Customer Reviews

Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I can't stop listening to this cd for some reason. I was a bit disappointed by the Groovie Ghoulies take on the Time Warp. The vocals in it sound a tad constipated; but Sweet Transvestite and Make You a Man sound awesome, as does most of the rest.

I love these songs and the familiar tunes and lyrics really come alive all over again. These punk versions take your favorite Rocky songs are fantastic. It's like hearing them for the first time again. This is a must buy for all Rocky fans.

I bought this used after my room mate randomly showed it to me in a local record store. I am a big fan of Rocky Horror and I felt almost obligated to buy this after seeing the Migraines (from near my home town) are on the mix. I will admit a bias right out by saying I am not a big fan of punk (i.e. I am in no way punk in appearance or habit), but I still like the genre as a whole. Being so indebted as it is to glam rock, I think it is fitting to do a punk rock cover of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (the original glam rock musical). Unfortunately, not all of the tracks on here are stellar, but overall, the album is definitely worth it for fans of Rocky Horror, and perhaps fans of some of the bands involved.

There are some great version here, though. While I've never really been a fan, Alkaline Trio's version of "Over at the Frankenstein Place" is rather good and is one of the few tracks that doesn't take "punk" to inherently mean "doubletime." Unfortunately, the most popular song from Rocky Horror, "Time Warp," suffers from some detached vocals, which doesn't fit the song's mood at all. "Sweet Transvestite" definitely takes a nice spin from Apocalypse Hoboken. "Eddie's Teddy" is another standout among the other tracks. The most disappointing for me was probably Gametime's version of "Wild and Untamed Thing." Perhaps just because it is one of my favorite numbers from the film and Gametime makes it a bit overly melodramatic. Ultimately, despite all of the ups and downs, I think this ablum was worth the money.

Only about 3 or 4 really solid tracks. Perhaps I was expecting a bit much, but when I purchased this album, I was expecting to hear punked up versions of the songs of RHPS, not songs from the RHPS performed by punk bands exactly like it is on the soundtrack, except with the gain cranked up. I wanted to hear songs hard and fast, and based on my experience with the body of work of most of the artists on the compilation, I expected it to be a pretty good cd. The majority of songs on this album are as I said, performed almost exactly the same as the original soundtrack, but that's not really what I feel is advertised. And so much talent on this cd! Man, I was really dissapointed. Really, all a few songs needed was the punk rock gallop on the drums, and maybe kick it up about 10-20 BPM, and would have been a kickin' cd. The stand out tracks are by Apocalypse Hoboken(Performed almost exactly the same, but the vocalist does such an excellent job of it), Luckie Strike, The Secretions(man, they rip the hell out of "In Just Seven Days," the song clocks in at about a minute-twenty, the way it should be.), and the Migraines did a fine job. Me First And The Gimme Gimmes did a nice take on Science Fiction Double Feature, Harmonies were right on, but I would have liked to have heard it about 20 bpm faster. As much as I like the Groovie Ghoulies other works, their rendition of Time Warp is excruciating to listen to. Flat, uninspired vocal delivery, and NO HARMONIES!!! Sucked all the life from such a classic, fun musical number. Pansy Division was awful here. Majorly let down by the Swingin Utters. Some of the songs didn't even last 10 seconds before I skipped them, and I don't usually skip songs on cds. Perhaps my expectations were too high. If you are a HUGE fan of RHPS, but maybe not so much into punk, and just want a slightly different take on the classics, give it a spin. If you want another copy of the RHPS soundtrack, it's an option. Just don't go in with expectations very high. You're likely to be dissapointed.

In short, good concept, poor execution.

this is a good cd...my favorite being "sweet transvestite"...all the others are good, expecially during the end, they get more melodic and less raw and easier to listen to...(but raw is what real punk is all about anyways)my LEAST FAV is the ataris version of science fiction double feature and TIME WARP, great on the movie but this band knows nothing about music...ahhhhh! they annoys me

but overall a very very good cdsweet transvestite is worth it alone, but its all worth it, really

I have loved the RHPS for as long as I can remember..

And I was super ultra mega stoked about this CD but alas was disapointed

I do have to say as a fan of female punk rockers all the female vox spread about this were definately welcome.. BUT what really made it shine for me was the versions of SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE especially the heart warming acoustic version by THE ATARIS, and OVER AT THE FRANKENSTEIN PLACE by ALKALINE TRIO was god worthy! That band is ultimate!

The biggest disapointment for me was the lazy slacker version of TIME WARP by the GROOVIE GHOULIES.. I love that band and I'm not sure why they jerked that song so bad..

