Originally released in 1980, Stiv Bators first solo effort Disconnected, has been refurbished and remastered to see the light of day again. As we all know, Mr. Bators was the man who destroyed Rocket from the Tombs, from which he hijacked half the members to found one of the most influential American punk bands to have existed, The Dead Boys. Stiv has turned in his broken teeth for a more power pop oriented solo career. This is not an album recorded by a has-been former punk idealist; instead its a true step forward into another unknown arena packing all the glare and attitude that remained from the last.
The album kicks off with Evil Boy, which, for some reason, I was actually a bit disappointed with; I dont know why, but it didnt hit me. Naturally, I got nervous and started worrying the rest of the album would go downhill from here. I listened as the album slid into the second track and to my content, a surf beat kicked up with an equally surfy guitar line. Bad Luck Charm is a great track with full surf-tones and a great melody. By the end of this track, any ill thoughts of the first track where wiped out and forgotten. Heres what we were all expecting with this release. Number three, A Million Miles Away, comes across as a deranged Tom Petty, which I know seems an odd placement, but I couldnt get some of the vocal similarities out of my head. What great, thoughtful melody and presence. Sweet old rock. Swingin a Go-Go, yes indeed a bit of a Go-Go track thrown in for fun. Right in the middle of this album, Stiv shows his roots covering the Electric Prunes (I Had) Too Much to Dream Last Night, and does a dead on, flattering version. The last track that Ill lead you through hand-in-hand is The Last Year, a doo-wop dabbling dark and heart-rending with an electric swing about this being the last year of his life. Yes, perfectly tongue in cheek and brilliantly done. All tracks are great, but these are the ones that I had to mention.
