The Hitmen "Dancing Time '78-'79"

(Shock) I gotta admire this label. Last year I completely savaged a CD of this Aussie pub pop band's 80s output, dismissing it as hackery, then they go ahead and send me another double CD, which musta cost a mint in postage (the CD booklet alone weighs 23 ounces). Apparently they are not gluttons of punishment, but rather a label that lived up to their name by shocking me with a 70s sampling of Rob Kannis' post Radio Birdman project. Opening with some garage rock/doo wop/surf covers (produced by Deniz) this collection keeps up a poppy, punky, edgy, fun party music vibe that is genuinely killer. The best thing on here may be the live version of "Dancing Time" which is more Birdman/Saints or even Stooges/MC5 than anyything on the other Hitmen collection I heard. The crowd is rocking, the guitars are rumbling, and Johnny is cocky in a great way. There's also a killer live cover of "Shake Some Action." That they saw themselves as conduits of 60s garage and it's 70s spawn is what makes these rarities and live tracks so alive, and now my year of denigrating the Hitmen is dead. Have you ever heard of this awesome Australian band, let me tell you about them...