GG Allin and Antiseen Murder Junkies [reissue] (2006) TKO

I’ve always thought of GG Allin as once of those artists who is fun to like in theory, but in fact isn’t very likeable at all. He’s great to throw on during a whiskey-fuelled party, but not so much on a first date. There was never much that was nice about Allin and unfortunately, the more shocking aspects of his personality -- of which there were plenty -- are what he is largely remembered for.

Murder Junkies was amongst the last of his recorded material, originally released just a few years before his death in 1993. With Antiseen backing him up it is one of his strongest releases despite the tempos being slower than in some of his more popular work. While the original release had 20 tracks featuring spoken word tracks as well as songs, this re-release narrows it down to just the 10 original songs and four additional bonus tracks. Murder Junkies has some of Allin’s most notorious (since “best” is a tough label to apply to anything he does) songs, including "Violence Now" which turns up twice (once as a single version) and "Layin’ Up with Linda," a bonus country track.

If you take Allin’s music out of context there’s nothing worth listening to. Antiseen’s backup music may prove to be slightly redeeming, but if you want sloppy street punk, you can find better stuff elsewhere. Despite a few people who hold him up as one of the only true punk rockers, Allin was interesting only as a freak show. There are better avenues through which to discuss Allin’s complex politics and lifestyle. However, his politics and lifestyle are virtually inseparable from his music. There might not be anything punk about rape, but Murder Junkies is an accurate representation of the life Allin chose to lead and if you’re looking for that in record, then you’ll be pleased. However if you aren’t very familiar with Allin, his recorded work isn’t the best place to look. The Hated DVD would be a better place to start as it portrays him in a much fuller sense and includes his last concert, which like most of his, was cut short. If you’re already a fan, then this would be worth picking up.

I for one, won’t ever be listening to this again, but his fans know who they are and will eat this up. So why then does it get a half-star? Any song that glorifies rape deserves the lowest score we've got.

(Ben_Conoley)