Doctor And The Crippens – Cabaret Style: Singles Unreleased Live Vinyl/CD (Boss Tunage)
The third and final instalment in Boss Tunage’s reissue trilogy and it’s a real treat for Crippens fans who often bemoan the shortage of released material by these Lancashire head-cases. 32 tracks culled from various 90’s demos which showcase the bands development from Hardcore Thrash to the more psychedelic Hardcore style ex-members of the Crippens would develop in Krill (‘Fish’ for example). There’s also various compilation and EP tracks (including their lively take on ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’) and 9 live tracks from Bristol 1990. I was a huge fan of this band in my late teens and their quirky humour and manic paced Hardcore still holds a place in my heart today. To some degree they always reminded me of a UK version of Adrenalin OD (only more unhinged in a League of Gentlemen kind of way). An absolutely essential piece of UKHC; kudos to Boss Tunage for making their entire back catalogue available again, and with such excellent packaging. Ian Pickens