Teenage Depression [Bonus Tracks]

Eddie & The Hot Rods: Barrie Masters (vocals); Dave Higgs (guitar, piano, background vocals); Paul Gray (bass, background vocals); Steve Nicol (drums, percussion, background vocals). Recorded at Jackson's Studio, Rickmansworth, England and live at the Marquee, London, England in 1976. Includes liner notes by Alan Robinson. U.K. edition. Though they were a crucial factor in the birth of British punk, by the time the Sex Pistols and the Clash exploded onto the scene, Eddie & the Hot Rods were already fading into obscurity. Along with peers like Dr. Feelgood and the Kursaal Flyers, they helped create the British pub-rock sound of the mid-'70s, a sound exemplified by TEENAGE DEPRESSION. Like UK bands a decade earlier, Eddie & the Hot Rods updated American R&B, with a harder edge and no-nonsense approach that was at odds with the prog-rock then ruling the roost. Covers of Joe Tex ("Show Me") and Sam Cooke ("Shake") share space with similarly inclined original tunes written by Hot Rods guitarist Dave Higgs (moniker to the contrary, there's actually no "Eddie" in the group). Despite the integrity of the band's chugging, unpretentious sound, the more savage sound of punk rock instantly made them seem outdated, condemning Eddie & the Hot Rods to the realm of historical footnotes. Thankfully, TEENAGE DEPRESSION remains to remind us of this important chapter in rock & roll history.