (Sony / BMG) There's Carly on the front cover, looking giddily skyward in a garden of eden with a mouthfull of pearly whites gleaming away. There she is on the inside of the digipack looking blissfull as ever - again a perfect toothpaste commercial. Skim the booklet and there are no fewer than five more pictures of Carly looking like someone slipped something rather powerful into her afternoon tea. And hey, how about those tunes? Heavenly, cello driven versions of "Blackbird", "Scarborough Fair", "You Are My Sunshine", "Over The Rainbow", "All I Have To Do Is Dream"... Has Tom Cruise infiltrated the music biz with his scientology gig, or has Carly finally found the right combination of happy pills? No matter, she still looks fan-diddly-tastic. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP VARIOUS BRATS ON THE BEAT (Go-Kart) A friend once told me his toddler loved to hear "Blitzkrieg Bop" in the car. So I tried it, and by gub the sweet simple bubblegum pop underneath that leathery punk exterior really is kid friendly. Of course you have to explain the odd "sniffing glue" passage (or maybe not), but generally the tunes that Joey Johnny Marky and ...uh, Ringo waxed are pure unadulterated fun fun fun. A fact that has not been lost on parents world wide. Thus we receive the inevitable kid friendly version tribute, with primo punk acts one-two-three-fouring the singles whilst a bunch of kids chorus along. Sappy yes, but that's what this is all about. Maybe The Ramones missed their target audience all together. Strap yerselves into the booster seat, load up on pop rocks, and crank it baby! whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP RICKIE LEE JONES THE SERMON ON EXPOSITION BOULEVARD (New West) Heady stuff here folks. Jones' sermon CD channels author Lee Cantelon's contemporary take on the teachings of Jesus Christ. A lovely bit of thought provoking material, and best of all, it rocks. Yup, rocks. The duchess of coolsville has discovered her amp cranks to ten, and delivers the guitar slab no one knew she had in her. It's a long way from "Chuck E's In Love", but throwing down that beret and letting loose really does suit Rickie Lee. Recorded in a sparse setting, with minimal rehearsal, by a crack and willing band, the album has a fetching intimate immediacy. Along with the uppity numbers, she throws down some great roots rock and slows things down with some dusty country sprawls, in a remarkably strong album that hits home from first cut to last. Ole. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP VARIOUS HEARTWORN HIGHWAYS (Hacktone) The (sort of) soundtrack to the movie you never heard of, "Heartworn Highways" captures lightning in an empty Jack Daniels bottle. There's a giddy John Hiatt, fresh from signing his first record deal. There's a young Rodney Crowell making the transition from writer to performer. There's a twenty-one year old long-haired, plaid-shirted Steve Earle killing the floor, some ten years before his first record sees the light of day. It is 1976, and filmmaker Jim Szalapski has captured the new breed of country outlaws flexing their muscles. About to turn Nashville upside down, and redefining what country and country rock is all about, these young lions were having their own little revolution, a little guitar than the parallel punk explosion, but something special nevertheless. Recorded off the wooden floors of the players at hand, with half-empty glasses on the table, ashtrays full, this document not only serves as a grand historic memento, but as a rollicking good time listen as well. The recordings have a glorious wide expanse quality all too rare in today's compressed music technology. Many of these performances didn't fit the film, but act as a nice companion instead. You know the routine by now: see the movie, buy the music. You're welcome. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP 120 DAYS S/T (Vice) So yeah 120 Days do sound like the Cure, but then so do a lot of bands. Why should you care about these snots? Cuz they bring along that crazy rock and roll attitude along with their pilfered synth riffs. Any band not averse to moon shots in the press (of the derriere variety - please keep up) and acting like spoiled brats (remember the Sex Pistols? .. how about Jesus and Mary Chain? ... oh never mind), whilst being able to hold up their end (literally) when laying down the rock and roll is surely worth a second look. Only time will tell if 120 Days can transform such delicious potential (the ability to rock out and be amusing assholes) into something worthy. In the meantime there's no reason we can't all have a giggle at their expense and shake our covered rumps to their insidious beats. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP 21 TANDEM REPEATS NEVER WANTED TO BE ANYONE (Canada Lynx) Happy go lucky heartfelt jangly guitar pop rock that bands like the Ass Ponies and (early on) Wilco have wallowed in, is always a welcome listen. 21 Tandem Repeats fit right in with this crowd, and better still, they own the clever hooks of said bands that make the tunes so special, making several of the songs endearing treasures. The band tries very hard not to slip into a Rheostatics mode, which threatens to take over the record at several points. And though if that were ever to happen it wouldn't be the end of the world, but let's just say it's a good thing 21 Tandem Repeats manage to hold on to their original sound. whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP THE BREAKERS DK HERE FOR A LAUGH (Funzalo) They sure don't make 'em like this anymore, so the band did it again. Lemme 'splain: once upon a time, a time that radio forgot, we're talkin' way back in 2004, The Breakers made a great little bit of snarly guitar pop that had touches of The Faces (hip swagger) and The Plimsouls (catchy as heck power pop). It was a glorious peppy masterpiece if a little lacking in spots, and was resoundingly ignored by everyone in their native Denmark, and frankly, worldwide. Undaunted the boys (egged on by their publicity guy), re-recorded the tunes with renewed vigor and polished off their masterpiece as it was truly intended. So here it is in full flushed out glory, and baby (can I call you baby?) it's a beaute. Full of stop and go-go rhythms, anthemic guitar riffs, hip-shaking beats, singalong vocals, "Here For a Laugh" is the feel good rock record you never knew was missing from your collection - till now. It's one of those great long lost records you've been reading about .... er, are reading about. Get it, and get it now! (John Sekerka) whoa mule ...BACK UP TOP