Search - Richard Hell :: Spurts: The Richard Hell Story

The RH Story Is One of the Greatest

Illyoumin8or | 03/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fascinating and exciting recording. A good case could be made that Richard Hell was the most interesting of all the punks, and this CD would be the chief evidence. It starts off tremendously powerfully and excitingly with the first songs Richard ever wrote and sang. These are the Neon Boys songs and Tom Verlaine wrote the music to them and plays the guitars on them. These songs are like a mixture of the Velvet Underground and the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan but with their own style. The Neon Boys could have been the greatest group of the seventies. But Richard and Tom couldn't get along. Then we have the brilliant peak of "Chinese Rocks," written by Dee Dee Ramone and Hell, and which got its first and best performance with Hell singing and bass playing and Johnny Thunders playing guitar, in the Heartbreakers in 1975. After that comes the Voidoids with four songs from the legendary ground breaking inimitable BLANK GENERATION album. Everybody knows how great that is. Robert Quine was the best guitarist ever to play rock and roll. And he's on most of the rest of this record too. Two of Hell's best songs and recordings with Quine came after BLANK, being "Time" and "Kid With the Replaceable Head." They're both unique classics. The songs from DESTINY STREET are a little grungy but they're strong too. The Dim Stars songs are the weakest, I agree with most reviewers. Their presence here plays up how Sonic Youth are more creators of audio designs, feels and moods than actual songs. They are still worthwhile though and interesting in the course of what Richard has done. The song "Oh," representing the original Richard Hell and the Voidoids in 2001 is heartbreaking, not only for how sweet it sounds, but because it's the last important thing Robert Quine did before his suicide three years afterwards. Someone called "She'll Be Coming" Iraqabilly. That's about right. How insane and creative an idea is that? Then the 21st century version of Marc Bolan's "Rip Off." Hell is a much better singer than any of the other musicians he played with, specifically Tom Verlaine and Johnny Thunders, and probably the best punk singer period, when you count everything. Which brings us back to his beginnings, a goodbye version of "Blank Generation" performed live by Hell in Television in 1974. Why aren't more people writing about SPURTS? The whole thing is real art and real rock and roll. The booklet is better than most CDs."

Tremendous Energy

pereubu | 11/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD surprised me a bit with the amount of genuinely inspired playing. Hell may not have been the best singer in the world, but his bands had a wild energy and his lyrics are consistently good. Robert Quine's guitar playing is over the top yet fits within the 3-4 minute song. Incredible."