JR notes: The collective solo efforts of the post-Hanoi years are a disappointment only when compared to the daunting standards of the original band. Not unlike the Beatles, the ex-Hanoi members enjoyed prolific solo careers that never quite captured the magic of their collective chemistry. But for discerning fans, there is still a lot of fine work to track down. In fact, when you explore the solo careers, you get a better feel for the "new Hanoi," which is more of a logical integration of Michael and Andy's solo careers than a return to the Hanoi of the '80s. As a way of sharing the best stuff with fans who lost track of the band over the years, I decided to organize the best of the new, solo, and rarity tracks onto one CD (though I have already "lifted" a few of the best B sides for use in the previous "best of Hanoi" one and two collections). Of course, when it comes to the "new Hanoi," there is a whole lot to say, but my review of Twelve Shots on the Rocks covered that ground already.

This collection jumps right in with the "best of the new." Then we do our tour of the best solo and "rare" tracks. There were some tough omissions from this one, including Michael's "While You Were Looking at Me" and "Where's the Fire John?" and the Fallen Angels' "Amphetamine Blue." With more room, I also would have included the "Spanish" version of "Don't You Ever Leave Me" and Razzle's classic turn at vocals during the "Black Sabbath" sound check. Andy's oddly compelling Briard track "Let's Play Home" would have received consideration, as well as The Suicide Twins' "What a Price to Pay" and Demolition 23's "You Crucified Me." Perhaps a companion "best of solo and rarities 2" disc should be considered down the line. In the meantime, this collection is a good place to start.

Annotated Track Listing:

(1) "Obscured" - In my initial review, I called this song "the best rock song ever recorded by men in their forties," and in retrospect, it doesn't feel like much of an exaggeration. "I'm still shining, bright as ever......" The only new Hanoi song that makes my heart pound.

(2) "People Like Me" - The first single from the Twelve Shots on the Rocks CD, this is another high energy effort with a great chorus.

(3) "A Day Late, A Dollar Short" - One of Andy's finest contributions to the new record, this might be the song that sounds most like the Hanoi of old. Note that the version on the original European release is a bit better than the U.S. release, where Michael's sax solo in inexplicably replaced by a solo from ex-bandmate Sami Yaffa's brother(??).

(4) "Watch This" - This song brings in the topical "state of the world" frustrations that were a major theme in Michael's solo work. I found the direction welcome. I'd prefer diatribes on the state of the world than the "bragging rights" bluster of songs like "Gypsy Boots" and "What'cha Want." Andy's excellent guitar solo showcases the melodic qualities he brings to the table – qualities that were often lacking in Michael's solo efforts.

(5) "Bad News" - A strong addition to the U.S. release, "Bad News" is the amped up blues of "Devil Woman" turned up a few more notches. It's one of those songs that has an even better song trapped inside of it, but if it's not a classic, it's still a catchy number.

(6) "Delirious" - This one's a cover from the Twelve Shots CD, and I like it because it brings Michael's "Demolition 23" punk sensibility into the new Hanoi.

(7) "Winged Bull" - Another cover from Twelve Shots, this one a wildly original selection of an obscure Hall and Oates track. (?) For whatever reason, this one really works for me - in fact, I like it better than "Designs on You" or "In My Darkest Moment," Hanoi's own ballads from Twelve Shots.

(8) "Hammersmith Palais" - Next to Hanoi Rocks, Michael's best shot at stardom was Demolition 23 (which included all the surviving Hanoi members except Andy). Minus Andy's genius for melody, Demolition 23 took things in a punkier and more political direction. The best Demolition 23 song, by far, is "Hammersmith Palais," a bitter tribute to the great club and dead glory years of Hanoi Rocks. With a great sing along chorus, this one is fun for the whole family.

(9) "Scum Lives On" (Jerusalem Slim version) - Legendary Hanoi fan "Lambchops" always insisted the Jerusalem Slim version of "Scum Lives On" was better than Demolition 23's. Given the ill-fated nature of the Jerusalem Slim project, I found that hard to believe, but sure enough, it's true. A great political rant/tribute to Michael's fallen comrades (Razzle, Stiv Bators, Johnny Thunders, etc).