It's like you could tell they didn't care at all abotu what they were doing..

PANSY DIVISION of course did a great version of MAKE YOU A MAN I think they have a little interest in that area anyway if ya know what I mean hell I think we all know they have an interest..

BUT yeah.. This cd was fun once..

then I burned the songs I liked on other comps and said screw the rest!

First let me see this record is amazing. i can't tell how long we've needed a punk rock take on a musical; and what betetr than Rocky Horror Picture Show its about as punk as they come. This review is here for the reviwer callign themselves "a music fan"; the view thery have taken on this album is an elitist closed minded opinion that the only thing punk rock in the world is screaming, shout and hatign everything; to him I say listen to The Clash and The Ramones; although mal-contents they are certainly not ravign idiots. Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the msot punk rock filsm ever; mad eona shoe string budget; covering everyhting from love, freedom and hope to the drakside, isolation and the consequence of our desire for freedom, love and romanc; so as for the songs not beign punk rock they are more punk than you will ever be and just because you're a miserable git please don't put off people form buying what is essentially great album whether or not you know the film well or at all.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a tad bit tame these days. After all, with women kissing on awards shows and other 'lewd' acts on network television, nothing seems shocking anymore, and Rocky Horror, even with its blatantly hedonistic overtones, suffers as a result. The same might be said of the film's music -- and rock 'n roll in general. In its heyday rock 'n roll was shocking enough to prompt several cities to attempt to ban it. Now, a rock song plays in almost every television commercial and supermarket; rock's backbone, its backbeat, is as natural to us as a microwave or a ride in a car.

How interesting this album should be. Punk rock reinvigorated rock 'n roll in an age when it was dying, when guitar players took no shame in indulging in twelve-minute solos. Punk was based around three chords and the truth. The music from Rocky Horror is itself similar to punk -- from listening to the original soundtrack, one got the impression that the instrumentalists were bashing the hell out of their instruments in much the same way as Dr. Frankenfurter was bashing the hell out of his new playthings in the sack. This album should be just the thing to reinvigorate the 35-year old movie, giving it new energy and purpose.

Sadly, it does not. Some of the highest-energy tracks from the original soundtrack are some of the dullest here, and the vocals are to blame. Granted, most punk singers probably have not had experience in the theater or acting, but you'd think their performances would carry a little bit more emotion. Rocky Horror's best-known track, "The Time Warp", is given a particularly lackluster performance here. The Groovie Ghoulies' vocalist doesn't give any heart to the words he's singing, he sounds nasally monotone throughout. In the context of the play, the Transylvanians are ga-ga over this dance: it is the center of their world. The Time Warp should make listeners want to get up and dance, but all I wanted to do was hit the next track button on my CD player. "Hot Patootie" is another one, changing Meatloaf's impassioned ode to Saturday night makeout sessions to an almost militarliy-barked chant does not work. It drags, and the synthesizer in the background doesn't help much. "Dammit Janet" suffers particularly in the vocal department.

The tracks that work best here are the lesser-known ones. Luckie Strike's version of "Rose Tint My World", clocking in at over just a minute, gallops along, with sincere performances from all its vocalists. "Wild and Untamed Thing", one of my favorites, is given an interesting instrumental make-over, but once against the vocals drag the performance down. Perhaps the best all-around treatment comes from Ruth's Hat, who soups up "Superheroes" enough to give it punk weight, but keep the track's trepidated feel, merging the two perfectly. "Over at the Frankenstein Place", "Sword of Damocles", "Sweet Transvestite", both versions of "I Can Make you a Man", "Toucha-Toucha-Touch Me", and "Science Fiction Double Feature" (understandably, since the Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies did an entire album of show tunes, this among them) are other standout tracks.

The rest of the tracks sit somewhere in the middle, not dragging but not kicking me out of my chair, either. Middle-of-the-road, just like most rock today. Bottom line: the album needs more passionate singing. Perhaps if the bands had approached this as scenes from a play, instead of individual songs to cover, the album would have come off a lot better. As it stands, it's a good concept implemented poorly.

I have loved Rocky Horror for the longest time now, and happily supported it when it came to my university (we produced our own version of it), so to see another play on the music that made this the piece that is what it is was a welcome addition to me. The bands remake each of the pieces different in their own way yet they still hang onto what made them great originally.
A definate pick up for fans of the show .. or even just fans of the bands on the cd

I'm a huge fan of RHPS as well as a fan of all different types of punk music. I heard this album and was greatly disappointed in it. There were some alright songs but a majority of them were horribly done, ESPECIALLY the Time Warp. I definately do not recommend this to anyone, save your money.