Last Hard Men
Kelley Deal ofBreedersfame, ex-Smashing Pumpkins' drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, Jimmy  Flemion of theFrogs, and  metal poster boySebastian  Bacharen't musicians one would expect to be at the same party, let alone  together in a recording studio. Yet here they are. This album, recorded in 1997  and caught up in a legal deadlock until 2001, is an eclectic collection of  musical ideas. While some ideas aren't fully formulated ("Satan's in the  Manger," "I Hate the Way You Walk"), the album ultimately intertwines each  member's style and influences. Bach's metallic edge comes through loud and clear  on the raw and aggressive "Sleep" and "Spider Love." Deal brings an upbeat  alternative-pop aesthetic to "The Last Hard Men" and "Candy Comes." Covers ofAlice Cooper's "School's  Out," the Rogers & Hammerstein standard "I Enjoy Being a Girl," and the earlyScorpionstune "In Search  of Peace of Mind" are twisted into almost unrecognizable forms. Elsewhere, the  acoustic "Fan Mail" and "The Most Powerful Man in the World" find Bach in ballad  mode, while the melancholy "If You Want to Rock, Go to the Quarry" is borderline  disturbing. Credit is due, at the very least, for creating an album that's never  less than, well, interesting.--Gail Flug