LETHAL LIPGLOSS - Alien Snatch Records
Reviewed by: VINYLAGOGO.COM
"Its NOT chillax! What kind of sense does THAT make? Dude, thats
what they say! CHILL...AX Alright, I guess so, it makes more sense
than CHILL...ASS, but theres no way they say Foreman Grill. Hell
yes nutley! They totally say Foreman Grill
Mike and I argued back and forth about this all summer. I finally
admitted defeat. The Riff Randells do indeed use words such as chillax
(to discover its origin read the interview Grath conducted with
them a few months ago) and name drop the Foreman Grill. Its a beautiful
thing.
Along with providing counter arguments Mike had also hooked me up
with demo versions of most of the songs on this slab of wax. Along
with those wondrous demos Ive also heard, and lauded, their Lipstick
Records single for its glorious mix of pop, rock and roll, and good
time attitude.
This ten-inch continues where that brilliant single left off. Along
with new versions of the classics Cmon, and M.O. you also get
five new hits to shake your boogie on Saturday night. Honestly there
is no better bubblegum rock and roll band doing what The Riff Randells
do. If you love sneering, bubbling, poppy, fun loving girls singing
songs about psychotic, heartbreaking, fun loving, heart-palpitating
boys then The Riff Randells are your girls. Beloved by both pop-punk
and hot action rock and rollers The Riff Randells are the band that
could perhaps quell the clashing due to the fact that they are not
very pop-punk at all, yet are fun loving and catchy enough so as
to not scare off the timid and shy gum-stuck wussy pop-punk kids.
Hotted up, sexy rock and rollers love them because they are all
those things.
Ive never been to Canada and until very recently hadnt kissed
a real rock and roll girl. And yet I still love The Riff Randells.
Of course the fact that there are two women in the band shouldnt
be some sort of beckoning beacon. Just because I dig girls and rock
and roll doesnt mean I dig The Riff Randells simply because they
ARE girls who rock and roll. Hell no brother. Im in it for the
rocking and rolling. I got Nikki and The Corvettes burning in my
soul, but since Nikki didnt get her stuff on the road and back
in the studio until very recently Ive been looking for something
of my times, a funtime band with the saccharine vocals and unique
perspective of a rock and roll girl to shake things up.
Ive said it a million times, but most guys just cant make funtime
rock and roll music. Theyre so obsessed with ROCKING that they
forget to roll. The Riff Randells got the roll. Boy do they. Snappy,
poppy, foot shaking chords with fuzzed-out pins and needles leads
and songs about going out, sitting down, making out, shaking it
around, hitting the streets, chillaxing, thinking about calling;
all the fun stuff we rock and roll types love.
When The Riff Randells finally blow out the vinyl a few inches and
land an album on the sugar rockers of the world well all be partying
for weeks and years - our tight pants stained with Coca-Cola and
our Chucks stuck to the floor with sugar, sweat, and funtimes. Until
then weve got 10 of sassy rock and roll, hooked on pop, and blasted
out the door of a fun cruising Dance Mobile. Yeah!
LETHAL LIPGLOSS - Alien Snatch Records
Reviewed by: THESCOURGE.CO.UK
Now this is some supremely good shit - gobby chicks with fiesty
pop-punk riffs (by name and by nature) singing about getting it
on, getting what they want and appearing to have insane amounts
of fun in relaying their tales of the afore-mentioned. Named after
a character from Rock N' Roll High School, Vancouvers Lookout!esque
bubblegum teenybopping girlpunk threesome The Riff Randells (lead
singer and guitarist Kathy, drummer and singer Anne-Marie and token
bloke Justin on bass) are as infectious as Nikki and the Corvettes
and as raw as early Donnas as they storm their way through this
much-too-brief EPs killer swarm of buzzing hooks, belting out half
sugary/half snotty Joan Jett style vocals, blaring and dirty old
school Ramonesy power chords and ragged snapping drums. A leather-jacketed
Thunderbird driving battle of the sexes brews within the lyrical
content, gender-empowered but not always victorious, joyously basking
in the glow of cliched American retro-romanticism (that deftly avoids
heavy-handedness) and all 6 tracks, in particular the riot-cheerleader
inflected Mississippi Hotdog, the monstrous yet sprightly chugger
of Heartbreaker and the anthemic M.O.s thrashing trashy go go
go!s, are Fonzarelli cool, guaranteed to get heads bobbing and
feet bouncing. These Riffs are inflicting major damage to my Repeat
play function.-Ash Pocock 14/03/2003
LETHAL LIPGLOSS - Alien Snatch Records
Reviewed by: SMASHING
TRANSISTORS
Bold black and fushia horizontal stripes! Maybe coy but not shy,
the Riff Randells like "doing it" but don't turn it into a skankfest
like some tuff chicks bands are doing up to the point of parody
these days. It's sweet tassting yet venomous lipgloss that bops
like the Go-Go's and rev's like the Ramones.
