Customer Reviews

Payin the Dues

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fans hear "high-energy rock-n-roll" as the descriptive phrase used the most on The Hellacopters. While that's a fairly decent description for those willing to rest on a simple phrase to describe the band's entire musical and philosophical direction, it's just the tip of the iceberg to those of us who know what the Hellacopters are really about.
Nick Royale (Andersson, really) and company have a really sincere, yet absolutely grandiose, task set aside for themselves. With each full length, they encompass and manifest elements from just about every decade in the history of recorded rock music. Nothing seems to be left out or overlooked on a Hellacopters album. They're all typically equal parts Chuck Berry, The Who, The Stooges, MC5, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ramones, Kiss, Sex Pistols... you name it, it's just a matter of which ones are prioritized on each subsequent release. There's an archetypal, subliminal knowledge of what constitutes simply great rock-n-roll that they've somehow inherited from who knows where. Obviously, and thankfully for the rest of us in need of a garage-rock fix, they've channeled the spirits of Rock Gods and put them to good use.
"Payin' The Dues", unfortunately the last to include the talents of guitarist Dregen, was the second Hellacopters full length album - and it succeeded in placing the `Copters even higher on a garage-rock pedestal. Their debut, "Supershitty to The Max", had been recorded in no time (under thirty studio hours from start to finish, which is outrageously quick) and it blew away anyone doubting the power of Rock in the 90's. With "Payin' the Dues", it was time for the band to prove that they were worth the hype - especially in their own country after having to answer for the Swedish Grammy (!) their debut won. And they did prove their worth... again and again, as a matter of fact.
The debut's punkish attitude and loud guitars (as always, right?!) were immediately recognizable on this follow-up. Likewise, that same raw, unpolished, and virtually unproduced quality permeated the album from start to finish, maintaining that infamous garage feel. Despite this, however, there's slightly less of a sense of abrasiveness and urgency, perhaps due to the fact that underneath, the actual writing is slightly more rock and less punk. That's a sentiment carried over into the lyrics, as well, with more verses on boredom, nihilism, desperation, frustration, anger... and how rock basically makes the world go round - making it all better.
Appropriately enough, many of the tracks on "Payin' The Dues" remained a part of the `Copters live shows for years. "Riot On The Rocks", "Soulseller", "Twist Action", and "Psyched Out & Furious", are all rip-roaring classics that have always felt right at home on stage as well as in the stereo. Equal parts simplistic and anthemic, they'll get you bouncing, shouting, and wishing they'd be coming to your town soon. By no means are these the only decent tracks on the album, mind you. "You Are Nothin'", "Looking At Me", "Like No Other Man", "Hey!", and the handful of tracks left are blues-based melodic rock-n-roll standards you'd only hear from obsessive purists bent on making everything they write an instant classic. As some have alluded, The Hellacopters began moving in a slightly different direction after this release. The next full length, "Grande Rock" is, by many accounts, the point in which Nick and company toned it down a little and polished the edges a tad. And while I still love the direction they went after that point, I have to agree they definitely moved forward in direction after "Payin' The Dues".
By the way, the version of the album as shown here is apparently still within the first pressing of 10,000, since the live disk is included. No matter if you love "Payin' The Dues" as much as I do, it's still worth the price of admission for fans to get the exceptional bonus disk. With that, you're bound to experience the `Copters shining on stage! A definite treat for garage-rock ears!

I've been looking for a record like this for a long time! Tired of the fey whining that seems to be in vogue for "alternative" bands (alternative to what?), I read a review of this record and picked it up on a whim, and it hasn't been out of my CD -player since. Man! Ten songs, 28 minutes, and the length is perfect. What do you want, a five-minute "power ballad"? These guys pull over, drag you in the car, stomp on the gas, pimp slap you up and down and dump your sorry carcass out on the curb 28 minutes later. Imagine if Iggy and the MC5 made a record together with 90's production values. Never mind the less-than-stellar live CD. Payin the Dues is one enormous slab of aggro that steamrolls anything else out there... man, what's in the water over there?

cuz it will rip your face off. Current 'Copters tunes are polished and hook laden. Sure this disk has the hooks (Hey!) but zero polish. It's not a BMW, it's a '67 GTO in primer. Dig?

