Sound: In much the same way that The Dictators celebrated everything trite and trashy about pop culture, the Angry Samoans loved it to death. Upping the tempo from their first album by about a thousand percent, The Samoans may sound like they need a Ritalin once in a while, but the brevity of the album and the hilarity of their lyrics just leave the listener wanting more. Lacking anything like an attempt at actual production, these blasts of offensive aggression swoop down on the listener and then run away giggling. The guitars are razor sharp; needles in the ears of the listener. Songs like "Lights Out" and "Coffin Case" let you in on the joke, but those unaccustomed to punks insistence on being offensive may be put off by the bands lack of sacred cows, "Homosexual" and "The Ballad of Jerry Curlan" being the standout examples. This is blitzkrieg punk, kicking sand in the face of anyone who takes the music too seriously. That being said, it's also a great record, with some great pop sensibilities poking their heads over the wall at times. It may sound amateurish, but these guys were literate professionals when they came together. "Metal" Mike Saunders, with his ever present Arkansas Razorbacks shirt, was a rock critic and friends with the iconic Richard Metzler, even his bandmate in the seminal Vom in the early '70s. Gregg Turner was the oft-maligned intellectual of the band, and Bill Vockeroth the best in a series of drummers that still expands. It may not be what's considered a "Good" sound, but it helps the Samoans get the point across in a way that is almost certainly intentional. // 8
Lyrics and Singing: Todd Homers nasally, hyperactive whine adds to the desperation and comedic urgency of the hurricane force of the songs, and actually makes the lyrics funnier than they would be with, say, Joey Ramone on the mic. This is punk, so what you see is what you get- warts and all. When the notoriously offensive Lee Ving, of Fear fame, tells you to tone it down... Well, you know you're doing something right. // 10
Impression: Although it's played with blazing speed, the likes of which the band would rarely incorporate after this album, the sound lacks the muscular vibe of some of the hardcore acts of the day, even the Dead Kennedys, who were never afraid of the treble knob. But the fury with which they deliver tracks like "My Old Man's a Fatso" and even a cover of the Chambers Brothers "Time has Come Today", you barely have time to notice. Classic albums don't get to be classics without reason, and though the Samoans were one of the most spiteful and homophobic (or were they) bands of their time, only the most humorless listener wouldn't get this joke. Definitely worth finding, and a great doorway into the world of punk hilarity. // 9
