Bazooka!!! by The Star Spangles (CD, Aug-2003, Capitol)new sealed

Detailed item info

Album Features
UPC: 724358469301
Artist: The Star Spangles
Format: CD
Release Year: 2003
Record Label: Capitol
Genre: Rock & Pop

Track Listing
1. I Live for Speed
2. Which of the Two of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down?
3. Angela
4. I Don't Wanna Be Crazy Anymore
5. Stay Away From Me
6. I'll Get Her Back
7. L.A.
8. Science Fiction/Science Fact
9. If We Can't Be Lovers
10. In Love Again
11. Crime of the Century
12. Stain Glass Shoes
13. The Party

Details
Playing Time: 37 min.
Producer: Daniel Rey, The Star Spangles
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution
Recording Type: Studio
Recording Mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: n/a

Album Notes
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.The Star Spangles: Tommy Volume (vocals, guitar); Nick Price (vocals, bass); Joey Valentine (vocals, drums); Ian Wilson (vocals).Audio Mixers: John Hanti; Jon Marshall Smith ; Roy Cicala.Photographer: Lee Black Childers.On their debut album Bazooka!!!, the Star Spangles mix of the poppier side of late-'70s punk with the college rock and power pop of the early and mid-'80s, borrowing from such luminaries as the Only Ones, Cheap Trick, and the Replacements. It's hard to fault a band for having such good taste in music, but for most of the album it feels like the Star Spangles are more focused on re-creating the greatest hits of their record collections instead of crafting something distinctive from their influences. Indeed, the album features a straightforward cover of "Crime of the Century," originally by Gang War, a collaboration between the New York Dolls' Johnny Thunders and the MC5's Wayne Kramer; the relative obscurity of the song wins the band some credibility points, but "I'll Get Her Back," which is basically a rewrite of the Hoodoo Gurus' classic "I Want You Back," promptly deducts them. More troubling than the fact that the Star Spangles' debut features one-and-a-half covers is that those songs happen to be among the album's most distinctive tracks. The band's songs revolve around girls, rock, hanging out, and rebelling -- the purest elements of rock songwriting -- but instead of sounding timeless, songs like "I Live for Speed," "Angela," and "Science Fiction/Science Fact" end up sounding contrived. Sometimes, though, the Star Spangles' scruffy charm is winning enough to override the fact that most of it is borrowed: "Which of the Two of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down" may have its loping rhythms and singalong/shoutalong choruses on loan from the Replacements, but it's still appealing in its own right; likewise, the sweetly awkward ballad "In Love Again" and tougher songs like "Stay Away From Me" and "If We Can't Be Lovers" hint at a more personal voice emerging in the band's music. For most of Bazooka!!!, the Star Spangles sound like a rowdy bar band just playing a set of songs they love. That's both a blessing and a curse, but it's possible that the earnestness the band displays on this album will make their next one more distinctive. ~ Heather Phares
 

Square spot in upper right hand corner is from my price stickers and is on jewel case or plastic wrapping if sealed.