The title of
The Official Unofficial BABYS Album is a bit confusing, since it's unclear why this as an "official" -- that is, endorsed -- release of an unofficial album. Basically, the situation boils down to this: producer Adrian Millar, a mainstay of early-'70s glam, and guitarist/keyboardist Mike Corby, claim that they are the true architects of
the Babys (and their official unofficial site has scans of contracts to prove it); they constructed both the band and its sound. So, the 2006 release
The Official Unofficial Album is their aural proof of this, the first official release of the early
Babys demos, which is enough to constitute a full album. This is similar to but quite different than the official
Babys albums. Those records were big, slick mainstream rock affairs, but this is lean, crunching glam rock, whether it's penned by Corby or frontman
John Waite. Sometimes the tunes are a little rough -- the hooks aren't just quite there -- but the raw, trashy vibe of the band as captured by Millar makes up for any deficiencies in the songs. Plus, only a handful of these songs are a little shaky -- most of these tunes are very strong heavy glam rock, and there are some real gems here, including "Jack the Lad." Oddly, this is the kind of music that will satisfy true aficionados of glam rock more than fans of
the Babys themselves: sure, there will be hardcore fans of the group (or
Waite) who will enjoy this, but it is closer to Millar's other work, closer to
Slade than other
Babys albums, so keep that in mind should you seek out this very fun surprise. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine