Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Since I generally ignore MTV, I've never indulged in viewing their ultra successful Jackass series, though I have been warming to The Osbournes of late and hoping to hell I can still respect Ozzy for the madman performer he's been rather than the head of the weekly side show circus family at the forefront of today's pop culture craze… amazing when you consider The Simpsons just celebrated their 300th episode! So Johnny Knoxville and his case of 80 proof Jim Rose rejects of the self-destructive variety put themselves through extreme forms of inhuman torture to the delight of countless fans, all of whom must've come away from the big screen with either a serious mental condition or criminal record… but the soundtrack's a kick in the ass for damn sure! The written background recalls the who's, how's and why's of what appears on this fourteen track stone in the lucid waters of Pop mainstream. 

Everyone will of course be familiar by now with Andrew WK, hard rockin' newcomer who scored big with his "We Want Fun" anthem that's synonymous with any and all forms of Jackass family entertainment and just your average everyday lunacy in general. A great party song, it's basically the detonator to some seriously hard, fast, and noisy ol' school style punk rock and underground theater. "Flesh Into Gear" comes compliments of one of the more talented groups to come along in a while, CKY, who've somehow managed with their last two records to reinvent the face of real Rock music without selling lollipops in the process… shows you what good guitar work'll get ya. Yeah but most of the tunes that show up here got at least five or ten good years under their stretched belts - "Corona" starts off, the ol' Minutemen stab at 1990's C&W where if you didn't know the song already, you'll know from the opening of the show, each and every time… "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In" comes compliments of The Rezillos and dating all the way back to when Jaws II first appeared in theaters… read, it's old. 

While The Rezillos aren't your everyday average household word in street punk circles, anyone who doesn't know this song and considers themselves a fan of early American punk/core needs to hear this and see why it became the perfect compliment to Knoxville's head knocked into the garden greens… The Ramones' "California Sun" was a big timer back in the day but no one really gives two today… still it's The Ramones and their music's suitable for any occasion, mournful or majestic. "Hybrid Moments" is an old 90-second Misfits' classic that actually replaced Warren Zevon's "Werewolves…" original thanks to the miracle of modern licensing and endless editing. And where else might we hear Slayer's "Angel Of Death" and Sir Mix A Lot's "Baby's Got Back" ass to ass on the same album? 

Most of these tunes are either old or soon to be underground classics that stand in nicely with the hardcore aspects and juvenility going on there, along with a few newer ne'er do wells that make a decent first impression - bands like Sahara Hotnights and Smut Peddlers, before Roger Alan Wade closes the curtain going from Lyle Lovett to Donna Summer all in one fell swoop of five unusually odd minutes. It'll be fun to see where each of these tunes actually does turn up in the individual scenes, but till then, the thought of crushing your own skull and setting fire to your genitals never sounded so appealing!