LETHAL LIPGLOSS - Alien Snatch Records
Reviewed by: NOW
WAVE
The Riff Randells are gods. I bow to them. You should too---as should
your mom, your significant other, your therapist, and the creepy
old guy you always see loitering in front of the mini-mart at two
oclock in the morning. Let the deification ceremonies commence.
Just when you thought that all Canadian bands sucked, along comes
this mega-awesome power trio to remind you that a nation that once
gave us The B Girls, Pointed Sticks, and Modernettes clearly CANNOT
be dismissed!
The Riff Randells LETHAL LIPGLOSS EP: I hate to overuse the word
perfection. But if the shoe fits..... Imagine the very coolest
girl-fronted punky power pop bands youve ever heard. The Riff Randells
are in THAT league. No question about it. Theyre as cool as Coke.
Theyre the answer to your prayers. Theyre the best thing since
microwave popcorn. Like the Bobbyteens and early Donnas, this fabulicious
three-piece recalls the killer pop/punk stylings of vintage Nikki
and the Corvettes. Im talking a fun, infectious bubblegum punk
hit parade. Im talking catchy, sexy, good-time pop/rock action
thats best enjoyed while cruising in the summertime, making out
in the backseat of your car, or dancing deliriously around your
bedroom. Im talking seven irresistible tunes blasting forth at
45 RPMs on a super-thick slab of ten-inch wax. Im talking the
best damn Ramones-influenced band this side of Uranus. Can ya dig?!!
Buzzsaw radio is here to stay, and it would behoove you to board
this bandwagon before it stomps your sorry ass!
This, my friend, is rock n roll at its finest. Kathy Camaro tattoos
will surely be the big craze of next summer. (Rutledge)
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: SKYSCRAPER MAGAZINE
This Vancouver, British Columbia two-girl/one-guy trio are exactly
what you'd expect from a young band named after the sassy character
in The Ramones' flick Rock'n'Roll High School. Anne-Marie (drums/vox),
Kathy (guitar/vox), and Justin (drums) deliver six teenage pop-punk
songs that prove schoolgirls just want to have fun and can rock
as well as the guys. Think, of course, of The Go-Go's, The Donnas,
and ovcious influences such as Nikki and the Corvettes, Joan Jett,
and The Shaggs. Every cut is classic three-chord rock, connecting
the dots between the adolescent charms of The Shangri-Las and the
more cerebral punk conventions of The Ramones. While there's nothing
actually new, the Riff Randells keep everything enticing with just
the right mix of spunky energy, catchy riffs and choruses, and to-the-point
lyrics with a feminist twist. Standouts include fuzz-inflected "Lethal
Lipgloss" (about a girl who doesn't play games and won't wait around
for the phone to ring,) the Donnas-like "M.O." (where the girl is
the sexual aggressor), and Joan Jett-styled "Heartbreaker" (where
the girl turns the tables on a guy who never returns calls). The
Riff Randells don't branch out from their specific sound (which
works great for a thirteen minute EP), sticking to a tretro tone
that will appeal to anyone who loved Lookout! or Cruz Records in
their heyday. In other words, anyone needing a high-octane sugar
rush should check this threesome out. (Doug Simpson)
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: WAVELENGTHTORONTO.COM
Did you ever think that Joan Jett and Joey Ramone would have been
the hottest rocknroll couple of all time? Even beating out Cher
and Greg, or perhaps Michael and Lisa-Marie. Alas, it was not to
be. But theres no doubt that the Riff Randells are the progeny
of such greatness. You can almost see Joan packing lunch boxes for
Kathy, Ann-Marie, and Justin, mussing their hair affectionately
and sending them on the school bus to rocknroll greatness. Smear
on some Lethal Lipgloss, stack a bunch of 45s on a toy turntable,
and every nights Saturday night! I hereby declare that you rock
my ass. NC
File next to: You lookin at me? and Come on baby and show me
what you got.
