RATBEAT INTERNATIONAL #2-
Various Artists- BONE IN ROCHESTER-
It's pretty hard to get a hold on a compilation album with 19 tracks by 19 new bands, especially if production is minimal and maybe loses some details of the band's sound... and especially when it's clear that NONE of the tracks/acts is going to be one of those who can change your life, make your dancing foot itch and/or makes you grab for your carbon guitar...
With constant hearings I managed to break through the mass of new material/noise on BONE IN ROCHESTER, and I even learned to enjoy the record I first thought was more or less an average even dull compilation. These Rochester bands are not at all dull or faceless, there's lots of ideas, charm and pure joy of doing it on this album. It's far from a masterpiece but it's a warm and human little platter, nice without being bland or too safe.
Most of the music is more or less garage influenced (no wonder in a place that's known as the Chesterfield Kings' home town), usually in a more pop than R&B style. The songs that first caught your ear turned out-- like always-- to be the favorite ones in the long run, too.
"Union" is LOTUS STP's strong hit song, great track with good arrangement and nice lyrics. The FADEAWAYS' "Trust" is well sung twangy pop with a moody feed-back guitar solo. "My Baby's In Love" by the YOUNG IDEA is another good composition with lots of energy and heavily tremeloed lead guitar. All girl band the RAUNCHETTES show class and maturity in the powerful "Girls In Garage" and the last track of the album "Love & War" by the CHINCILLAS, is an instantly catchy, fragile pop song, reminding me of the New Jersey's Love Pushers.
Other tracks worth mentioning are the LOCUSTS' tinkling "White Mercedes Benz", STATIC CLING's version of the story of the TV family "Brady Bunch", LUTHER-N-THE B.B.B.'s mersey-beatish mod pop "You're Making Me Cry" and MISSION EMISSION's version of the classic Shocking Blue hit "Postcards". Also featured on the album are the FERRETS, the PROJECTILES, ABSOLUTE GREY (with old electric material with drums, regrettably) and the RUMBLES.---(M)

BONE IN ROCHESTER
OPTION - SEPT 1987

Here's a baker's dozen of Rochester's up-and-coming groups in search of a piece of the garage the Chesterfield Kings aren't using right now. Although there's plenty of room for musical improvement with many of the bands, there just isn't a clinker included on this smorgasbord of mid-60's flavored rock and roll. To my ears the standout in this rat-pack is Luther and the B.B.B.'s with "You're Making me Cry," and this might just be due to the better studio sound quality as well as the better-than-average musicianship. Other favorites are the cuts by the Projectiles, the Young Idea, and the Raunchettes. --MICK MATHER.