Bollocks.
Released by EMI/Virgin last month in order to cash in on the 25th anniversary of his death, this latest compilation of Vicious' material gives fans and the curious alike the chance to savor a selection of bad tunes, vile interviews and crass on-stage banter.
Playing mostly covers and accompanied by the likes of Rat Scabies and Joe Strummer, Vicious rips through a mixed bag of live numbers and studio tunes. While the material taken from the Great Rock & Roll Swindle proves that Vicious wasn't a bad singer when he had a good sound
engineer, the live material is awful. It is his audience baiting and the interview segments, however, that make the CD such an intriguing insight into the filthy mouth and mind of one of rock'n'roll's most revered anti-heroes.
Emerge (浮現)
Various Artists
Gamaa Music
A local compilation album featuring an eclectic assortment of tunes from seven bands, a video by another and short documentary about the underground music scene, Gamaa Music's Emerge
The documentary, which was made by three students from Chaoyang University of Technology (朝陽科技大學) in Taichung County, features interviews with the owner of a popular Taichung underground rock venue, a studio engineer and several members of local bands as well as live footage of some of the nation's leading underground acts. It's short, sweet and to the point, but it doesn't go into much depth and leaves the viewer hanging.
The music segment is more titillating. Introducing previously unreleased bands Zhuyin (主音), Nerve (神經), 929, Blue Eyes, Alice's Tears, Old Thief (老賊) and Zayin (雜音), it touches all bases musically and is quite well put together.
The sound and studio engineers get eight out of 10 for their efforts, as the album is professional piece of work that doesn't sound like it was recorded in an empty baked bean can. The styles of music explored include nu-metal, folk, power pop, ska and a downbeat number. Highlights include Lead Sound's power chord-laden Rise (出來), and Alice's Tears' heavily No Doubt influenced ska/pop number, Ocean.
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