Back from the Dead

Album Review

The performances on this album are in homage to a pair of popular music's exceptional and diverse icons. Well, diverse when compared to each other. Contained within are a baker's dozen of songs made popular by Elvis Presley as they collide with the irreverent humor and D.I.Y. attitude of punk icon G.G. Allin. "Nardcore" supergroup G.G. Elvis & the T.C.P. Band hails from the North Los Angeles 'burb of Oxnard, CA and was the brainchild of Ill Repute stringman Tony Cortez and lead guitarist Dave Cassillas, whose credits include stints with NOFX, Stalag 13, and Agression. The Takin' Care of Punk lineup was then augmented by the addition of Bad Samaritans' singer Eric Lara and George Snow (bass), Cassillas' Agression and Stalag 13 bandmate/drummer Larry White, as well as backing vocalist Sara Jo Merin. Each bandmember adopts a specific Elvis personality: Lara is "G.G. Elvis," Cortez takes on the role of "Elvis of Nazareth," White portrays "Has-Been Elvis," Casillas is "Elvis Vicious," Snow adopts the suave "Elvis '56" persona, and Merin becomes "Little Sister." Collectively, they dive into Presley's sizable songbook with brutal sarcasm, satire, and a musicality that lends a remarkable freshness to much of the chosen material. There are copious nods to notable punk classics — most prominently the Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop" during "That's All Right Mama" and the Sex Pistols' memorable opener to "Holiday in the Sun" that sets the scene on "Suspicious Minds." Other standouts are the furious take of "Burning Love" and the hardcore balladry of "Devil in Disguise." However the best of the lot is the dark and dangerous "Little Sister" which is a minor chord masterpiece that is given even more street cred thanks to Lara's unhinged lead vocal that lands somewhere between Captain Beefheart and latter-era Tom Waits. The package likewise boasts a bonus DVD of a fake talk show-esque interview with G.G. Elvis. The legal matter of sync rights for music videos crops up a few times, but that bit of behind the scenes in the record business aside, the DVD has outtakes, extra scenes, and a photo slideshow of images from the making of the main program.