Where Have All the Bootboys Gone? A Celebration of Yob Rock

Captain Ois Where Have All the Bootboys Gone? A Celebration of Yob Rock seeks to capture a moment in mid-70s England (and occasionally elsewhere) when a variety of genres met more or less in the middle to create a rip-roaring, very masculine response to the tough times people were facing, like economic downturns, work stoppages, and energy outages. The three-disc set merges swaggering glam rock, yowling proto-punk, nascent heavy metal, unbridled street punk, and a few novelties into a couple hours of power chords, shouted choruses, existential crises, and no-holds-barred brawling. Tracks like Stevie Wrights "Black Eyed Bruiser" and Mott the Hooples "Violence" let the listener know that subtlety isnt on the menu here -- a point that the inclusion of both Slade and Sweet, not to mention the thudding genius of the Hammersmith Gorillas, makes crystal clear. Its over-the-top music made for stomping around, beating your chest, and raging against enemies either imagined or real; the rare moments of power pop melodies or harmony vocals are just that, and the whole set goes down like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Some of these moments do provide a bit of a breather from the overload of testosterone and stale cologne. The Jooks "Aggravation Place" balances melody and malevolent noise like a juggler tenderly tossing chain saws in the air; Paper Lace, of all bands, punch lightly on "So What If I Am" to great effect; and the Rezillos cover of "Somebodys Going to Get Their Head Kicked In Tonite" is both a breathless rocker and a bit of a prick to the yob rock balloon. Speaking of that, one could make a strong case that the inclusion of a few Knuckle Girls like Suzi Quatro or Glo Macari might have been a nice nod to the fact that it wasnt only men making this kind of music. Putting that quibble aside, the collection does what it sets out to do, and if the occasional fine point of history gets rolled over in the process, thats not unexpected. Better to just be knocked out by the breezy, under-the-radar punk of bands like the Terrorways and London -- whose "No Time" is one of the sets highlights. Or to marvel at the raw furor of Motorhead, the theatrical high-wire acrobatics of the Heavy Metal Kids, and the salacious weirdness of the Troggs. Not to mention the rambunctious glam punk of Bilbo Baggins, which comes across like the Bay City Rollers with a few teeth missing. The highlights are many and the lowlights mercifully few, though the inclusion of the Sensational Alex Harvey Bands "Gang Bang" is a serious lapse in taste. Then again, would it be yob rock without such things? The debate may never be resolved, but this collection is exactly the soundtrack required for such a weighty and ridiculous discussion. ~ Tim Sendra