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: SPLENDIDZINE.COM
When the Rondelles broke up, they left a void in Young Bratty Punk
Rock. The Riff Randells don't fill it. The band has the Rondelles'
look, a similar name, and they've nailed that bubblegum punk rock
style, but they have none of that eagerness to hold down a fort
of their own. Whereas the Rondelles were the Pretenders for the
Estrus generation, Riff Randells are pure fan club silliness, a
hyper trio of Patridge Family freaks who brag about having crushes
on boys like Fonzie's cousin Spike. The Riff Randells aren't above
naked imitations -- like the hey-ho "Con" chant in the opening track
-- but they're also a whole lot of goofy fun.
Standout "Lethal Lipgloss" is the punk rock equivalent of Pink's
"Get the Party Started". In it, the girl puts on her stockings so
slowly that she makes the waiting boys restless -- and then she
starts putting on her lip gloss. She spends the rest of the song
putting on her lip gloss -- "putting it on to the max". The song
would make a great commercial for...well, obviously, lip gloss;
it might well have been inspired by one.
"Mississippi Hotdog" delivers the same infectious riffs, and a few
lyrics that are near-brilliant in their simplicity ("She's dropping
me off at the shopping mall / Gonna buy some stuff cuz it's the
same routine"). There are a lot of references to the titular hotdog,
but the shines brightest when its complaints ring like gibberish
("They want me to cut my hair / Take my money and they don't care").
If the source of all their fury is indifferent barbers, God bless
this band -- their hate is cute.
The world of the Riff Randells is a world where kids say "you're
leaving the good life" when you wanna stay home, and where you can
look back on your day as if it fit perfectly into an Elvis song
("She don't wanna look at you cuz you / Remind me that love is cruel").
It's mindful (even quietly reverent) of classic three-chord rock,
yet skewed enough to be more of a lovely caricature than primitive
garage band pathos.-Theodore Defosse
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: PUNK PLANET
These two ladies and boy connect the hip-shaking '50s teenybopper
rock with a basic punk sound while sounding a thousand times better
than the Donnas and their ilk. The songs are cute, catchy and fun,
complete with hilarious lyrics. Makes me feel like a teenager again.
(MG)
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: KERRANG MAGAZINE
If Ramones obsessed girl punkers The Donnas are your idea of musical
torture, then you're going to hate the Riff Randells. They play
almost exactly the same simplistic, bubblegum pop-punk, and come
complete with bowl haircuts, stripy, skinny-fit T-shirts, and drainpipe
jeans for extra Ramones-esque authenticity. Thankfully, then, this
short, sharp, debut mini-album is actually a lot of fun to listen
to. Unfeasibly simple and almost childlike in thier delivery, the
likes of Mississippi Hotdog and C'Mon are sugar coated, mini rock
n roll treats that you can't fail to fall in love with. 3Ks out
of 5
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: BLANK GENERATION
Taking the best from Canada's B-Girls and Dishrags, plus a bit from
the Bobbyteens, Nikki and the Corvettes, and SuperTeem/Radio X era
Donnas to create their own sweet sound, the Riff Randells have crafted
a superb 6 song EP which should be mandatory summer listening for
all punk rockers. The recording on these five new ones (done by
Dave Alcock of Chixdiggit) and a re-recorded version of "M.O." is
the best these Vancouver/Calgary kids have ever had. The guitars
and bass are loud, the drums sound great and the vocals are absolutely
amazing. Overall the songwriting is quite a bit poppier than their
first three fab singles (two on Mint, one on Lipstick) which goes
well with the cleaner production. The chord progressions are nothing
fancy. They don't have to be when the vocals sound as good as they
do and the vocal lines are the catchiest parts of all the songs.
