We Got the Neutron Bomb: Weird World, Vol. 2

by The Weirdos

Overview

A mere 12 years after Weird World, Vol. 1, volume two (with We Got the Neutron Bomb given as the dominant title) appeared to mop up odds and ends that hadn't appeared on the first anthology of material by the early L.A. punk band the Weirdos. As you might expect from a band that recorded infrequently and sporadically, there's a ragtag feel to this compilation. Ten of the 16 tracks, indeed, were previously unreleased; also tacked on are the late-'70s singles "We Got the Neutron Bomb" and "Destroy All Music," "Skateboards to Hell" (the B-side of a 1979 Denney Brothers single), "Hey Big Oil" (from the Denney Brothers' 1981 LP), and two songs from the 1990 Weirdos LP Condor. Although the material spans a dozen years (with a big gap between 1982 and 1988), the sound actually doesn't change much. It's straightforward ominous snarling punk, not quite hardcore but getting there, not too big on melody but not one-chord thrash either. A bit of experimental industrial rock creeps into the Denney Brothers' instrumentals "Hey Big Oil" and "Skateboards to Hell," and some rockabilly revivalism into the 1980 live-in-the-studio covers of Link Wray's "Fat Back" and Hank Mizell's "Jungle Rock." It's the late-'70s material that fans will probably be most hungry for, though, including not just the "We Got the Neutron Bomb" and "Destroy All Music" singles, but also a live 1978 track and two slightly crudely recorded 1977 live-in-the-studio numbers. Those are the freshest-sounding cuts on the set, "We Got the Neutron Bomb" sounding a little like a gallows Ramones in its sardonicism, though it all seems a lot less shocking and novel than it did back in the day. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	08/26/2003
Label:	Frontier Records
UPC:	0018663107516
Rank:	73475

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Weirdos   Primary Artist
Paul DuGre   Sequencing
Flea   Bass
Jerry Angel   Drums
Bruce Moreland   Bass
John Denney   Vocals,Percussion
Greg Williams   Bass
Cliff Roman   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Saxophone,Synthesizer
Art Fox   Drums
Dave Trout   Bass

Technical Credits

Paul DuGre   Editing,Remixing,Mastering,Digital Transfers
Craig Leon   Producer
Geza X   Producer
Nick Alexander   Composer
Hank Mizell   Composer
John Denney   Composer,Producer
Jack Benson   Engineer
Rand McNally   Producer
Ralph Simonton   Composer
Andrew Griffiths   Photography
Richard Digby   Engineer
Wynn Miller   Photography
A. Lee   Composer
Cliff Roman   Composer,Producer
Greg Stout   Engineer