EDDIE AND THE SUBTITLES – Skeletons In The Closet

"A re-sequenced reissue of OC legends EDDIE AND THE SUBTITLES’ 1981 LP Skeletons in the Closet is an interesting artifact, in that it plays more like a compilation than a cohesive album. It’s a juxtaposition of diverse styles that seem to represent different eras and mindsets for the band. This record could be successfully disassembled to create three separate and distinct bodies of work—a brief KBD-esque collection of punk-tinged rock’n’roll procedures like the opening trifecta of “Zombie Drug Killers,” “No Virgins in Hollywood,” and “American Society,” a record of goth-y, synth-heavy pop tunes, and an album where EDDIE reveals his swingin’ ’60s rock roots, which gets very goofy. “Bobbin’ Little Bobcat,” for instance, makes the STRAY CATS sound like SLAYER in comparison. Some of this also seems to be a direct reflection of the band’s live shows playing alongside the CIRCLE JERKS and other heroes of the period, with the inclusion of covers like “Louie Louie” and “Movin’ On.” Rather tha