Cruising With Elvis In Bigfoot's U.F.O. (Millennium Edition)

After seven years, New Jersey's Adrenalin O.D.'s music finally grows up a bit, but their lyrics and attitude are as silly as before, so this is their most satisfying record ever. No more hardcore thrash; they're bringing us the classic punk style they've admired all along, with a spot-on cover of the Avengers' "Second to None" (stolen by ex-Sex Pistols member Steve Jones after he produced it -- thus the Jones version with the Professionals is called "1,2,3") and the almost majestic "Flipside Unclassified." But that's just the start of the fun. There's also a cover of Henry Mancini's '60s swank "Walking Baby Elephant" with guitar instead of the original's souped-up '60s organ. "My Mother Can't Drive" is a metal tribute to the macho mom terrorizing the citizenry in her car, "Racing to ShopRite when there's double coupons." Is this the same familial relation Ms. Richards who did the guest vocals for her famous son Paul on "Paul's Not Home" in 1981? A.O.D. are to punk what the Coasters were to late-'50s R&B; if you can't laugh at this and play it for all your drunken cronies, you must be more of an old stoneface than Mt. Rushmore. ~ Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover