Imperial Drag
From Kiss to the Sex Pistols, and Patti Smith to Neil Young, nostalgia was one of rock's biggest enemies in 1996. It was pervasive and suffocating, but it was also seductive as hell, providing it pushed the right buttons. The self-titled debut by Imperial Drag certainly pushed mine, bringing me back to the days of my Riunite-fueled early-teen rebellion and a soundtrack consisting of cock-rock riffs and posturing (Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin), glam hooks and gender-bending (T-Rex), and full-blown prog-rock heaviosity (ELP's stomping synthesizers). By revisiting these unheralded and now mostly unloved sounds with such unapologetic flair and flamboyance, Roger Joseph Manning and Eric Dover almost redeemed themselves for the smug power pop they used to in their Jellyfish days. Imperial Drag is the album Urge Overkill should have made to follow Saturation, and the one Redd Kross should have released to top Third Eye. Of course, it comes complete with long, greasy hair, wild bell bottoms, over-the-top lyrics ("I'm unoriginal, it's fine... I've got a boner for your zodiac sign"), and bona-fide fist-in-the-air anthems ("Boy or a Girl," "Overnight Sensation")-the better to fuel the way-back machine.Jim Derogatis