Project 1950 in Bloomington, MN

Project 1950
is technically a
Misfits
album, but it's more like
Frankenstein's monster
, a cobbled-together project given life by the kinetic, funbox electricity emitted by a bunch of guys chopping out
punkified
covers of favorite oldies. Led by the amateurish yet somehow delightful warble of
Jerry Only
, who sounds like
Brad Garrett
of
Everybody Loves Raymond
if the glowering actor were to sing, this reincarnated
lineup also includes drummer
Marky Ramone
and ex-
Black Flag
guitarist
Dez Cadena
. Since each veteran provided
with believable liner notes professing his love of the vintage material, it's good to hear their excitement in the recordings, which crackle with enthusiasm. Produced by
John Cafiero
with attention to maximum thickness,
"This Magic Moment"
explodes out of the box with a flourish of guitar and pounding drums, only to hit another gear with the addition of supporting vocalist
Ronnie Spector
-- yes,
. The erstwhile
Ronette
sounds like an angel with a dirty mind backing up the devil-lock'd
Only
; together with
Ramone
and
Cadena
's thudding instrumentation, their version is like the soundtrack to a greasers-only formal. Though
Spector
doesn't return until the album's closing number,
and his henchmen continue on through a boisterous
"Dream Lover"
(complete with background "oohs," "aaahs," and "yeah yeahs") and an overdriven
"Donna"
that's the most
punk
-leaning of
1950
's material. The album flags a bit by its middle --
"Great Balls of Fire"
"Latest Flame"
seem to pile on top of one another, as if
's
Fred
stopped short and
came crashing in behind him like
Scooby
Shaggy
. But the guys crank it up again for an obligatory tear through
"Monster Mash,"
"Runaway"
isn't half bad, either.
isn't really
the Misfits
. For one thing, it's about as scary as a bunch of cartoon ghouls driving around in a goosed-up
Munsters
funny car. But the album is really enjoyable in a nostalgia sort of way -- it's most interesting for being nostalgic both for
rock & roll
's birth and its
rock
adolescence. [Note: The CD arrives with a bonus disc featuring live material and music videos.] ~ Johnny Loftus