This is one of the best albums I have heard from Detroit in some time. It is also one of the worst "cutting off of the nose to spite the face" incidents in recent memory. I understand aesthetics all too well as a scumbag record collector, doing stuff like hunt for mono presses of certain records. But, your average listener doesn't understand this stuff. And that's a damn shame.

The songs are incredible, but I don't think they were joking about it being in mono. Mono can only handle so much before it all goes to mud when converted to stereo. It sounds great when I press the mono button on my old tube receiver - stereo's not as good. I don't think too many folks have tube receivers and I don't think too many stereos have a mono switch over either. Y'see when I listen to it in mono I can hear all the nuances. I can hear the creepy organ, the weird effects, the bass, etc. When I change to stereo, the organ is almost gone, the vocals dominate and nearly wash everything else out, and it sounds over-polished. Switch back to mono and you have one of the best MISFITS-play-a-ghoul-beach-party-before-a-drag-race-to-the-death styled romps.

To recap : Stereo- mud. Mono - amazing.

Whoever the organ player is, he has his shit down. The organ has a feel to it that I haven't heard since the THE MONKS lp, both creepy and menacing like he might slash your throat if you look at him funny or like something heavy in a creepy Vincent Price movie sort of a way. The vocals are a great cross between Paul Bearer of SHEER TERROR / JOE COFFEE and maybe a touch of El Duce. Guitars get all those great overwrought distorted Dick Dale on 'roids / Bobby Steele kinda things going, and the drums aren't busy but are still very heavy. And when it all comes together you got great surf-ghoul tinged punk rock rave ups.

They do better with this format than a hundred similar outfits. Maybe it's the fact that they're old enough to know what they want and how to get it? Maybe it's just good vision. Y'know what I mean - there's a difference between trying to do a cheap MISFITS copy (way too many to name) and doing your own thing within that framework. The guitar work on tracks like "Hellbound Hearse" separate them from the pack easily.

In closing, I really do like this disc. I just know that your average person isn't going to get as much out of it without having a way to listen in mono. I really hope they take this to heart and consider doing a stereo mix of it or something like Bulge records used to do, including a stereo and mono mix on the CD. If they woulda cut tracks 13 thru 17 out, which include some goofing around in the studio and some disposable live tracks, it would fit without a problem and you would easily have a disc that I would rank in the top 50 best records from Detroit.

I know what you're thinking - top 50 doesn't say much. But, when you come from the dirty glove like these folks and myself and you have such a rich history of music and so many choices, I could easily make a top 300 Detroit records and still have room left. Don't even get me started on the rest of the state. We may be the most dangerous city and have the worst quality of life, worst unemployment, just bad everything! But - we have some of the best music ever and always have. This is just another fine example. And I didn't even mention the outstanding cover art and layout. Figure a 3/5 for stereo and 4.5/5 for mono.

- Two Tub Tony

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