Before you get on your high horse, this is not a release from the Irish popsters, but a release from late seventies and early 80’s punk band, Thrills. Way before anyone started singing about ‘Santa Cruz’. The release is made up of 15 tracks and cracking 29-minute secret track effort tacked on the end and is really quite marvellous. It is a release that has taken me by surprise at how much enjoyment it has bestowed upon me as even my non-punk loving friends bopped along to it, when I dare sneak it on at a party. Yes it is that accessible.
Laid down studio tracks are rare to say the least on here, but openers ‘Hey!’ and ‘I’ll be the Heartbreaker’ are both textbook late 70’s first wave punk, encapsulating that distinctive old school sound which is so rarely seen in this day and age. This is followed by a couple of live efforts in the shape of ‘Don’t Come Back’ and ‘The Last to Know’ recorded at the Metro Theatre in 1981 and are played with the type of panache that makes you wanna shove the music in front of any doubter of the abilities of early punk bands technically. And this is where the key to the album lays, with some fantastic early live recordings. ‘Rave up Tonight’ is delightfully upbeat, ‘Who Knows’ is another consistent effort and ‘Drano Enema’ is pure unadulterated punk rock. There really are to many tracks to mention, but needless to say they are all of a similarly high standard.
The album is, for the most part, made up of various live recordings, and some prove good others a slight disappointment. But saying that, these recordings are 25 years old, so for the overall quality you cannot grumble. It is not often I listen to such quality old school punk, and for the ‘Thrills’ to come along and stun me like this is testament to the quality they display throughout. I cannot leave this review without mentioning the marvellous vocals of the divine Barb Kitson which is a joy to behold throughout, as she shows enough refined quality to complement that strong dirty punk edge which was at its foremost during the time.
The CD is compounded with a 29-minute secret track, which has a live show and also a radio interview for the listener to enjoy. This is fantastic value for money and is essential to anyone who is a fan of the noisy brash punk rock of the late 1970’s. So, I suggest if that floats your boat, you should really be looking into this release.
Jay