Killdozer - For Ladies Only (LP)

All Music Guide

Killdozer had already made their name in part with their not exactly respectful but not anything else covers of wreckage from the '70s, sometimes from unimpeachable sources like Neil Young and sometimes from the kind of acts people pay to forget. The logical end conclusion of this was For Ladies Only, which saw the trio tackling the same sort of dress sense/sleaze/'tude as labelmates Urge Overkill and arguably trumping that act at their own game. The glamour shots of the trio in their ridiculously fly polyester shirts are nutty enough, as is Dan's Love Quiz in the liner notes, but it's the music, originally released on a series of vinyl singles, that's the reason to stick around. The song choices range from the inspired ("Hush," as made famous by Deep Purple, Elvis' "Burnin' Love," even Conway Twitty's "You's Never Been This Far Before") to several that will have most praying for the sweet release of death. Logically Killdozer does nothing too radical to them -- song tempos generally s...tay the same and there aren't any noticeable edits -- they just play them as if they were the original songwriters, Butch Vig again on production as the Hobsons and Gerald grind the damn things down to the ground. Hearing Gerald's near-inimitable groan/snarl/moan make hay of the grotesquely annoying "One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)," Steve Miller's "Take the Money and Run," and Bad Company's "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" is a treat enough, but that's nothing compared to the demolition of Don McLean's "American Pie." Every last overwrought metaphor and obnoxious singalong from the full version of the original comes under the gun, and by the time Gerald and company grunt out the final chorus, the have-a-nice-day decade is finally dynamited to smithereens. About time, too. - Ned Raggett, All Music Guide Read more Less