The echoed chorus vocals during "Lethal Lipgloss" with Kathy singing
the lead and Anne-Marie singing backup will melt your mind.
Lyrically, there's plenty of talk of cute boys, hot babes, and the
broken hearts that come along with that stuff, but underneath the
bubblegum exterior of the words I sense some honest feelings coming
through. It's a true skill (the Ramones could do it) to convey some
genuine emotion through words so simple. I hope that it's not just
my oblique sense of romanticism reading something into the words
that just isn't there.
Four releases by the Riff Randells and four winners. Pick it up
now or wait for the 10" vinyl on Alien Snatch coming soon to a hip
record store near you. (JG)
Riff Randells - Delmonico Records
Reviewed by: GIRLPUNK.NET
The Riff Randells sound like they are straight out of the lost files
of LookOut! Records. They have that spunky, retro, Screeching Weasel
meets the Ramones sound coated with girly vocals in the vein of
The Donnas and The Eyeliners. However, while I find The Donnas to
be tiresome more times than not and The Eyeliners way too poppy
for my sanity, this Canadian band has just the right mix of caffine
injected energy and infectious excitement to keep me interested
without feeling annoyingly overstimulated.
Living up the their rebellious, but good-hearted, Rock N' Roll Highschool
namesake, the Riff Randells invoke images of leather jackets, mop-haired
heads and crazy teenage antics. But instead of penning songs for
a famous band (as Riff Randel did in the movie when she passed her
gems on to The Ramones), this trio dishes out their own dose of
simple but catchy bubblegum pop-rock. The songs are straight-forward,
to the point and indicative that girls don't just wait by the phone
for the cute guy in homeroom to call anymore. While in no way vulgar,
but far from innocent, the band takes on songs that land the girl
in the role of being the aggressive pursuer.
"C'Mon" is the first track on the release and only lasts a mere
one minute and twenty-five seconds, but is just the perfect song
to get listening ears hooked. Keeping with the "girls in charge"
theme, "Lethal Lipgloss" brings forth the society-friendly image
of a girl getting dolled up in an excessive amount of lipgloss but
takes an edgy turn when it's revealed that she doesn't care about
what anyone else thinks of her. The remainder of the songs keep
up the vibe and quickly wind up in 6 short tracks. While comparisons
to The Donnas will probably be the most frequent,especially among
younger generations, I prefer to group the talented Riff Randells
with the bands who started it all; Holly and the Italians and Nikki
and the Corvettes. Any band that uses the word "chillax" in their
songs is cool in my book!-Jessica O.
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: SHREDDING
RADIO
These three ladies hail from Canada, but their sound is rooted in
Detroit. They've also got a soft spot for the late 60's garage punk
sound. The lo-fi recording adds the perfect touch, and makes this
one of my new favorite 7 inches. Laura @ Lip Stick, 1154 Powell
St., Oakland, CA 94608
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: PUNK PLANET
Not often do singles make for long reviews, but this Riff Randells
is their best single to date. These girls have come a long way worth
many different sounds. Let's hope they settled in on this straight
forward rockin' sound that is equal parts bubblegum pop and Joan
Jett/Runaways. The A-side is a teen malt shop treasure that any
fan of the Bobbyteens would love. "How `Bout Romance?" is an anthem
of teen girls everywhere and asks the question that with Joey Ramone
gone, who will teach teenage boys that a slow romantic song ala
"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" can be cool, macho, and dare we say
romantic. The B-side starts with "M.O." a mid-tempo rocker that
makes me think of the Donnas if they hadn't heard any metal music
in their influencial years. The other half of the flipside has a
great cover of the Nikki & the Corvettes track "Girls Like Me".
