Musician Billy Childish, while something of a modern-day Renaissance man (he also writes and paints), will most likely be remembered for his recasting of garage rock, blues, and R&B as a post-punk form. While this is certainly an intuitive endeavor, Childish has handled it with aplomb, delivering music that can include raw emotion, political pith, sardonic observation, or just plain ol' invigorating garage stomp and howl. Childish is also obsessively prolific, with more than 100 albums and countless singles delivered at a breakneck pace. Elementary Headcoats serves as this project's swansong, as Childish disbanded the group in early 2000. Ironically, it's a wonderfully cohesive introduction to Childish's best band, Thee Headcoats. Selecting the songs from the band's huge output of rare and hard-to-find singles, Childish includes a nice mix of Headcoats material--from the funny "Headcoats On" and "The Earls of Suave" to the savage "I've Been Fu*king Your Daughters & Pissing on Your Lawns." Childish is a rare, uncompromising talent (who also happens to be extremely entertaining), and Elementary Headcoats is a more than worthy introduction. --S. Duda
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