Raygun... Naked Raygun (reissue)

Ironically, but perhaps even more coincidentally, Raygun...Naked Raygun is the only Naked Raygun reissue that is without a guest essay or commentary appearing in the liner notes. Maybe that's because people recognized that by the time the record was released in 1990, Naked Raygun wasn't really Naked Raygun any longer. Of course, the band's name had not changed, and singer Jeff Pezzati was still aboard and backed by veterans Eric Spicer on drums and Pierre Kezdy on bass, but gone was the other important third of the group's chemistry: deft guitarist John Haggerty. Without Haggerty's presence, Raygun... is dry, forever tripping on its own feet. The band's intentions are good, and if Haggerty would've played on the songs instead of Bill Stephens, the record probably would have worked on the level it should, but instead, we hear mostly straightforward songs that are notable for their similarity to music from early Nineties heavy metal bands (Megadeth and Anthrax especially). The passion and cross-cutting tension of early Naked Raygun records don't make it on to Raygun...

Aside from the spiraling and screaming "Home" the call-and-response style of "Fever Island," and war-cry of "The Grind," Naked Raygun seem bored, or at least, comfortable with generic rhythmic structures and non-specific vocal deliveries. The musicianship on the album is steady, and the songs are solid, some even catchy, but the spirit, challenge, and unique politics of the music is gone, and that is why Raygun... just doesn't characterize itself as a work by Naked Raygun; it's an album that would suit someone with conventional taste. Thus, musically, Raygun... is better than your average hard rock or metal record, but as a piece of the post-punk puzzle, it doesn't belong - it doesn't go anywhere, or take anything on. The reissue has three bonus tracks, two of which ("Love Battery," "Running Free") are covers of Buzzcocks songs, and one of which ("Last Drink") is a Chelsea cover. "Last Drink," with its "last call" refrain, is especially eerie, given that Naked Raygun would have its own last call shortly after the tracks were released. - All Music Guide