Bert
Switzer
"1977 - 2002" CD
Self-released
Genres: punk, rock
Sep 15 - 21 2003 |
1977-2002
is a retrospective of drummer Bert Switzer's performances from the
late seventies, with a few tunes from 1985 and 2002. The material is
mostly punk (13 of the 19 tracks are live recordings of Switzer's
infamous seventies outfit The Destroyed), and the most notable
songs are undoubtedly those from the seventies. The Destroyed
never released any music on record, and never even entered a studio,
so these rare live recordings will be really valuable to fans of old
punk. Also notable is a terribly recorded version of Ozzy Osbourne's
"Crazy Train" from 1985, featuring 13-year-old Bobby
Powers on electric guitar. It is an interesting item with a bit of
novelty value, although some people might be tempted to skip over its
ten minute duration. A neat Joe Rainbow recording is also put
in for good measure, adding a bit of folky rock to the mix.
As mentioned before, the best part of this disc is The Destroyed
material. The lo-fi recording perfectly captures the attitude of the
band at the time; they casually blend melodic hooks with explosive
guitars and primitive noise. One of their best tracks is
"Power," which sounds very Stooges influenced
("Raw Power"?); it makes you wish that were there to witness
them live. "The Ocean" is also remarkably fun, packed with
terrific melody and pure punk energy. Good mixtape material. Two Monster
Island tracks are also worth lending an ear to.
All in all, there's lots of good music on this disc, and fans of
old punk are bound to find much to enjoy here.
80%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 19 tracks, distributed by the
artist, released 2003] |