Album Review: The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs - "All The Covers (And More)"

 

Covers albums are an odd beast and the prospect of a 40 track one would've been a cause for me to shudder in certain circumstances. However, given that the band behind this are Nite Songs faves the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, a quick cursory glance at the tracklisting will tell you that we're on safe ground.

Hand on heart, quite a few of the tracks are already available on previous Cheetahs albums but it still doesn't make their takes on the Saints' Know Your Product and the Dictators' Faster And Louder any less fun. There's the odd mis-step in here - their speeded up take on the Dogs D'Amour's Debauchery ends up sounding more like Queen's Stone Cold Crazy. But the good stuff here far outweighs the bad with the group teaming up with none other than Cherie Currie for a good run through the Runaways' Cherry Bomb and the group adding a much needed dose of extra urgency to Motley Crue's Livewire to remind you that the Crue actually had a few bangers in their arsenal before they basically turned into a cartoon version of themselves. Elsewhere, the likes of the Flamin' Groovies (Slow Death), the Dead Boys (Sonic Reducer, Ain't Nothin' To Do), the MC5 (Rocket Reducer, Looking At You) and Hanoi Rocks (Café Avenue, Taxi Driver) see the glam-punk side of things covered while takes on Iron Maiden's Sanctuary and Aerosmith's Draw The Line show off the group's heavier side. There's the odd hidden gem in there as well with the Boys' Kamikaze and Smack's Criminal both getting a good run through.

Although I wouldn't call it an essential purchase especially if you've got a good few of these tracks already, All The Covers (And More) is an enjoyable enough two and a bit hours of knockabout fun which'll pass the time nicely. Certainly worth a listen for any glam, punk and scuzz fans out there who like the Cheetahs or indeed any of the bands covered on this albun.

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NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑🌑 (7/10)

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