Album review: FASTER PUSSYCAT – Babylon, The Elektra Years (4 CD boxset)

Cherry Red [release date: 25.02.22]

Faster Pussycat were one of a number of apparently identikit Glamrock bands who emerged from the LA Club scene in the mid eighties.

Many fell by the wayside, but some stood out. Faster Pussycat succeeded in carving out their own sizeable niche by cross fertilising Glam, Sleaze and Metal. In doing so, they created a successful pop aesthetic that was almost a parody of the music of the bands around them.

Vocalist Taime Down, guitarist Brent Muscat and bassman Greg Steele were the founding members and songwriters, effectively the driving force behind the band.

Their three albums from that time, the self titled debut (1987), Wake Me When It’s Over (1989) and Whipped (1992) enjoyed combined sales in excess of two million. You can’t knock that. They are here in this boxset along with the Live And Rare EP from 1990.

‘Babylon’ and ‘Bathroom Wall’ were the clear highlights on a debut album that was ultimately filled to the brim with largely generic Glamrock. The single versions became MTV staples, giving the album a leg up into the lower reaches of the US charts.

The EP is arguably the most interesting constituent in this bundle.
6 tracks, a mix of live cuts, edits and remixes of the key recordings from the first two albums. ‘House Of Pain’, ‘Slip Of The Tongue’ (not that one), ‘Pulling Weeds’ and ‘Poison Ivy’ (no, not that one either), all originally appeared on Wake Me When It’s Over, the band’s best selling album, and are the picks.

The EP’s live version of the hit ballad, ‘House Of Pain’, has a bluesy spontaniety that lifts it out of the band’s glamrock past. Similarly, the lustful rock of ‘Slip Of The Tongue’ seems invigorated done live, and a professional soundboard mix gives it an additional sparkle. These two tracks confirmed that this band had considerable potential.

The third album, Whipped, hoisted the primary colours of country, rock and blues high above the scores of bands desperately trying to stay relevant in the face of Nirvana’s assault on popular rock’n'roll.

Songs like ‘Nonstop To Nowhere’, ‘Big Dictionary’ and ‘Mr Lovedog’ built on the notion that is a band who think they’re going places, and aim to get there fast. But they couldn’t shake fate, and the band broke up a year later.

This boxset adds four bonus tracks, the highlight being the band’s version of Carly Simon’s ‘You’re So Vain’, recorded for Elektra’s 40th Anniversary album, Rubiyait, in 1990. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)