Artist: The 69 Eyes
Title: “Motor City Resurrection” (remaster)
Label: Cleopatra Records
Release Date: 4/3/20075
Genre: Glam Rock/Punk
Rating: 8/10

If you have only recently heard the music of The 69 Eyes and are enjoying their brand of Dark Gothic Rock & Roll, then this CD serves as almost the origin issue to their identity as a band. Reading interviews that have been conducted with lead singer Jyrki69 you will find a man whose band and sound are very influenced by early New York City Punk and the scene that surrounded it. This collection of band classics comes from a time before they adopted the Helsinki Vampire motif and if you were a fan of the sleazy Motley Crue and Pretty Boy Floyd sound you would find a lot in common with the stuff these guys were doing in the beginning. I admit that I found quite a few of the songs to be fun such as “Mrs. Sleazy” and “Stop Bitching!’” but the greatest appeal to me on this CD was the inclusion of all the covers that the band did. Hearing their respectful renditions of classics by KISS, The MC5, Glenn Danzig, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Dictators & The New York Dolls just truly painted the picture as to what exactly inspired this band. From this part of the collection I really loved the take on “Deuce” that was here since it is so dead-on. A good job is done on the Iggy tune “TV Eye” and the Dolls “Vietnamese Baby” also. As a New Yorker, I was particularly impressed in how influential this group thought my city and its early Punk scene was to their music. The album was originally released in 1994 and until recently only available as an import.
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