The Rezillos: Can't Stand The Rezillos [SURVIVAL RESEARCH]

Why you'll love it

This edition adds four bonus tracks from the band's singles, including "Destination Venus" and "Mystery Action." The album reached No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart, and "Top of the Pops" became a UK top 20 hit.

This edition

• 4 bonus tracks from singles
• Etched runouts

About the album

Late 1970s punk was a serious business, all safety pins and scowls, so naturally an Edinburgh band in sci-fi costumes and B-movie quiffs turned up to lighten the mood. The Rezillos played their records at a sprint, worshipped sixties beat pop and comic books in equal measure, and signed to New York's Sire Records, home of the Ramones and Talking Heads.

Sire flew them to the Power Station in February 1978. Producer Tony Bongiovi fell ill, so his engineer Bob Clearmountain ended up running most of the sessions, and the band insisted on his production credit. Fay Fife and Eugene Reynolds trade vocals over Jo Callis's buzzing guitar on "Flying Saucer Attack," "2000 A.D." and "(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures," and the covers are a hoot: the Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over," Gerry and the Pacemakers' "I Like It" and a breakneck "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight."

AllMusic praised its pure delirious glee, and Trouser Press called them a blast of fresh air. They didn't make another studio album until 2015, which is what we in the trade call leaving them wanting more.

Also at Kops: more The Rezillos on vinyl · browse Punk

Tracklist

Listen

On Survival Research (cat# SVVRCH083), a reissue of the 1978 album.