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Album Details

• Artist: Ron Haydock and the Boppers
• Album: 99 Chicks
• Label: Norton
• Year of Release: 1996
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2005-05-31

Ron Haydock was the Renaissance man of the sub-Renaissance. He was a Rockabilly guitarist, songwriter, screenwriter and actor in Grade Z horror films, editor and publisher of his own Monster mag, writer, under various pseudonyms (the best being "Vin Saxon"!) quite a few porno and crime novels. Today, when the hip and trashy bubble to surface much more visibly than in the 60's-and are just as quickly sucked up by advertising or by wannabe's-he would be a star.
Maybe I'm dreaming. But this record, yet another document of our hidden history from the more than essential Norton Records, displays some of the talent that at least made Haydock want to be a star. Raw rocking tunes, swingin' soundtrack songs, ads for films (some made with another unappreciated culture maven, Ray Dennis Steckler); a restless talent whose talent was just as restless. It would be a given that such a wild creative spirit would produce uneven work, and Haydock sure did. But when he was on, as with the rude and menacing title track, (and there are several versions of it on the disc) he did what he probably wanted to do all the time: take us somewhere great.
Like a greaser version of Salieri, Ron Haydock most likely wished for a little more talent to be able to pull off his obviously immense inspiration. What he did manage was ballsy and gave us at least hint of his vision.

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