I don't think it is easy to mess up any Nikki songs, in fact this
is a great version that is worth your lunch money. The Riff Randells
have sure adopted the Lipstick records sound and this is the seventh
single by a label that may go down in hostory as one of the best
kept secrets in rock`n' roll. (Eric Action)
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: Shake
Some Action
The first record Ill mention is The Riff Randells newest 7" on
Tina Lucchesis (Trashwomen, Bobbyteens, Neanderdolls, Tina and
the Total Babes, etc) Lipstick Records. This is the best one yet
for these girls, and while theyre still writing songs that are
(very much) in the Nikki and The Corvettes/Holly and the Italians
vein Im not complaining. 3 Great tunes on this one, with How but
Romance on the a-side taking top prize on this one. One of western
Canadas best bands right now (wish I could say one of Calgarys
best but only one member lives here), if you ask me. This one was
recorded before their bass player split I dunno if Anne-Marie and
Kathy ever found a permanent replacement, but it wasnt long ago
that they were trying to recruit a new bassist through the Calgary
punk message board. I hope theyve found a suitable gal to fill
Stacys shoes and that theyll start playing some shows locally
soon. Like I said, this ones on Lipstick Records all there previous
stuff is available through Mint Records in Vancouver.-Wolfgang
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: Pony
Boy Zine
Canadas answer to The Donnas produce yet another excellent slice
of powerpop! The title track is a tough yet tender selection, with
a catchy, noisy guitar solo in it, but it struck me as just too
short. Darn I was just starting to get into it when it was over.
"MO", on the B-side, has a tasty bass groove from the top, which
opens into a mid-paced, semi-thrashy-toned ditty about wanting to
be home with ones boyfriend, rather than going out. I can relate
to that. "Girls Like Me" is a cover of a Nikki and the Corvettes
classic, showing that the girls are giving their props, as their
previous single covered The B-Girls "Who Says Girls Cant Rock?".
This song has a similar theme, though it has the advantage of actually
having been WRITTEN by a woman as well. Fun, and in a paper sleeve
at that, how very late Seventies/early Eighties indie.
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: Pop
Ball Records/New Goodies
From Canada, a catchy girls punk rock and roll trio, the Riff Randells!
Just with that name, they seem great, but their sound is like early
Donna's simple and catchy rock and roll with a few hard rockin parts
here and there. They could be like a 21st century Nikki And The
Corvettes ! Under Bobbyteen Tina's label Lipstick, it's a satisfying
single. Excluding their live performance, they are better than the
Eyeliners, and they look better too!-Hirocky of Popball Records/The
Wipmys
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: NOW
WAVE MAGAZINE
This is probably the 10,000th band to call itself the Riff Randells---and
perhaps the very FIRST to be truly worthy of the moniker! If Riff
herself had started her own three-piece rock-n-roll band, THIS is
what it could have sounded like! The RRs are a totally fab punky-pop
outfit in the vein of the early Donnas and Nikki and the Corvettes
(whom they cover on the B-side). You know the deal: fun, rocking,
infectious stuff thatll send your entire school into blazing fits
of lust and drive all the Dirty old Girl-Band Geeks absolutely fucking
WILD!!!! Led by singer/guitarist Kathy Camaro, this Canadian trio
lets loose a raw, spunky attack thats hooky as hell but never wimpy.
How Bout Romance?E the lead track is the HIT, of course! Its
an ass-kicking, good-time blast of sexy sonic sugar! On the flip,
you lucky bastards get to dig into another munchable original and
the aforementioned cover tune, the hot-n-juicy Girls Like Me"
Lipstick does it again! (By Rutledge)
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL MAGAZINE
This super great all-girl trio from Vancouver plays fast 'n' punky
power pop just like NIKKI & THE CORVETTES and Riff's own heroes,
the RAMONES. "M.O." is a bouncy ode to stayin' home and makin' out,
and it pop-rocks like the best stuff by HOLLY & THE ITALIANS. The
title songs could even be an outtake from "Rocket to Russia". And
a crunchy cover of NIKKI's "Girls Like Me" rounds out the single,
which it should be noted has much cooler fuzzy production than their
earlier rekkids. Looks like I've got three new crushes...(JG)
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: DISCORDER MAGAZINE
Our gals The Riff Randells (or should I say gals and guy, since
there has been a change to the line-up once again) have caught the
attention of Southern California's Lipstick Records, probably due
to the fact that Lipstick Records is the home of similarly minded
bubble-gum pop from the likes of The Bobbyteens, The Peeps, and
Candygirl, also 'cuz they knock off a great version of Nikki and
the Corvettes' "Girls Like Me", but mostly for their greatly improved
fun-in-the-sun, cruisin-the-strip, radio-blastin'rock and roll.
