Leaving behind a recording legacy as large as Rocket from the Crypt is doing rates fairly high on the impressive scale considering how difficult it is to maintain consistency and relevance over a couple of albums let alone the roughly six full-lengths as well as a multitude of EP's and singles that this rock and roll outfit is responsible for during their sixteen years of existence. All Systems Go Volume 3 compiles several singles and demos which the band made in between RFTC (their last album for Interscope) and Group Sounds (their first album for Vagrant) showing a band in somewhat of a transitional phase with the departure of long time drummer Atom. At twenty tracks, All Systems Go Volume 3 is (with the possible exception of one last installment in the All Systems Go series) a last parting shot from the fun loving Rocket from the Crypt.
So what we have here is more of Rocket from the Crypt's raucous rock and roll, only on All Systems Go Volume 3 the quality is much more raw, owing to the fact that much of these are demos done much more economically than their full-length records. Maybe that is why some of these songs outshine some of what the band does offer on their last few studio albums (not that those are bad just this attests to the
goodness that this compilation contains), but in any case this collection surely has its share of gems. "Total Bummer" for one is just what one would hope for when popping on a Rocket from the Crypt record; a sure Rocket from the Crypt classic, this track rocks in all the right ways: big chorus, sing along, good riff, loud guitars, etc. The blaring horns that announce "Chariots of Fire" make the song and the double vocal part in the chorus is a nice touch. Obviously the record has other great moments, like "Little Shaver" with its slower but deliberate tempo provides an excellent vocal performance from Speedo and the roiling balls to the wall feel of "Pictures of Lenny." The versions of "When In Rome (Do the Jerk)" and "Dick on a Dog" are much more raw sounding than the versions that appear on RFTC.
This installment of the All Systems Go series from Rocket from the Crypt is just as successful as the previous versions as it provides sketches and songs that would otherwise be impossible to gather together. Volume 3 is a further testament to the prolific abilities of the members of the band to write catchy rock n roll outside of an album format. There are several tracks on this collection that makes tracking it down completely worth it.
