This CD, like Part One, intends to tie up the loose ends of
Leatherface's original existence. Part One combined two live concerts on one CD. Part Two, then, goes for the non-LP tracks. Sadly, it's far from complete. Tracks from six of their singles appear, but where are the B-sides of their incredible Little White God single (a live version of
the Stooges' "I Got a Right," and a buzzing look at
China Drum's early B-side "Meaning")? Or the Smokey Joe 12"? Or the other four songs from 1992's Compact and Bijou EP? Or the three BBC recordings from the
Seconds Out, Round One comp? And why is only one of the three B-sides from the Win Some, Lose Some 7" included? Instead of these important archive prizes, Part Two wastes the final seven of its 20 selections excerpting 1995's Live at Oslo, when that album should just be rereleased in total. Somebody screwed this up, bad. Still, what's here is plenty, almost all of it on CD for the first time, most of it quite rare besides, and believe me, it cranks.
Leatherface's non-LP A-sides, B-sides, and EP tracks were every bit as smokin' as what they chose for LPs. A torch job on
the Damned's 1979
Machine Gun Etiquette classic "Melody Lee" is positively soaring -- yeow! Even their earliest, less important songs are scorching. Showcasing the emotional jolt of amazing, sore-voiced
Frankie N.W. Stubbs without walloping guitars and drums, the piano and vocal version of "Shipyards" is a working-class song modern
Elvis Costello would kill for, and the acoustic "In My Life" is even more pensive without the full band. Incomplete, yes. But worth every cent of the $22.99 and tax I paid. (9 Woodlands Ave., Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland)
–
Jack Rabid, Rovi