Rattail Grenadier - s/t (1988, Roadkill)

I was introduced to Rattail Grenadier via the crucial, Ben Weasel-curated Punk USA compilation (sound familiar)?  Hailing from Lafayette, IN, the quartet's album was produced by fellow Hoosier, Paul Mahern of Zeros Boys/Datura Seed's renown.  One thing Rattail were not particularly big on was sophistication, and this disk presents a wellspring of dumbed-down themes, proving that the lowbrow bar can always be pushed further south, at least a notch or two.  Sonically, Rattail ranked somewhere amidst early Murphy's Law, the first Screeching Weasel album, and D.R.I., thankfully resisting the latter's metallic urges.  Steve Best's pipes were on the gruff side, but not a dealbreaker, however if there was any member of the band the spoils went to it would clearly be bass wrangler Mass Giorgini who eventually spearheaded his own troupe in the '90s, Squirtgun, and furthermore oversaw the production of zillions of punk records from that era and beyond.

This rip was taken from a rather static-riddled vinyl copy, and despite spending at least a full hour removing the most egregious pops and snaps, sizable portions of it sound less than pristine.  Then again, when the going gets this sophomoric and frivolous you might not notice.  As you're likely to discover, Rattail Grenadier is best absorbed in small increments.  

01. Life Sucks
02. I Wanna Be Right
03. Pay My Price
04. Suicidal
05. Mein Thangus
06. Line of Duty
07. Doomed
08. Human Extermination
09. Me Want Bimbo
10. Are You Just a Number?
11. Breeding Corn
12. Child of Pain
13. Coca-Cola Shirt
14. Solomon Gumorra
15. Fate's Dark Call
16. Mother
17. What Happened Last Night

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