Henry Rollins - Hot Animal Machine/Drive By Shooting [1999] (CD)

All Music Guide

Hank roared out of the box with this, his first solo release after the demise of Black Flag. Recorded in England with friend and guitarist Chris Haskett, this is a less groove-oriented album than subsequent Rollins Band releases, but it is still one hell of a rock roll record. The punishing opener "Black and White" and the cover of Suicide's "Ghost Rider" make this disc indispensable to the Rollins fan, while the whole of the album will quench the thirst of any rock junkie. Included along with the CD release is the Drive By Shooting EP, a more humorous affair than the album proper. Drive By Shooting's best moments are the opener "Drive By Shooting'" and the closer "Men Are Pigs" (a classic Rollins style look at power in and out of the bedroom). The 1999 Buddha reissue has been remastered by Rollins himself, which makes the album sound 100 times better than the original Texas Hotel release. (Unfortunately, however, the original liner notes, which were absolute comedy, are not included....) - Chris True, All Music Guide Read more Less