Released in the USA on January 19th, 2004 and now available on import, The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show is certainly different.

The thing is, the Americans never quite got what Punk was all about. The album has some versions of all the Rocky songs, including Once in a While but I wouldn't class them all as Punk. And before you ask, yes I was around at the time of the origianl Punks. Or are they being ironic?

So then what did we think of the tracks....

Well, the first of the only real tracks that was the punk we know was Dammit, Janet from Love Equals Death. We thought Science Fiction Double Feature, Over At The Frankenstein Place and Sweet Transvestite sounded quite like the musical direction and vocals on the 2003 UK stage show.

The Time Warp is more spoken than sang and again the backing is more like the recent stage productions. As for the Sword of Damocles, well if Elvis was alive and on speed, this is what he'd sound like!

I Can Make You A Man from Pansy Division is probably the worst version we've every heard, mostly spoken with sound effects.

Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul, starts like the movie then just adds shouting which doesn't equal punk by the way. I Can Make You A Man (Reprise) from The Secretions is a little nearer the mark, but it's still more an Americanised version of punk. Carolina No singing Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me shows her Hazel O'Connor influences, not too bad that track at all.

Once In A While from Big D And The Kids Table in not punk! Reggae maybe.

Eddie's Teddy by Swingin Utters, now that's what we call Punk!!!!! Something to pogo to at last.

Planet, Schmanet, Janet how to recreate the movie soundtrack with a female lead vocalist. Rose Tint My World/Floor Show from Luckie Strike, Fanfair/Don't Dream It from Stunt Monkey, I'm Going Home from The Migraines and Super Heroes by Ruths Hat are both not too bad at all, very American punk though.

Pity we can't say the same of Gametime's version of Wild And Untamed Thing, misses the mark and sounds more like it should be used on an advert for Sanatogen.

I'd like to say that Science Fiction Double Feature (Reprise) from The Ataris finished the album in style, I'd like to but I can't.

So overall, well some tracks weren't too bad. I think we're looking at it from a different perspective than American audiences, they tend to only know Rocky Horror from the Picture Show and compare everything with that, whereas here in the UK most people have seen both the show and the movie. The shows over here have been a lot more rock 'n' roll than the movie soundtracks so some of the tracks on the disc are less of a surprise to us here. The only real punk that we recognised was Dammit Janet and Eddie's Teddy. Not a bad album, but could have been so much better.

Track Listings

1. 1. Me First And The Gimme Gimmes: Science Fiction/Double Feature
2. 2. Love Equals Death: Dammit, Janet
3. 3. Alkaline Trio: Over at the Frankenstein Place
4. 4. Groovie Ghoulies: The Time Warp
5. 5. Apocalypse Hoboken: Sweet Transvestite
6. 6. The Independents: The Sword Of Damocles
7. 7. Pansy Division: I Can Make You A Man
8. 8. The Phenomenauts: Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul
9. 9. The Secretions: I Can Make You A Man (Reprise)
10. 10. Carolina, No: Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me
11. 11. Big D And The Kids Table: Once In A While
12. 12. Swingin Utters: Eddie's Teddy
13. 13. Tsunami Bomb: Planet, Schmanet, Janet
14. 14. Luckie Strike: Rose Tint My World/Floor Show
15. 15. Stunt Monkey: Fanfair/Don't Dream It
16. 16. Gametime: Wild And Untamed Thing
17. 17. The Migraines: I'm Going Home
18. 18. Ruths Hat: Super Heroes
19. 19. The Ataris: Science Fiction Double Feature (Reprise)