In the liner notes to this excellent double album from Detroit rockers the Dirtbombs, band leader / guitarist / vocalist Mick Collins proclaims, “The best albums are all compilations, anyway. Why? Because they’re made up of SINGLES, duh.”
If You Don’t Already Have a Look is a full-length collection of downright dangerous singles and another disc of cover tunes. Danger is missing from a lot of rock music nowadays, and the Dirtbombs were possibly the most dangerous band to come out of the Motor City since the MC5. Even their songs that venture into soul and pop music always have a streak of menace hidden in them.
There are many standouts on the album. The opener on the disc of originals is “Theme from the Dirtbombs,” a fiery song that sounds like it belongs in the opening credits of a 1960’s car race cartoon. “The Sharpest Claws” is a theme song for dominatrixes everywhere. “I’m Saving Myself for Nichelle Nichols (No. 3)” is one of the craziest punk rock songs in the last twenty years. “High Octane Salvation” is an homage to muscle cars and sprinkles in some psychobilly riffs for good measure. “Little Miss Chocolate Syrup” has a bass groove as sweet as the song’s namesake.
“Don’t Bogue My High” was, like many early Dirtbombs tracks, recorded into a dictation microphone. It is thus gloriously distorted and trashy. “Encrypted” is a satire of 1990’s Britpop. “Broke in Detroit (Again)” has this cool 60’s surf guitar riff you can’t shake. “Infra-red” is a weird, shapeshifting track with guitars that ooze around like the Blob and “Candyass” is a solid rock track. The lyrics of “All My Friends Must Be Punished” are some of the wittiest on the record. “They Saved Einstein’s Brain” is a one-take punk rock classic.
The disc of cover songs includes great tracks by obscure bands like Cheater Slicks (“Possession”) and classics like Stevie Wonder‘s “Maybe Your Baby.” Their cover of the Rolling Stones‘ “No Expectations” includes a Beatles tribute and a salute to the Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” “Noise in This World” (originally by English Beat) fits in perfectly with the Dirtbombs’ sound, as does their fiery, almost unrecognizable cover of Soft Cell‘s “Insecure…Me?” “Tanzen Gehn” is a song in German made for a German label while the band was in Germany. It’s wonderfully funky. “Crash Down Day” was written by a six-year-old and is still better than most current rock tracks. Their cover of the Bee Gees “I Started a Joke” is one of the coolest Bee Gees covers ever (especially with the reverbed vocals).
It’s a great introduction to the Dirtbombs or an addition to your collection of your material.
Keep your mind open.
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