A well-named band whose namesake,
George Tabb, doesn't just love his favorite band, the Ramones, he tried out for them on bass a few years after C.J. left, and almost got the job. What to do instead? Form bands that borrow the ethics of your fave without being a tribute -- New York's
Furious George is his latest one. On the trio's Gets a Record (also a reference to the famous Curious George monkey, pictured on the sleeve with a leather jacket and cool shades), Joey Ramone himself is a guest on "I Am Gilligan" (entire lyrics: "I wear a white hat/I wear a red shirt/They all think I'm stupid/One day I'll kill them/I am Gilligan"). But it's the driving, paranoiac-yet-fun frenzy of "I Got a Gun" (entire lyrics: "I gotta gun/You better run/I kill for fun") and "Betty Krocker, Punk Rocker," along with Tabb's gravel-nutso voice, that define this crazy, zippy CD. A treat for Angry Samoans/Metal Mike fans.