(Bryce Dunn)
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: SMASHIN
TRANSISTORS
I feel like I'm walking downtown with a couple of friends and some
girl yells "Yeow BABY!" out the window of her Firebird. Yep! Chicks
in the midwest do that (and they still drive Firebirds) We shout
back "Hey! What your name" but they're off with the change of the
traffic light. We'd discuss how it may be some girls who just moved
here and they'd be cool unlike all the ones around town and would
listen to cool music like the Ramones and Nikki and the Corvettes.
We were never even close. Sometimes they'd come back around the
block and crank up Loverboy and yell "Yeow BABY" again then take
off with the change of the stoplight. So what if they were actually
the girls we hoped they'd be? I'm sure the Riff Randells play the
Ramones really loud in their car. My friends and I would all be
positvie of this. Finally one of us would yell "Why the FUCK don't
people realize that any guy who wears spandex is a fag!?!" (Real
deep thinking for a 14 year old) then we'd go to the arcade and
get called punk rock fags. We never met girls like Nikki Corvette
though we'd see a lot of dudes dressed in the tight and stretchy
fabric (with the hi-top Nike's with the tongue sticking out on their
feet). Maybe we should kept looking out the door for them girls
to come back again. "Yeow! BABY!" "Hey! What's you're name?" "Riff
Randell" then the light would change green again. Teenage pop they
way it should be. Catchy and cracklin'with sweetness that makes
the teeth hurt and a hiss to mom for asking why you're going out
dressed that way.
How 'Bout Romance? - Lipstick Records
Reviewed by: VINYL-A-GO-GO
So I suppose I ought to change the name of this rag to Girl Band-A-Go
Go or some such thing. I admit it, I have turned into a full-fledged
girl band geek. However I should like to think I am slightly better
than your typical salivating dorkwad, huddled in the corners of
a darkened club clutching his copy of the latest Susy and the Hot
Rockers single, but too nervous to actually go up to Susy and ask
her to autograph it as that would require actually, gasp, talking
to a girl. You see I dont listen to girl bands to fill some deep
seated psychological need, or even some not-so-deep-seated sexual
desire (well...hmm...); I listen to girl bands because theyre cool.
Thats right, theyre cool. No band comprised of guys would ever
write a song like "How Bout Romance?" with the opening line "Hey
baby, do you know, what I got on my mind? Well, baby its romance,
wont you give it a chance" Guys tend to write pathetic songs about
how lonely they are, or how they had their heart squashed or some
such sappy crap, while girls sing about going out and getting what
they want. And it never seems to come across cheap and perverted
when girls sing about getting it on. Perhaps theyre just a little
subtler than guys. Romance is a great word in that sense. Plus girls
always sing about fun dates and cool rock and roll nights and all
other manner of hip sounding stuff. And they do it in such a way
that it accentuates the stuff theyre singing about, they actually
write fun songs that make you want to go out on rock and roll dates
and spend all night in a pixie stick fueled craze, driving around
the streets of your one horse town blasting sugary rock and roll
delights from your window and not giving a fuck what goes on next
because you're having a good time. When guys make rock and roll/pop
songs they either try too hard to rock, thereby making it suck,
or they try too hard not to rock, thereby making it suck. Girls
however are concerned with no such thing and instead just write
fun, hook-filled, sugar coated rock and roll anthems. Very few guys
can do that and do it right. The Riff Randells are girls, and of
all the girl bands I've heard seem to fully embrace the fun filled,
lusty, rock and roll attitude, all wrapped up in some of the best
pop/rock and roll songs to ever be pressed onto vinyl.
