On the Shelf 66: The Misfits
Oct. 10th, 2011 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23There's a quick way to get a punk's ire, and that's to bring up the question of Danzig-less Misfiits.
So unpopular as it was, I liked (and still really like) Misfits Mk 2. I never confused the two incarnations, but for all intents and purposes, I was more than okay with it. Michale Graves was a good pop-punk vocalist and Jerry Only and Doyle provided legitimacy. Danzig may not have been involved, but they were some fun records- 1950's influenced punk with bad puns and b-movie references- it was good by any name.
I have come to realize that some punk franchises- the Damned and the Stranglers also come to mind- should run as long as they can, as long as they have some relationship to the original.
The Misfits sort of floundered after Graves quit. There was the covers album Project 1950 (signs of a sinking creative ship) and the band evolved into a punk all-star band (Only, Marky Ramone, and Dez Cadena). This was worrisome to me, as it was a bit too close to those State Fair revues that come around with a handful of washed up 50s and 60s singers performing their hits.
So, I'm glad to see the Misfits Mk 3 have a new album out. If the band is to continue, they need to be making original material, and Only proved he still has the chops to write catchy horror punk.
The Devil's Rain is a good or bad album based on your expectations. It is the weakest of Misfits albums, and unfortunately doesn't quite match even the Graves days. Only takes over on vocals (offering punk legitimacy) but might be better served by bringing new blood in. His style is this side of generic Dave Vanian.
Still, this album is enough to keep the legacy going (i.e it's not terrible), and it should still be enough to get you to want to go if the Fits come to your town.
So unpopular as it was, I liked (and still really like) Misfits Mk 2. I never confused the two incarnations, but for all intents and purposes, I was more than okay with it. Michale Graves was a good pop-punk vocalist and Jerry Only and Doyle provided legitimacy. Danzig may not have been involved, but they were some fun records- 1950's influenced punk with bad puns and b-movie references- it was good by any name.
I have come to realize that some punk franchises- the Damned and the Stranglers also come to mind- should run as long as they can, as long as they have some relationship to the original.
The Misfits sort of floundered after Graves quit. There was the covers album Project 1950 (signs of a sinking creative ship) and the band evolved into a punk all-star band (Only, Marky Ramone, and Dez Cadena). This was worrisome to me, as it was a bit too close to those State Fair revues that come around with a handful of washed up 50s and 60s singers performing their hits.
So, I'm glad to see the Misfits Mk 3 have a new album out. If the band is to continue, they need to be making original material, and Only proved he still has the chops to write catchy horror punk.
The Devil's Rain is a good or bad album based on your expectations. It is the weakest of Misfits albums, and unfortunately doesn't quite match even the Graves days. Only takes over on vocals (offering punk legitimacy) but might be better served by bringing new blood in. His style is this side of generic Dave Vanian.
Still, this album is enough to keep the legacy going (i.e it's not terrible), and it should still be enough to get you to want to go if the Fits come to your town.
