Wednesday 19 November 2008

Faster Pussycat - self-titled

At some point in the late 90s an argument developed between myself and a friend on the crucial subject of: Who was better, Faster Pussycat or LA Guns? Unable to use the Harry Hill method (I appreciate this will be lost on anyone outside the UK), we were given the opportunity to settle matters once and for all when they announced a joint tour in September 2001.

History has noted what took place that month, and Faster Pussycat actually pulled out of the tour as a result. We were amused to discover on arrival at the Camden Underworld that we were entitled to a partial refund - £2 against a £13 ticket. Personally I took this to mean even the promoters felt Pussycat were the weaker band and the argument won ...

It's not that I don't rate them -
Faster Pussycat is a fantastic record. Side one is virtually dud-free and even though standards drop on the second-half of the album it's all good rock & roll.

See also:
LA Guns - self-titled

3 comments:

Michael said...

I always dismissed these guys as hair metal idiots, but I've begun to wonder if I'm wrong. On YouTube recently I heard their cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" and was impressed by both Downe's voice, which wasn't really that screechy Vince Neil/Poison thing that I hate the most about the style, and their sense of humor. I've checked out a few more songs since, and while I wasn't immediately blown away, I was definitely intrigued by the above-average lyrics and not-quite-metal-but-close sounds. Though it was a reminder that nearly all 80s rock videos sucked like nuclear-powered vacuums.

Point being: these guys seem like the hair metal band that hair metal haters could love. Should I investigate further?

DGW said...

Ah yeah - I forgot about the cover of You're So Vain! I think that was for an anniversary box-set where various bands on Elektra did covers of past Elektra artists. Great version if I remember rightly.

Pussycat were a good fun band in their time. Any any band taking Russ Meyer as an influence can't be half-bad. Sadly when I saw them about three years ago Taime was putting too much of his other band (Murderdolls is it?) into it, i.e. more Marilyn Manson-esque. Plus there's a terrible album out there where he did dance versions of old Pussycat songs. It's pretty nasty.

But first album, great - and the secomd one had moments (though they were clearly under pressure to move up a gear/level). By the third album, Whipped, they were at the classic stage where they didn't know what to do (a bit like the self-titled Crue album after they got rid of Neil) and there are some ill-advised funk-metal touches, and a song dedicated to the singer from Mother Love Bone that also tries to ape their sound.

Unknown said...

They totally KILLED Guns'N'Roses at Rock City on that Oct 1987 tour together. Totally.