The Weaklings--Rock N Roll Owes Me
Dead Beat 2004
After their killer Just The Way We Like It album, the Weaklings seemed to drop right off the face of the earth. Well, after a five year absence from recording, these scoundrels are back to rock you once more. With Rock N Roll Owes Me, the Weaklings seem determined to remind everyone just who the hell they're messing with. As if anyone could really forget.
Longtime Weaklings fans will be relieved to hear the base of their sound is more or less intact, since last time--at its heart, this is top shelf Thunders/Heartbreakers/Dead Boys action. That said, the blasting tempos of yesteryear have eased to a nasty swagger. Also, Rock N Roll Owes Me boasts much more of a 70's arena hard rock slant than before. Rest easy, though--that patented Weaklings rock n' roll raunch isn't forsaken for even a moment. This still sounds very much like the Weaklings you know and love.
As usual, these guys have come up with a solid batch of tunes. The album opening "Losin' My Electricity" sets the pace with its AC/DC inspired riff. This is followed by "On With The Show," featuring a lick akin to the non-disco portions of KISS' Dynasty, as well as duelling male and female vocals which recall the interplay between Jim Dandy and Miss Ruby Starr from back in the old Black Oak Arkansas days. "Spray" sees the Weaklings' rock n' roll and hard rock halves in a stalemate, cultivating a bit of Nashville Pussy vibe. Still, rock n' roll eventually wins out on Rock N Roll Owes Me with the disc's two best such tracks, "Layin' Low Drinkin'" and "Never Kissed Her," both leaving permanent footprints on your posterior. Cap it all off with a cover of Lords Of The New Church's "Little Boys Play With Dolls" that maintains the dark and sinister energy of the original without actually delving into goth, and Rock N Roll Owes Me couldn't get much better.
Folks who've been waiting impatiently for a new Weaklings album will not be dissapointed in this disc. In fact, newcomers could easily make Rock N Roll Owes Me their starting place, since it's just as great as the band's two superb previous outings. Either way, this long overdue slab is gonna knock you out. Well worth the wait.
Score this LP directly from DEAD BEAT
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