Cream of the Crap contains some of the earliest Hellacopters material captured on wax and also some of the best. Missing links in the 'Copters chronology such as "Misanthropic High," "Makes It Alright," "1995," "Heart of the Matter" and "Killing Allan" make their impact loud and clear. The 'Copters almost always deliver the goods, and this compilation proves that even their odds and ends are by no means throwaways. And these guys ain't short on philosophy, either: Nick Royale sings on "Television Addict," "Just because I watch Dinah Shore/Doesn't mean I need a facelift."
As with any ragtag assemblage of missing links, this one has plenty 'o covers: the Stones' "Gimme Shelter," the Stooges' "I Got a Right," Social Distortion's "The Creeps," all rendered excellently. With 18 songs in all, each of them pushing the sonic frontier a step farther, this is probably one of the flashier displays of pure rock fury you're likely to hear all year. Can't wait for Volume II.