Rhythm & Views

The A-Bones

Sorely missed Brooklyn rockabilly/garage/R&B-inspired retro frat rock combo the A-Bones are celebrated amid plenty of beer swillin' and hip-shakin' go-go girl action on this monumentally greasy 46-song, two-disc collection of non-LP singles, rare compilation tracks and 10 previously unissued nuggets spanning the group's glory years of 1990-1994.

Norton label honchos and acute garage-slop historians, the husband-and-wife team of Billy Miller (vocals) and Miriam Linna (drums) kept the passionate torch of grimy, booze-soaked dance music burning, fueled by a fanatical homage to their forgotten heroes of the '50s and '60s and grass-roots perseverance. The A-Bones deliberately and sloppily executed their own original brand of spirited, crud-encrusted trash-rock with maniacal fury, ultimately excavating the buried remains of stone-age rock 'n' roll and creating a Frankenstein monster of wildly unmatched proportions. Highlights from this splendid compilation include "We're Gonna Get Married," a brand spankin' new recording backed by Japanese garage molls the 5.6.7.8's (check out these cute kamikazes rippin' up the stage in Quentin Tarantino's vengeance flick Kill Bill Vol. 1); a live and brutally insane version of "Teenage Head," supporting former Groovies frontman Roy Loney; and an array of mind-boggling covers by Paul Revere and the Raiders, Link Wray, the Troggs, Bo Diddley, Marty Robbins, the Velvet Underground, Bob Luman, the Seeds, the Hues Corporation and a slew of other unsung heroes of rock 'n' roll.