BACKYARD BABIES – Tinnitus

You only have yourself to blame if you’re not yet familiar with this dangerously infectious Glam/Punk, cartoon-flavored, hard-working Rock ’n’ Roll band from Sweden. In movie terms, they are like a combination of a badass Chris Walken, to give the street cred, with a touch of old school charmer Humphrey Bogart. A killer combination in a much prettier package. The band clearly has got the scars that a constant diet of cigarettes and alcohol gives you, but they still have got their pride, and have never given an inch from their original goal of playing the Rock ’n’ Roll game by their own rules as their heroes have done before them. Listening to these Babies certainly reminds you what pride in your work is all about.

Since the USA has for some unknown reason been ignoring the Backyard Babies, someone came up with the brilliant idea of putting together a showcase CD with songs from the last three Backyard Babies releases… and boy does this rocket take off! Better not stand too close if you don’t want the flames to torch you. The plan is to eventually release all three of these albums in the USA as well, and if you treat yourself to this release you’ll be dying to get your hands on those babies when they do come out. The three albums in question are the classic Total 13, and the more recent, critically acclaimed pair of Making Enemies Is Good and Stockholm Syndrome.

Any album that starts out with a line of “Making enemies is good” can’t go wrong. This track sets the tone for the album and puts the Babies label in a position that a P.R. Department rarely sees. No matter which songs get chosen as the singles from this album, you’ll always have a winner. There are no hurried fillers like the ones you usually get with a compilation album, so this release is not fishing for diehard fans’ cash. Instead, it’s aimed to work as an introduction or a cool reminder. The band has all the rebellion that the old folks used to warn their kids about back in the days when Rock ’N’ Roll still had teeth and was considered dangerous. This really is an ace thrown on the table for all new comers to see. This is how you do it old school style. If the Ramones, Guns N Roses, Hanoi Rocks, The Cult, and honest Rock ’N’ Roll are the things that you get your kicks from, then what are you waiting for? Just go grab this one.

Nicke Borg has the cool bar soaked craspy vocals, and Dregen throws in some nice guitar licks with his Gibson. You even got you hand claps and sing along parts, and appearances from friends like Michael Monroe and Kory Clarke. This release oozes coolness. If you want to start listing highlights, then you’ll be listing the entire album with maybe the exception of “Song For The Outcast,” which admittedly drags on a bit. The straight knockouts like “Brand New Hate,” U.F.O., Romeo,” “Minus Celsius,” “Made Me a Madman,” and “Look at You” will leave you bruised, while still begging for more. The bar song “Friends” will have you embarrassingly hugging all your friends and wanting to buy everyone a beer to make up for it, and the semi-ballad “Colours” shows that even a tough guy can be soft and still be cool. This is the one album you’ll be praising and talking your friends ears off in the coming months. If not, then your train has surely left the station.