The Alley Cats - 1979 - 1982

 

The Alley Cats were, of course, one of the first wave of LA punk bands and guitarist/vocalist Randy Stodola is still rockin' his tunes today, more than 40 years later! With powerhouse drummer John McCarthy and the lovely'n'talented Dianne Chai on bass and vocals, the group was an important part of the initial LA scene and appeared on early comps like Yes LA and they even tear it up on the Urgh! A Music War! movie. Because life isn't fair and talent doesn't assure popularity, after a name change to the Zarkons and a couple of album releases, the group broke up for a couple of decades before Randy reformed the Alley Cats with a new rhythm section.

This, as the title clearly states, is a collection of some of their early recordings (without the epic "Too Much Junk", unfortunately), that showcases their musical talent and almost-post-punk (although they were at the beginning of punk) songwriting. Opening with "Nightmare City", they prove that they are more interested in the power of the song rather than speed, although they were not afraid to blast through numbers when so inclined, as the following "Today" is a bit more frantic. Randy's baritone vocals are a bit monotone-ish at times, but his melodic guitar playing really stands out here and the dynamics are strong. The brooding "Night of the Living Dead" moves from Randy's hammer-on intro to a gothic preview into a dark punk number highlighted by Diane's roving bass line. "Breath of a Barfly" is a bit likely a quirky, early Ultravox tune, while Diane takes the lead vocals for "It Only Hurts the First Time", one of my faves with its varied sections and wildly catchy, repetitive chorus, super effective leads and faux ending.

"When the World Was Old" isn't quite as effective, but still a solid rocker, but "Bitter Fruit" has hip riffs, nice changes and another fine lead vocal by Diane, while there's a bit of a reggae rhythm to "The Hotel" although Randy can't sit still so there are multiple changes throughout to keep it interesting, and this continues in "Waiting For the Buzz" before ending with the frantically up-tempo theme song "Just An Alley Cat".

The set also includes a cool DVD of the band lip-syncing (possibly in their rehearsal studio) to "It Only Hurts the First Time", "Today", two takes of "Night of the Living Dead" and "Escape From Planet Earth". Unfortunately, no pure live footage, although their is some spliced in.

Regardless, a great set of this under-heralded band - one of LA's finest!