Supercharger

Recorded in 1991 and originally released by Radio X in a 500-pressing LP run, Supercharger's first record is like a breath of putrid air unto the ever-cleansed world of rock & roll. Estrus Records gave Supercharger an official mass re-release in 1997 (with added tracks), and while it lacks the kind of bold statement Supercharger would go on to make with Goes Way Out, it still blazes a trail of trash rock that few have the gall to tread. The album pays homage to junk culture that takes the Ramones head on for brilliant stupidity and inept mastery. Nothing here is played with any kind of competence, instead relying on emotional energy and a deep record collection for inspiration. The no-frills budget production reduces everything to rhythmic blasts that bang out simple, danceable classic riffs. The singing is far from good, and the flatness of the vocals blends perfectly with the racket going on behind it. Use of do-ron-ron-style backups and group singalong choruses are peppered throughout the 16 cuts to help hide the singing deficiencies. The attitude the album projects is anti-social and mean, just like punk rock should be. No emo-core do-gooders here; this is made for and by the juvenile delinquent mentality, adding fantastical sci-fi themes ("The Day My Body Vaporized," "You Put a Hex on Me," and "The Ghost of Steve McQueen") and a bleak cynical outlook ("Hey, I'm Gone," "Lost Cause," and "I Broke My Mind"). Listen to their raunchy cover of the Barbarians' classic (yes, the '60s band with the drummer who played with a hook for one hand!) "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl" — if the original came from the garage, this version comes from the outhouse! Supercharger may know very little here about music but they know a whole lot about rockin', and the groove they lay down is crude, demented genius.