At first glance,
Bite the Bullet is overwhelming: three CDs in a digipak so beautiful you almost don't want to play it -- but then you see the track listing and the only question is, "Which first?" Included here is a live disc from the Gurus' farewell tour; a disc of Live at the Wireless Australian radio broadcasts; and a disc of B-sides, live stuff, and studio rarities. Disc one, recorded on
Hoodoo Gurus' 52-date Australian farewell tour, is chock full o' rock. They played every room in the country, making sure no one missed a chance to catch the legendary band before they packed it in. No surprise, the live set rocks furiously: classics such as "What's My Scene," "Tojo," and "Like-Wow Wipeout" are mixed with previously unheard songs like "Dr. Rock" and back catalog cuts. The sound is full and raging -- in concert, the ultra-loud
Gurus, led by
Mark Kingsmill's thunderous foot, have been known to regulate heartbeats, so if you are pregnant or a heart patient, avoid disc one. Disc two compiles their best performances on the Australian radio show Live at the Wireless, going back to 1983. Many surprises here, such as covers of the Zeros' "Wimp" and
the Stooges' "I Got a Right," which will lay you to waste. Disc three moves further into obscurity, with seven B-sides that came after the
Gorilla Biscuits B-side compilation (from
Crank and
Blue Cave sessions) -- the only previously released tracks on the entire set. You have a medley of
Ramones covers, unreleased demos, and several tracks dating back to the band's inception in 1981. Very cool, indeed. An essential for the band's fans, but beginners should start with the Electric Soup singles collection. ~ Geoff Ginsberg