Over the course of the forty plus years covered by this collection, the one and only
Billy Childish has worn a multitude of musical hats and worked with enough people to fill a phone book. His sound may change with each project (a little anyway), but what's at the center of each one are the rough qualities that make
Childish unique. His cock-eyed, unblinking stare at life, his devotion to the power of three chords, his rough-and-tumble recording style, and his way with a simple hook and a lyric that can lop the listener's head off with one blow. Every few years someone, usually
Damaged Goods, updates the
Childish story with a collection that brings people up to date on the various bands and sounds
Childish has undertaken; the one previous to
Punk Rock Is Nicht Tot! --
Archive from 1959: The Billy Childish Story -- ended in 2009, so that leaves a lot of ground to cover here. Like previous editions that have come out, this rounds up tracks from his punk band the
Pop Rivets, beat group revivalists
the Milkshakes, raw garage rockers
Thee Mighty Caesars, the freakbeat-influenced
Buff Medways, primitive bluebeat combo
the Blackhands, and the politically charged
MBE's. It covers his work writing and producing garage rock girl group
Thee Headcoatees, his collaborations with
Holly Golightly and
Sexton Ming, and the ragged folk blues of
the Chatham Singers. That is about three careers' worth of bands right there, but
Childish wasn't done. Collected here is a track from a one-off spy record single done under the name
the Guy Hamper Trio, another excellent girl group
the Shall I Say Quois, an amazing band called the
Spartan Dreggs that blends Greek mythology with the mod sound of
the Who, and one of
Childish's longest-running groups,
CTMF, a high-powered garage punk band co-run with his wife,
Nurse Julie. It's a breathtaking collection of hard-boiled, high-energy rock & roll that's polished to a fine point by
Childish's unflagging determination and barely containable passion. It might seem like 48 songs are too many -- that one might tire of his shouted vocals, focused lyrical concerns, and love-hate relationship with fidelity -- but, if anything, the set leaves one wanting more. Almost every band collected here has many albums to explore, each worth the effort and time spent seeking them out and listening.
Punk Rock Is Nicht Tot! is a history lesson, a much-needed update, and yet more proof that
Childish is a musical genius. ~ Tim Sendra
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