Punk Rock Is Nicht Tot! is a history lesson, a much-needed update, and yet more proof that Childish is a musical genius. Almost every band collected here has many albums to explore, each worth the effort and time spent seeking them out and listening. 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. But the man is in especially opinionated and self-reflective form on 2016s SQ1, recorded with his combo CTMF. 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. garage rock pioneer Billy Childish has never been shy about letting people know what he thinks about pretty much anything. 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. That is about three careers' worth of bands right there, but Childish wasn't done. I think what I like most about this, as with many other recordings by Billy Childish is its immediacy, its authentic straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll basic back beat coupled with witty, often wildly inventive lyrics, whilst still retaining a fresh faced pop sensibility, albeit one that sits at the back of the bus sneering and spitting. 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. 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. 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. 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. Thee Mighty Caesars were a Medway scene garage/punk group, formed by Billy Childish (vocals/guitar) in 1985 after the demise of The Milkshakes, alongside John Agnew (bass) and Graham Day (drums), who initially was still also in fellow Medway band The Prisoners. 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. 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. Here’s a field guide to the many faces of Billy Childish.
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