There have been references to the Detroit sound a la MC5/Stooges and sure enough, it's in there. I'm a sucker for pick slides and a good old Dunlop Cry Baby wahs. Color me rocked.

If these guys weren't from Sweden they'd be huge. Anyone looking for a band that can rock relentlessly with no bull and no apologies should check out the Hellacopters immediately. With the huge amount of material this band has released (mostly only available as very expensive imports), you can see that head honcho Nicke Andersson is a highly gifted songwriter, and he clearly worships the Detroit sound. On the surface, the Hellacopters may just sound like punks or metalheads with a little extra attitude. But listen closely and there is an undeniable blues/soul groove skanking around underneath. What other heavy rock acts can you think of that have that groove? That's right - the Detroit rockers, especially MC5 and the Stooges. The influence of these bands is all over the Hellacopters sound. They're not imitators though, but have effectively included their influences into their own scheme. For example, see the Stooge-heavy but still original rockers "Soulseller" and "Psyched Out & Furious." This is nasty raunch rock at its best, and the Hellacopters never let up on the intensity, except at effective moments like the low-down boogie interlude in "Like No Other Man." Another fave is "Colapso Nervioso" in which the band slows down (slightly) to deliver a throbbing, dark, evil groove. (Note: anyone interested in lead guitarist Dregen, who was on loan for this album, should also check out his fulltime band the Backyard Babies.)

The only small problem with this album is that it's only 28 minutes long. You might see this as a disappointment because it really gets a great groove going. But with music this rocking, the songs say what they need to say and that's that! Just hit the repeat button on your CD player and listen to it again.

payin' the dues is one of the best true rock & roll records to be released in a long time. fans of motorhead, mc5, stooges, ac/dc, guns & roses, kiss, old aerosmith, etc. will go ape over this record. get drunk & turn your stereo all the way up! it's really refreshing to hear a band rockin' as hard as these guys with no concern for commercial appeal but having more hooks than a tackle box.

This is what rock should be.Loud guitars,kicking drums and screaming vocals.Everything might sound dirty but that's the way it should be.When I first heard the record it was the first song You Are Nothing...I was sold completely.It was like something I have never heard. The record has no bad songs.It's just pure rock from star to the end. If you like the old school punk combined with a tougherd attitude,Hellacopters is for you!!!!!

I've had this CD in my car for two weeks now, and it rarely leaves the player. Great 70s-inspired hardcore from Sweden -- who knew?

The extra live CD that comes with the album isn't as good as the studio stuff (which is ironic, considering how great the Hellacopters are live), but it's a nice bonus just the same. I can't recommend this one highly enough; it's easily the strongest album I've heard from this fantastic band.

It's heartening to see that evennow there are still bands producing the kind of high-octane, high-volume, red-meat riffarama punk rock toonz that the Hellacopters have. Fans of Stooges, Kiss, AC/DC, MC5, Motorhead, and the Ramones will love it. There's very little decent rock'n'roll out there nowadays -- the current wave of so-called "new metal" (Limp Bizkit, Korn) just does not cut it as far as I'm concerned, and as much as I like hip-hop and techno they are not a substitute for good old garage punk rock -- and it's good to see there are still people who believe in this kind of old-style rock'n'roll.

If you love this album, another one to get is PAYIN' THE DUES. Avoid GRANDE ROCK; it's got too much polish and too little good songwriting or emotional energy.

Swedish heavy rockers second head-swirling effort. Total of ten tracks - clocking in under the thirty-minute mark - however, it's STILL totally *ss-kicking, by all means. Tracks that had me stopping and (nearly) gasping for air were "Like No Other Man", the in-your-face "Riot On The Rocks", "Soulseller" and "Psyched Out And Furious". Personnel: Nicke-guitar & lead vocals, Dregen-guitar & backing vocals, Kenny-bass and Robert-drums. Why don't we get their last names? Oh! I've heard that it thus - makes it harder for the debt collectors to find them. Good move!

It's time to re-issue this record and include their version of City Slang that was only on vinyl. This is a great record, lots of fun especially if you worship The Stooges, MC5, Radio Birdman, Union Carbide Productions (1st album, anyway) and Sonic's Renezvous Band.

Check out Mighty High...In Drug City, too if you like that kind of stuff.