Various "Pushing Scandinavian Rock To The Man! Volume 3" 2002(comp)***

Now why the hell would you be interested in an album entitled Pushing Scandinavian Rock To The Man! Volume 3? Have you even heard Volume 1 or 2? I have an excuse for buying it: I used to suffer from a compulsive buying disorder which compelled me to get any garage record or CD I could get my hands on for a reasonable price. I would then blast it on my car player while driving to work and fantasize I could part, Moses-like, the slow-moving sea of cars around me and step on the gas to the tune of earsplitting rock'n'roll. I have therefore a whole slew of neo-garage compilations, from the most essential (I take it you all have Voxx's Battle Of The Garages Volume 1, 2, 3 and 4?) to the most specific like this one, catering to a geographical corner of a niche of a subgenre. Don't be deceived by the Blaxploitation cover art: there's no funk here, the music moves strictly between Sonics-style 60's garage and Stooges/MC5 hi-energy rock'n'roll, with a dash of surf and punk. The cover art is a reference to the name of the Danish label Bad Afro (there has to be a funny story behind that name) for which this compilation presumably acts as a sampler. The timing of its release couldn't have been better: Garage rock was back in vogue thanks to the commercial success of The Strokes, while the British music press was waxing lyrical about a Scandinavian garage band called The Hives. But despite the good timing and their apparent chops, none of these bands managed to follow The Hives into international success. Many of their albums did find their way to my collection, though, thanks to my aforementioned affliction. This is how I know that The Royal Beat Conspiracy's Standells/Electric Prunes tribute "Try Me" is the gem in an otherwise unremarkable record, or that Baby Woodrose is a remarkably productive group reminiscent of, but not comparable to, The Fuzztones and Monster Magnet. Their track "Never Coming Back" borrows heavily from The Moving Sidewalks' classic "99th Floor". Who Cares? It rocks, doesn't it? Other bands playing Nuggets/Pebbles 60's pastiche include Stockholm's The Maggots and Oslo's Launderettes who give a female twist to The Human Beinz's "Nobody But Me". The other girls here are Helsinki's Thee Ultra Bimboos with a dirtier sound that reminds me of The Pandoras. Their compatriots Flaming Sideburns sing, for some reason, the verses in Spanish and chorus in English. The Defectors offer more 60's style Farfisa sounds, The Mutants instrumental surf, and Vegas V.I.P. a cool exotica/surf piece with nice sax. The rest of the bands adopt a harder sound: The Chronics, On Trial, Species, and Flaming Sideburns all play MC5/Radio Birdman-like hi-energy rock, Sweatmaster sound a bit like The Dirtbombs, while The Borderlines and Burnouts are more punk rock a la Hives. All in all this is a cool bunch of songs from a region with a penchant for loud and dirty rock'n'roll (think Nomads, Hellacopters, Turbonegro etc). See? you did have a reason to check this out after all!

**** for I Am A Demon And I Love Rock N' Roll(Sweatmaster), Try Me(The Royal Beat Conspiracy), Nightrider(Vegas V.I.P.), Nobody But Me(The Launderettes), Leave Me Alone(The Maggots), The Flaming Sideburns(Blow The Roof)

*** for Never Coming Back(Baby Woodrose), Slippin' And Slidin'(The Chronics), Higher(On Trial), Ram It Up(Species), Come On, Hold On(The Borderlines), Kung Fu(The Mutants), You Lose (The Burnouts), Live To See Your Face Again(The Defectors), No Man's No Good/Pms 666 (Thee Ultra Bimboos)