Its amateurish musicianship, less-than-honed singing, and thick, dubwise rhythms might not be for everyone, but there's little denying the crucial nature of ' first record. Along with more recognized records like 's , , and less-recognized fare like and displayed a love affair with the style of that honed in on deep throbs, pulses, and disorienting effects, providing little focus on anything other than that and periodic scrapes from guitarist . But more importantly, placed along with as major figureheads of unbridled female expression in the era. Sure, , and would have still happened without this record (there were still , just to mention a few of the less-subversive groundbreakers), but placed a rather indelible notch of its own in the "influential" category, providing a spirited level rarely seen since. Heck, themselves couldn't match it again. You could call some of these songs a reaction to the bands, or the '60s garage acts that would find as many ways as possible to say "women are evil." Songs like (about guitarist ), point out the shortcomings of the opposite sex and romantic involvements with more precision and sass than the boys were ever able to. target consumerism with an equal sense of humor ("We pay f*ck all!"). Despite the less-than-polished nature and street-tough ruggedness, is entirely fun and catchy; it's filled with memorable hooks, whether they're courtesy of the piano lick that carries or 's exuberant vocals. (One listen to will demonstrate that might not be as original as you've been led to believe.) 's 2000 reissue blows away the 1990 CD version in sound and presentation. A mammoth improvement is made with the sound, and extensive liner notes and photos are included. Movie fans should also check out , in which a copy of makes more appearances than many of its co-stars. ~ Andy Kellman