Customer Reviews

Showdown 2 - The 90's

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

 

 

Sweden's Nomads have to be cringing at all of the hype surrounding their countrymen The Hives. After all, if it wasn't for The Nomads, who have now been together for over 20 years, there probably wouldn't be a garage for The Hives to "return" to. This two-disc compilation of all of the highlights of their 90's output, 42 songs (and two videos) brimming with blood, bone, and gristle, showcases the band's unique spin on the three-chords-and-a-cloud-of-dust attack pioneered by predecessors The Stooges, New York Dolls, Cramps, and Dead Boys. Let's face it - these guys will never be press darlings or "Rolling Stone" coverboys - and maybe it's all for the better.

So the first Showdown! comprised material from their inception (1981) through 1993, with the 1st disc being standout tracks and the 2nd being mostly rarer stuff. This collection rounds up stuff from then on, including more covers, compilation tracks, some stuff from Powerstrip, and many odds and ends. And like the first Showdown, the 1st disc kinda trumps the 2nd in terms of quality, but this time the stuff is more spread out, so not all the dogs are on on disc 2. Some guests even make appearances, and the covers are great including the Dead Kennedys' Let's Lynch The Landlord, MC5 Kick Out The Jams, The Damned Fan Club, The Saints I'm Stranded, among others.

Why more bands don't do this sort of uber-compilation stuff mystifies me, but thankfully The Nomads do. And thanks to Sympathy for releasing it domestically, as if the Nomads' stuff isn't difficult enough to obtain here in the USA. So if you're a fan of the band, or even just a fan of Swedish garage punk, you obviously can't do without this. And I would say this is better than the 1st Showdown comp, and that's some high praise. 20+ years and still bringing home the rawk, showing these whippersnappers like the Hives a thing or three. The world simply needs more great rock bands like The Nomads.

The first Showdown was allready great. This second compilation is comparable. Again raw and enthousiastic punk/garage rock with a lot of great songs. Contributions are there from the great Chris Bailey (Saints), Wayne Kramer (MC5) and Jello Biafra (Dead K's).