The Joneses

We thought sleazy beasts like Hanoi Rocks, Backyard Babies and Silver were the first bands of their ilk spewing forth a brash, snotty version of rock’n’roll that was too punk for rockers but too rock for punkers. We were so wrong, as this re-release of ’80s Hollywood grease balls the Joneses prove. Combining both their Criminals and Tits And Champagne twelve-inch EPs, this 12-track monster of slick riffs, upbeat grooves and tongue-in-cheek humour clearly paved the way for the aforementioned acts, as well as the keyboards-and-horns of bands such as the Humpers. Naturally much of the album sounds little better than a few amplifiers crashing around in a tin can but with such communicable energy pushing their four-chord rock and occasional Little Richard-esque shuffles, sound quality is nowhere near as important as song quality. Besides, it worked for the Misfits, why not these goons?