Back in the early '70s,
the New York Dolls
were easily the sleaziest and most rockingest bunch of cross-dressers around. And while they never were able to translate it all into commercial success, they left quite an impression on the West Coast. After all, by the mid- to late '80s, the Sunset Strip was crawling with groups that attempted to look and sound like
the Dolls
. A case in point is
Faster Pussycat
. With mile-high hair and songs that came straight out of the pages of
Hustler
magazine, the group seemed like a sure-fire hit for the times. And while they did score a moderate-sized hit or two, they never matched the lofty heights obtained by local rivals
Guns N' Roses
. At only ten tracks in length, the budget-priced
Greatest Hits
manages to collect most of the group's best-known tracks. Included are such
glam
-slam anthems as
"Cathouse"
(titled after a club that singer
Taime Downe
and one-time
MTV
VJ
Riki Rachtman
briefly co-owned),
"Don't Change That Song,"
"Bathroom Wall,"
and a power
ballad
about child abuse,
"House of Pain."
If you're not an '80s
aficionado and just want a taster, then this set is all the
you'll need. ~ Greg Prato