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The McRackins
Oddities & Eggcentricities Vol. 1
(Stiff Pole Records)
In honor of Richard “Big Stiff” Konwinski, who passed away this July in Tampa, I’ll be bouncing between the County Grind and Crossfade blogs doing my “Blast From the Past” thing on the record label that he founded, Stiff Pole Records, that, in my opinion, came to define an exciting era in Florida’s punk-rock scene.
For Stiff’s 27th release, the label turned again to its friends in the great white north, The McRackins for 1997’s Oddities and Eggcentricities Vol. 1. Running 22 songs deep, the dog and pair of mimes shtick rules over this collection of B-sides, one-off comp tracks, and new material.
Close to a hundred releases into its (and still recording and touring), nothing can deter this Canuck punk crew that embodies the spirit of the Ramones, the Clash, the Sex Pistols, Kiss, and The New York Dolls. Some of these amped-up and punked-out covers are your mom’s favorites: “Surrender,” “Love is Alright Tonight,” and “Cuts Like a Knife.” Meanwhile, rock ‘n’ rollers will appreciate this band’s versions of the Dictators’ “I Stand Tall,” the Krishnaz’s “Perfect World,” and their take on the Ramones’ “Pinhead,” which has been retitled “Egghead.”
There’s also some dated (but still solid) pop culture concerns here, like “Dr. Giggles” and “Pop Tart.” But it’s not all fun and games for these weirdos. There’s social commentary — “Puppy Mill” and “I Hate my Job” — as well as straight-up punkers — “Misfits in Paradise,” “Runnin’,” “Filup’s So Bitter,” and “Chowderhead.”
Eventually, there would be a follow-up album on another label, Oddities and Eggcentricities Vol. 2 which you can find here. For the first album, though, it is out-of-print, only occasionally cropping up on Amazon.com with an asking price between $40 and $120. Go trawl the internet.
