A reader from Australia recently wrote to me with a suggestion for "The Daily Vault" - his recommendation for a forgotten band was American glam outfit Faster Pussycat. While some of his comments about the band didn't register with me (the talk show incident?), he wanted me to find out if there was any substance to the music, or if it was all hype.
After a lengthy search in the world-renowned Pierce Memorial Archives, I found my dusty copy of their self-titled debut album wedged between a white-label copy of a Lawnmower Deth tape and a tape copy of a Genesis album that I updated to CD. And after a painful 35 minutes of listening to Faster Pussycat, the answer is: it was hype, my friend... and not much more.
Led by vocalist Taime Downe ( where do they think of these names?), Faster Pussycat burst forth from the same California scene that spawned hair bands like Poison and shickers Guns 'N' Roses. Two things make this band stand out: Downe can't sing for shit, and the band plays as well as he sings.
You know you're in trouble when the first song on the album sucks. "Don't Change That Song" showcases the weak pipes of Downe and the incredibly lame two-axe attack of Brent Muscat and Greg Steele (can't anyone think of a better stage name?). Bassist Mark Michals and drummer Greg Stacy not only round out the band, they're the only two who have realistic sounding names.
I know, it's the music, stupid, not the names. But there ain't much there to justify calling attention to the music. The themes are traditional cock-rock ("Bathroom Wall") and booze ("Bottle In Front Of Me") that made up much of that period's heavy metal. By the time Faster Pussycat is ready to be taken seriously, like on "City Has No Heart," they've pissed away their chance.
I obviously don't want to discourage readers from writing in and suggesting albums they think I may ream, and if this writer (whose name wasn't included on the e-mail) likes Faster Pussycat, that's their choice. But to my tired old ears, Faster Pussycat was everything about metal our parents warned us about, and isn't even worth the time to check out. Heaven help us they lived to release two more albums.