Heartworm by Whipping Boy (CD, Feb-1996, Columbia USA)

September 1995. College. I was an officer in the Students Union and we were getting ready for Freshers week. The Ents team had a list of three bands that we could book for October 3rd, Whipping Boy and two others I'd never heard of before or since. I'd just got Twinkle on CD and played it for the team. It was going to cost £750, which was a lot more than we thought, but looking back now was such a bargain. That was the first time I heard the bulk of the songs that made up this album. I've hardly stopped listening to it since.

It can be got cheap enough these days ( 1 cent? ) so there's no reason why you shouldn't buy this.

So, what about the music itself? The first thing that most people notice are the lyrics. Just two lines into the first song...

"Turning tricks just like your mother"

You know this isn't going to be a typical album. Is there an emotion that he doesn't cover in a song? The guitar and bass work so well of each other. And finally the drums. So often overlooked, but in this case Colm is amazing. Even in the recent concerts Colm is bettering the hell out of the kit, never it seems, do two songs have the same beat, never letting up.

What can I say? Every song is a classic. Just buy it, your ears will thank you.