Archive Review: Tiger Army's Early Years EP (2002)

Tiger Army has built a solid following on the strength of a number of singles, two well-received albums, and a hell of a live show. Hewing closer to the “psychobilly” style of the Cramps than to the trendy, whitebread rockabilly rebels of the late ‘80s, Tiger Army take the sound further out on a limb than either Brian Setzer or MTV envisioned, returning punk to its rebellious late ‘50s roots with energy and imagination. The band’s Early Years EP collects a half-dozen odds-and-ends from 1996/97 and offers them on CD for the first time so that fans of the band don’t have to fork over hard coin to collect the original vinyl.

A rollicking cover of “Twenty Flight Rock” and the punkish originals “Temptation” and “Jungle Cat” are taken from the out-of-print Temptation EP while an ultra-cool cover of the Misfits’ “American Nightmare” and early demo versions of the boring “F.T.W.” and the Dick Dale-influenced “Nocturnal” round out the Early Years EP. The cranked-up, amped-up sound of Tiger Army is that of Gene Vincent on steroids or Eddie Cochran on white crosses roaring down Route 66 in a fast car with a blonde on his arm and Johnny Burnette on the radio. If you haven’t already made an investment in one or both of Tiger Army’s full-length albums, the budget-priced Early Years EP will serve as a fine introduction to the band. (Hellcat Records, 2002)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™, 2002

Tiger Army photo courtesy Hellcat Records