RATCHETS, THE
ODDS & ENDS (COLOURED VINYL)

In the liner notes to his 1975 Metal Machine Music Lou Reed quips, “My week beats your year.” It’s a brazen, yet fitting, introductory statement to THE RATCHETS Odds & Ends LP; a collection of outtakes, B-sides, early demos, and covers that beat more than most bands’ official releases. This 13-track collection begins with a cover of “Rock & Roll”, written by the aforementioned Mr. Reed, and sung in a first take, from start to finish, by frontman Jed Engine (kids, that is not normal studio behavior). When the dust settles on their version of Reed’s classic they move into the reggaeflavored “Federal Girls” and proceed to bash their way through four rare punk-rock-n-roll bangers, including “Hoist A New Flag” and “True Deceiver,” which remind us how unique, passionate, and inspiring this band is, and continues to be.