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Here's the second half of what should have been a two-disc set, another 17 servings of late '60s Italian softcore pornophonics. As with the first disc, the standouts, such as the numbers by Nora Orlandi, greatly outnumber the weak spots. Rampant thievery abounds, James Bond and American soul being pillaged to provide soundtracks for vintage Eurosleaze.
Remember the Farm? A reminder: Ecstasy hits Manchester, and the Mondays, the Roses and Primal Scream redefine Britpop by noticing a little culture called acid house. One year later the Farm emerge, with pilfered everything, and a one-hit wah-wah stump called, er, "Groovy Train." Well, here's something of the same sort, this time called the Space Monkeys. They've also listened to Skint records and Oasis, and acid is old enough that they can call a track (groan) "Acid House Killed Rock and Roll." And put drug references in every song! They're a terrible monster--not just because they're so contrived and strangely outdated that even Melody Maker wouldn't plug them, but also 'cause their album is such a spoon-feeding guilty pleasure that it's terribly hard to listen to less than twice a day. 7.5/10 (Mireille Silcott) Dee Dee Ramone Zonked! (Other Peoples Music/ Outside) With a roster of Joey Ramone, Marky Ramone, Lux Interior and even Doughboy Peter Arsenault, you would figure this should be the punk album of the year, right? Wrong! Noncommittal vocals plague this album and weak songwriting shows that maybe senility has replaced Dee Dee's open-eyed Ramones-era wonder. I'd suggest something from the Riverdales, the Hanson Brothers or the Queers to anyone who has a craving for what this could've been. 6/10 (Johnson Cummins) The Kelley Deal 6000 Boom! Boom! Boom! (Nice/New West/Outside)
While Kim keeps the Breeders and the world waiting for a follow-up to 1993's Last Splash, sister act Kelley continues to feed us some new Deal. She might still be a reflection of twin Kim in body and voice, but she's no clone: Kelley is much more likely to take off from the Breeders' template and surf toward ballads ("Baby I'm King"), acoustica ("When He Calls Me Kitten") and novelty ("Stripper"). The real Deal? 7/10 (Chris Yurkiw)
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Various Beat at Cinecittà Volume 2 (Crippled Dick Hot Wax/Fusion III)
The chilly surf guitar of "Babylon I'm Coming" give way to the bold bursts of brass in "Colpo Rovente," with loads of funky keys and stirring choruses between. Some of the melodic riffs here would make Ennio Morricone stand up and salute, and the liner notes are both informative and eye-popping. Bellissimo! 9.5/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Space Monkeys Daddy of Them All (Factory/Interscope/Universal)