Public Animal #1

The punk rock icon G.G. Allin had always been a controversial figure in the world of rock, but his early drug-induced death cut off his legacy before he reached the mainstream. Since then, the legend of G.G. has only grown larger as influential hard rock musicians such as Mike Patton and Rob Zombie have come out as fans and a documentary has been made about his life. Public Animal #1, a fairly obscure album from 1984, enjoyed a re-release since his passing. And although his later material was both more offensive and abrasive, this may actually be the most audibly pleasing album he ever made. Poppy, Ramones-influenced tracks such as "You Hate Me and I Hate You" and "NYC Tonight" are memorable anthems that are not as offensive as Allin's later material. But no G.G. album would be complete without a few songs that live up to his terrifying reputation, and the most blatant of these tracks is "I Wanna Rape You." Like many of his later songs, this is filthy and only of interest to his sickest fans. But oddly enough, this is a listenable and enjoyable album that is only dragged down by the juvenile lyrics. But that may be half the reason people buy this album, so just be warned that this is not for the faint of heart. A short radio interview is included as the last track.