G.G. Elvis and The T.C.P. Band: Back From the Dead

Beside their shared love of illicit substances, the King and the self-proclaimed King of Punk don’t seem to have much in common. One was a Tupelo mama’s boy, the other a Yankee notorious for defecating on stage and eating his own feces during performances.

Nevertheless, members of NOFX, Stalag 13, Ill Repute, and other punk bands have united to honor both Presley and Allin by rerecording some of the King’s greatest hits in the vein of G.G. Now this seems to be as good of an idea as a peanut butter, banana, and crap sandwich. However, it somehow works. Band founder Tony Cortez has a genuine love for Elvis, which shines through in the frenetic arrangements and Eric Lara’s shouted vocals. This could be due to the fact that it’s damn near impossible to screw up an Elvis song (and also the fact that bad punk is actually really good, a.k.a. “Sex Pistols Syndrome), but nevertheless, Back From the Dead has a few shining moments, specifically the instances where the band inserts lyrics from classic punk songs like “Blitzkrieg Bop” and “Holidays in the Sun” into Presley hits “That’s All Right Mama” and “Suspicious Minds”.

There’s a DVD included with the record featuring performances and interviews. Oh, and Back From the Dead is a limited edition, scratch-n-sniff release. Resist the urge to scratch and/or sniff, or even look at the scratch-n-sniff segment of the liner notes. You’ll thank me later.