The title track starts off slow and ear pleasing and immediately
picks up the pace while Kathy Camaro delivers that above mentioned
line and sets my ears ablaze with happiness. The Riff Randells play
impossibly infectious, hooky-as-all-get-out, deliciously lo-fi,
rocked-out-Nikki And the Corvettes style power-pop/rock and roll
with Ramones derived, buzzing, power chords and some of the hottest
rock and roll leads this side of a Chuck Berry record. On top of
it all is the sugar-saturated, delectably-snotty-yet-sultry vocals
of Kathy Camaro, with the occasional clinching backing vocals of
Stacy and Anne-Marie. I guarantee that the first thing youll do
after spinning "How Bout Romance?" for the first time is pick up
the tone arm, put the needle back on that first groove and play
the song again.
If you ever stop playing the A-Side and finally get around to flipping
the disc and discovering the B-Side, youll find that the Riff Randells
have quite a surprise in store for you, another smash hit. This
time its a song about staying in and doing the only thing thats
ever any fun, making out. The song features one of the most distinct
and refreshing verses these ears have been privy too in quite some
time, and is guaranteed to have you swinging your hips and shaking
your smiling toes to the snappy beat right before you deliriously
chant the chorus in perfect time with the girls. Again the name
of game is fun-filled, infectious, riotous rock and roll tunes that
get stuck in your head just as soundly as that pack of Bazooka Joe
in your hip pocket that you accidentally left in your jeans when
you did the wash. Theres also more of those searing rock and roll
leads that earn the Riff Randells a top locker and a seat on the
back of the bus at Rock and Roll High School.
And as if two smash hits werent enough the girls give us a cover
of Nikki and The Corvette's anthem "Girls Like Me." While this song
had previously appeared to be in no need of improvement, the Riff
Randells amp it up and make it their own, rocking Nikki and The
Corvettes under the table while theyre at it. This is THE coolest,
most satisfying slab of vinyl I have come across this year. It easily
takes single of the year in my book. Just when I think that underground
rock and roll cant get any better, a band like the Riff Randells
come along and kick into the plaster, putting a huge grin on my
face and a hop in my step in the process. If every band had a single
like this in them I would give my entire life over to sitting in
front of my turntable and spinning records, as it stands very few
bands can pull off such a feat as the record that is "How Bout
Romance?" This is rock and roll my friends, and its fun as shit!
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: 8
and 3 quarters rock and roll!
Girl bands are fantastic! Canada's Riff Randells rock harder than
Mount Everest! These girls bust out three rockin' tunes on this
here 7' record (did I mention they are all total babes?)! The title
track is a smokin' hot song about, well, ROCKIN' GIRLS which the
Riff Randells definitely are! My favorite song on this record is
"Psycho Boyfriend" in which powerful drums, buzzing guitar, and
lots of attitude make it a mondo hit! So here's what you need to
do: 1) Make out an envelope to Mint Records. 2) Put four dollars
in it and write "I need the new Riff Randells record! 'Who says
Girls Can't Rock?' " 3) Slap a stamp on that sucker and throw it
in the mail box! It's that easy! rating = * * * * *- By Grant Stutz
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: Noise
Queen Zine
Kathy Camaro (guitar/vocals), Mar Sellars (bass/vocals) and Anne-Marie
Rawk (drums/vocals) have ditched Sean Raggett, their former (male)
singer, and struck out on their own. Appropriately enough, they
have covered "Who Says Girls Can't Rock?" by Canada's own faboo
B-Girls, a late 70s/early 80s all-woman project, and given it a
metallic, Ramonesy shine and crunch. Their originals, "You Gotta
Go" and "Psycho Boyfriend" (the latter benefits from not having
Sean interjecting deadpan a la Fred Schneider from the b52s), also
sound snotty, attitudinal and fiery. Now, get to work on that album...pretty
please...(There have been some line-up changes - a rumour was posted
that they had actually folded, but, according to Kathy, who wrote
to me, this is not true, and they ARE working on an album - go to
http://www.theriffrandells.cjb.net for details. By Tim Murphy
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: IDEAL
MAGAZINE INDY ROCK
To the delay of its first long duration, we have new 7" of these
three Canadian beauties here, with which we had fallen in love in
our times of institute. If the one of Black Halos and Plasmablast,
is already an unquestionable fact; saving the stylistic distances,
the one of Riff Randells is potential, that is to say, in this 7"
they show what they can get to be if they continue working in this
line. They practice a punk-rock guarro and garagero, of noticeable
meldico accent, to the shelter unquestionable of the shade of the
Ramons, and decorated to equal parts of the lessons of The Go Gos
and The Runaways; with much distortion and fuzz in the guitars.
