Eddie And The Hot Rods - Teenage Depression (1977)

"Teenage Depression" is the first studio album released by Pub Rock band Eddie and the Hot Rods. The album contains three cover songs, The Who's "The Kids Are Alright", Joe Tex's "Show Me" and Sam Cooke's "Shake". In 2000, a reissue was released with 12 additional tracks that contains another cover, this time of the track "96 Tears" live, originally by ? & the Mysterians. "Teenage Depression" is often cited as being one of the albums that is the missing link between pub rock and punk rock because of the album's fast and hard-hitting R&B sound showing the attitude of a punk band.

Young, loud, snotty and incredibly fast, the riffs and rhythms are fuel-injected R&B, but the lyrics are teenaged disaffection with a forest on its shoulders. The six-minute finale, "On the Run," is even stronger, a dead-end kid-style anthem about the ultimate outsider  "the boy should be pitied, but they're getting me committed." The FX that drench the song's closing minutes, meanwhile, capture all the rage and confusion of the lyric, and give a hint of the sheer brutal power that was the Hot Rods when they really let loose  a treat normally reserved for the live show. Isolated tastes of that particular beast do surface elsewhere on the album -- both "The Kids Are Alright" and "Been So Long" were recorded live at the Marquee on a baking-hot night in July 1976; the dozen bonus tracks appended to the CD reissue include four more from that memorable night, in the form of the legendary Live at the Marquee EP. Mach 10 versions of Van Morrison's "Gloria," Bob Seger's "Get Out of Denver," ? Mark's "96 Tears," and the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" further amplify the linkage between '60s garage and '70s punk, but, far more importantly, they give at least a hint of why witnesses still describe that particular show among the greatest gigs they ever attended. The CD is completed by the band's first two singles, including a crunchy cover of "Wooly Bully," produced by Roxy Music's Andy Mackay. They, however, are simply the icing on the cake. In late 1976, with punk still a flood of records waiting to happen, "Teenage Depression" was one of the only things that made it worthwhile to get up in the morning.

Track listing

Disc 1

01.  "Get Across To You"  - 2:48

02.  "Why Can't It Be?"    2:33

03.  "Show Me"  - 2:03

04.  "All I Need Is Money"  - 2:21

05.  "Double Chekin' Woman"  - 2:29

06.  "The Kids Are Alright"  - 2:40

07.  "Teenage Depression"  - 2:59

08.  "Horseplay (Wearier On The Schmaltz)"  - 2:22

09.  "Been So Long"  - 3:22

10.  "Shake"  - 1:30

11.  "On The Run"  - 6:26

Disc 2 

Bonus Tracks On 2000 Reissue:

01.  "Writing on the Wall"  - 2:42

02.  "Crusin (In the Lincoln)"  - 3:33

03.  "Wooly Bully"  - 2:37

04.  "Horseplay" (Single Version)  - 2:24

05.  "96 Tears" (Live)  - 2:58

06.  "Get Out of Denver" (Live)  - 3:51

07.  "Medley: Gloria/Satisfaction" (Live)  - 5:24

08.  "On the Run" (Live)  - 9:02

09.  "Hard Drivin Man" (Live)  - 2:11

10.  "Horseplay" (Live)  - 2:30

11.  "Double Checkin Woman" (Live)  - 2:37

12.  "All I Need Is Money" (Live)  - 2:56

Released:  1976

Genre:  Pub Rock, Punk Rock

Length:  1:13:41

Label:  Island rRecords

Producer:  Ed Hollis, Vic Maile

Personnel

Barrie Masters - Vocals

Paul Gray - Bass, Backing Vocals

Steve Nicol - Drums, Backing Vocals

Dave Higgs - Guitar, Backing Vocals, Piano on "Horseplay (Wearier On The Schmaltz)"