Punk Rock Valentines CD Review

Cleopatra Records are the unsung Kings of compilation releases, whether it’s a best of (insert band name) or just random compilations for the hell of it. The latest Comps from the label come to us in the name of Valentines Day – Punk Rock Valentines & Gothic Valentines. We’ll talk about the Punk Rock comp here; we’ll cover the Gothic release later.
 
Punk Rock Valentines, has there ever been such a thing, depends on who you ask and what kind of Punk you’re looking for. Often Punk is Anti-everything but there are fleeting moments where you can catch a Punk Rock Love Song. I’m not familiar with a ton of those so I won’t dwell on it. HA! For this compilation, Cleopatra has put together a 2-disc compilation with 30 tracks and for the vinyl hounds, there will be a single LP collection that’ll be much shorter. Both releases are worth the money, the track listings on both are packed with great choices. Cleopatra has always shown their roots in Punk Rock music, they’ve given great respect to the old-school bands of the 70’s, consistently releasing material from legendary bands.

The opening track of Disc 1 of this comp is a 2021 Remix of the track “Baby Baby” from the legendary band, The Vibrators. This track was originally released in ’77 but went nowhere outside of the band’s hardcore fanbase, which is fine, I count myself in that club. The Vibrators have always had a Glam feel and remind me a great deal of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust era, specifically on this track. I really dig the new remix too, so this is a cool addition to the release. Next up we get into some snotty Pop Punk from Tsunami Bomb with their tune “Mushy Love Song”. I’ve never really been much of a fan, but this track is catchy, and it fits. I have a newfound appreciation for the band and will be checking them out further. The old Scottish Punk band, The Skids make their presence felt with a Bruce Springsteen cover “I’m on Fire”. It’s ok, but it comes off a bit like Lou Reed trying to dig in here and there. And of course, you can’t have a comp like this without The Damned’s track, “Love Song”. The version here is the demo, which is great because I don’t have this version. It’s a fantastic recording and it really captures the essence of the song. There’s also some more Pop Punk to be had – The Dollyrots, I’d heard of this band, but never bothered to listen to anything – I’m not the biggest Pop Punk guy, but the band’s track “It Had To Be You” is a brilliant little candy coated tune that reminds me of the early 90’s and bands like The Breeders, which I was a HUGE fan of. I’ll certainly be circling back and checking out more of their music. The Vandals also appear with their WILD version of “Summer Lovin’”. I’ve always liked this track no matter who does it and this version is a ton of fun! The newly formed version of Mourning Version gets some love with their track “Kiss of Death”. I’d ignored this reunion but now after hearing this track, I know I’ve been wrong, this is a fantastic Punk tune with shades of New Wave feel tossed in. The Horror Rockers out there will be happy to know that Robby Bloodshed has joined and now sings for the band. The demo version of “I Wanna Be Loved” from Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers has been added and it’s much more powerful and way cooler than I’d given it credit for originally. One of the best tracks on this disc is the cover of the Yardbirds classic “For Your Love”. This tune is a collaboration between the UK Subs and Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys. This was released on a 7” last year that features 2 other great covers. I strongly recommend grabbing the Carnaby St. 7” the first chance you get. The Queers also show up on this comp with their rousing version of “You Shook Me All Night Long”. Depending on how big an AC/DC fan you are, you might enjoy this one. I’m somewhere in between on it.
 
Disc 2 gets it going with a cover of Journey’s “Open Arms” from The Oxys. This would be another Pop Punk band that I’ve never heard of, not bad at all, but they sound a bit too much like Blink 182 for my tastes. Great take on a Journey classic though and it fits the comp. Digging in even deeper we have FEAR’S version of the Stones classic “Honky Tonk Woman”. If you follow me much at all, you’re aware that I’m a self-professed Stones junkie and a fanatic of the band FEAR!! So, this is a win in every sense of the word. Ving rips, romps and snorts all the way through this classic and I can’t help by want to jump around and go crazy along with him. This is how you do a cover, then again FEAR don’t fuck around, ever! Another of my favorite tracks shows up here too – “Get it on (Bang a Gong)”. This one is performed by Slaughter and the Dogs. I really like the approach, and I’m reminded of the cover version that was done in the 80’s by the band The Power Station. The song is kept intact, and it really kicks in all the right spots. Anti-Nowhere League is another one of my favorite Punk bands so it’s fitting that they show up with their wonderful love song, “Woman”. Can we call it a love song though? Sure, if you want to get punched in the throat by your girl… That still doesn’t keep me from jamming this track every chance I get. “Your tits are big, but your brains are small” sums this one up perfectly. The inclusion of ANWL here is righteous, every chance the band gets to be known to a new listener is a win in my book! Moving on with another Pop Punk band, this time I know who the band is – The Ataris! “Your Boyfriend Sucks”, this is a fantastic add and it fits in with the rest of the music on the comp. I love this band, so I’m always up for more music and for more people to hear them. Iggy Pop also appears with a track that I like a great deal – the classic oldies tune, “Sea of Love”. I’ve always been a fan of this track, and I don’t mind Iggy’s version either, it’s a cool vibe and a brilliant add here. Johnny Thunders also gets some more love with his classic “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory”. I don’t need to tell you how cool this song is, you already know! For the cool kids, there’s a demo version of New York Dolls demo version of “Looking for a Kiss”! I have this one somewhere on another random comp, but it’s always good to have it on a freshly released album!
 
There are several more tunes to dig in on both CDS, so don’t cheat yourself. The powers that be at Cleopatra have damned good tastes in every genre under the sun and they work well with track listing and choices. Given the vinyl edition is only one LP, I’d probably take CD version over the LP, but all the cool kids will get them both. Don’t be uncool, grab one of these up and a bottle of cheap wine and some dollar store candles and treat your girl to a night of Romantic Punk Rock! She’ll be thrilled, you’ll get lucky, and it’ll be another story you can look back on with a smile.

~Black Angel