Here they present/display an enormous version of long ago Canadian
stars of 70s, B-Girls, " Who says Girls Cant Rock ", a song with
success core, and that already they would like to have including
a The Donnas in some of their Lps, and two own subjects that they
are equiparables to the version...... Short and direct subjects,
melod} and diversion, thus are Riff Randells, the best solution
to fight the boredom. -By Javier Garc Ferrer
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: KERRANG MAGAZINE
SINGLE OF THE WEEK!
Who Says Girls Cant Rock
F**K, I bet the Donnas wish they got th this tune first-evidently
originally recorded by late 70s Toronto Legends The B Girls. Its
a total rock chick anthem, which concerns itself with nothing more
than the basic principles of playing both our guitar and record
player loud, and refusing to wear a dress. But, then tell that to
Dimmu Borgir. But, yeah whatever, this cutesy, shouty Canadian trio
excel with bad production brutality, replete with guitar and bass
merging in a deliciously booming fuzz of distortion. Not to mention
the gratuitous triumphantly clumsy guitar break. Mercy. -By Ray
Zell, April 21, 2001
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: Blank
Generation
Remember when the Donnas didnt suck? It may be a totally token
comparison for a band (now) comprised of all younger girls, but
this is totally reminiscent of pre "American Teenage Butt Rock Machine"
era Donnas, with a little bit of the mid nineties Lookout sound
thrown in for kicks. Its got that same fun, infectious vibe, shouted
backing vocals, and sweet yet not too innocent lyrics. The first
line of one of the songs is "Youre lame like a cum stain on the
wall." Yes! Now thats the kinda brilliant retardation the world
needs more of. Best of all they follow Joes cardinal rule for seven
inches - they write better songs than the ones they cover. "Psycho
Boyfriend" is so catchy its unreal. Oh yeah, theyre also really
cute to boot. (SS)
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL MAGAZINE
Oh my f-n God! I am in love. And not on a shallow oooohh cute girl
bandEkinda way. I heard this bands first record with the guy who
looked like Grant Lawrence singing and it was okay, nothing special,
but now that hesEout and Kathy is taking over the vocals, good
lord, this is fantastic. Im not big on girl fronted bands, but
gee wiz, this is good. Almost as good as the Riff Randals from Sacramento.
Great rock and roll from a bunch of girls who look like they would
have broke my heart in high school. -By
BM
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: LOOP MAGAZINE
In what seems to be increasingly dark days for tock nEroll music,
it is a genuine pleasure to hear the new Riff Randlls 7E Continuing
on after the departure of singer Sean Raggett, the remaining three
band members have put out a record that sounds like a cross between
the Ramones and the Go GOs. This might seem ike an unholy combination
on paper, but in practise it works. Singer/guitarist Kathy Camaro,
bassist Mar Sellars and drummer Anne-Marie Rawk have included three
fast, fun, stripped-down rock songs on this release. The A side
features a cover of the B' Girls, Who Says Girls Cant RockE
and the B sides got two equally good originals in You Gotta Go"
and Psycho Boyfriend" Pick it up and rock out. - By
Dave Paton
Who Says Girls Can't Rock! - Mint Records
Reviewed by: DISCORDER MAGAZINE
Theres a new Riff Randells single and it doesnt suck! Okay, so
the bands done some major shape shifting over recent months, losing
Sean and Mar, gaining the ever-grating Gibby, and theyve started
wearing hot pants (A-rawk, what are you doing?), but theyre still
that same fun-loving bunch of girls who just wanna rock! Their a-side
cover sounds good, Cathy and Anne-Marie can actually sing, and with
the music already there for them, they cant lose. The b-sides,
Riff Randells originals, arent at all original, but theyve obviously
found that a formula gets you places. With a North American tour
behind them and their eyes on some hoe state-side labels, these
girls are starting to fit in with the crowd they usually just want
to make out with. Yeah! -By
Julie Colero |