(10) "Relationshipwrecked" (Live) One of Michael's most inspired solo tracks was the brilliantly titled "Relationshipwrecked." I prefer the live version from Take Them and Break Them, with the chorus line "It's been so long since I last met/somebody I respect" changed to "some motherfucker I respect," adding a bit more vitriol to this deeply bitter song.

(11) "Love and Hate" - Most folks prefer other songs on Andy's most famous solo album(Building on Tradition) but I think this one's the keeper.

(12) "Partners in Crime" - I was shocked to track down the Fallen Angels CD (a side project featuring all the members of Hanoi except for Michael and Andy, with the addition of lead singer Knox) and discover that it was not only good, it was really good. The best song on the CD might be "Partners in Crime," a rollicking, upbeat number that is bolstered by some retro-Kinks keyboard work.

(13) "Straight City" - Another excellent tune from the first Fallen Angels CD, with Knox ripping the straight world: "I got a message from straight city/you've fallen behind on your payments...your middle class values are fucking up this town/I can't put my finger on what's going down." The Fallen Angels liner notes credits "Cosmic Ted and the Psychedilic Kid" for additional sax and guitarwork. Therefore, I think we can safely give the nod to Michael for the great sax work on this track.

(14) "Do Anything You Wanna Do" - A cover from Michael's What'cha Want solo album, this one sums of the Michael Monroe philosophy of life. An inspired performance.

(15) "Self-Destruction Blues" - Michael's solo version of "Self-Destruction Blues," from his Life Gets You Dirty record, is so damn aggressive that it might as well be a different song. But this is real good stuff, with Michael mocking his own blues with a brilliant "boo hoo hoo" in the second verse.

(16) "Ain't Going Back Home" - Before "Oriental Beat" was "Oriental Beat," it was called "Ain't Going Back Home." This "sound check" version shows that even in its early stages, "Ain't Going Back Home" had an irrepressible energy. Sadly, this song was not capture effectively in the studio, and it wasn't until the live All Those Wasted Years release that we got a special version of this all-time Hanoi classic.

(17) "Until I Get You" - "Until I Get You" is one of the finest songs Hanoi ever recorded, but they never did come up with a definitive version. The live version had the most energy, the Back to Mystery City version the most polish, but as this wonderful demo version proves, the were some great aspects to this song that never got incorporated into the final take. Amongst others - a great multi-voice "For your love..." chorus that was far superior to the final Mystery City take with that girl singing an octave above Michael. This cut is one of the few true rarities on my mix, and since it was given to me by a collector anonymously, I can't say how to find it.

(18) "The Best is Yet to Come" - One of the truly indispensable solo tunes, "The Best is Yet to Come" was a highlight from the early Suicide Twins solo collaboration between Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide. A work of staggering beauty, this song relies simply on Nasty's heartfelt vocals and Andy's acoustic guitar, with a gorgeous piano bit sprinkled onto the middle section. A song of "hear it to believe it" caliber, it may have raised the bar a little high for Andy's future projects, none of which really lived up to the potential he seemed to imply on the Suicide Twins record.

(19) "Silver Missiles and Nightingales" - another Suicide Twins highlight was this mellow country-western influenced title track, complete with banjo. A song that proved once more the versality and songwriting skills of Andy McCoy.

(20) "River of Dreams" - One of Andy's most famous solo tracks, "River of Dreams" is a little over the top. It would have been a better track filtered through Hanoi's group sensibility. But it's a song that he feels very strongly about, and it will definitely stand as one of his "legacy" songs in the decades to follow.

(21) "Dead, Jail, or Rock and Roll" - Michael's third major shot at fame was his Not Fakin' It solo CD. The MTV single off that album was "Dead, Jail or Rock and Roll," and while the song was a bit overproduced in that '80s way, it was still a vigorous track, and a fitting way to wrap the solo and rarities CD.
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