Deadbolt - Haight Street Hippie Massacre - Best Of Deadbolt (2003)

Despite their thoroughly entertaining rockabilly freak, one of Deadbolt's nagging criticisms is the same-y quality of its music. The combo doesn't necessarily shake that nitpick with this retrospective, but that doesn't mean Haight Street Hippie Massacre isn't a must for its fans, and drenched in the same attention to detail that defines all Deadbolt releases. Haight Street mashes songs from every Deadbolt LP together, chocking them in place with a few unreleased gems. Among these is opener "Go Tell Alice," a moody, no doubt unauthorized, meditation on the Jefferson Airplane classic. (Sample lyric: "Her boyfriend lies there crumpled up in a little ball/I stick a hand grenade in his dreadlocks"). There are live versions of "You Don't Want to Know Me" and "Pour the Bourbon," as well as three other previously unheard cuts. Haight Street's liners include a cover art time line, entertaining band biographies, and more of the usual hijinx. It's not a retrospective to introduce the neophyte -- if you don't like Deadbolt by now, chances are, you never will. But longtime fans should enjoy it as a blood-spattered, drink-spilling look back.