The Wildhearts are crazy Metal Punk but different than Therapy?. You could also label it Pop Punk but it’s not Blink 89263 or something. It’s just really creative music.
Don’t Be Happy… Just Worry - an early E.P. Good but not great. My faves here: Weekend (5 Long Days), Nothing Ever Changes (But The Shoes), Dreaming In A.
3/5
Earth Vs. The Wildhearts - The Wildhearts are still too much of an early 90’s L.A. rock band for me on this one. Still, “E vs. W” features some of there best songs: “Suckerpunch”, “My Baby Is A Headfuck”, “Everlone”, “News Of The World”, “Greetings from Shitsville”.
3/5
P.H.U.Q. - The big one. The only thing that bothers me is the production. I never liked the Wildhearts guitar and drum sound. The songs however are top noch. “Baby Strange/Nita Nitro”, “I Wanna Go Where The People Go”, “Just In Lust”, “In Lily’s Garden”. This is a must hear.
5/5
Fishing For Luckies - I hated it when I heard it first. Now I think it’s just as good as P.H.U.Q but the songs are much more epic than on the previous album. Who else but Ginger can write songs like “Inglorious”. Other highlights here: “Sick Of Drugs”, “Red Light - Green Light”, “Do The Channel Bop”
5/5
The Best Of The Wildhearts - You get what the title says. In this collection are also some of The Wildhearts best songs which have only been released as singles: “Geordie In Wonderland”, “29x The Pain”, “Caffeine Bomb”. There’s a Japanese version with a bonus Disc containing some B-Sides (not sure which). Don’t ask any questions, just get it.
5/5
Anarchic Airwaves - The Wildhearts At The BBC - Good lifealbum and worth the money for the great Elvis Costello Cover “Pump It Up”. Get the double disc edition, which contains “The Rest Of Reading”.
3/5
Endless, Nameless - Good idea, bad result. Nothing’s wrong with making a noisy album, but the songs get lost here. Possible highlights are the singles: “Urge” & “Anthem”.
1.5/5
Anthem - The Single Tracks - features B-Sides from “Endless Nameless” and is better than the actual album. Especially the cover songs rock: Cheap Trick’s “He’s A Whore”, E’nuff Z’nuff’s “Time To Let You Go” and Jason and The Scorchers’ “White Lies”. Wildhearts b-sides have always been great.
2.5/5
Landmines & Pantomimes - The Last Of The Wildhearts…? - Another collection of rarities, that contains some nice songs (“One Before The Lights Go Out”, “Beautiful Me Beautiful You”, “Tom Take The Money”).
3/5
Tokyo Suits Me - Import live album. OK, but you don’t need it. Disc 2 is a pretty bad attempt at trying to play unplugged.
2/5
I’d love to rate their last two singles and the E.P. but I haven’t listened carefully enough. “Stormy In The North, Karma In The South” isn’t too impressing, though.
From the b-sides and rarities not featured on any of the albums above you should definitely get the following:
If Life Is Like A Lovebank I Want An Overdraft
Landslide
Can’t Do Right For Doing Wrong
Bad Time To Be Having A Bad Time
Sky Chaser High
Give The Girl A Gun
