Flat Duo Jets – “Wild Wild Love” [Album Review]

There are probably four reasons why you would know who the Flat Duo Jets are. The first would be that you are a fan of the psychobilly genre. The second would be that you are familiar with singer/guitarist Dexter Romweber from his post-Jets work with Cat Power, Neko Case and the Squirrel Nut Zippers. The third would be that you watched a lot of 120 Minutes on MTV and know your “college rock” from the 1980s and early 1990s. The fourth, which is how I found out about the band, is in hearing how much the Flat Duo Jets influenced Jack White and The White Stripes with its bass-less guitar/drums lineup.

Whatever you know the Flat Duo Jets from, Romweber and drummer Chris “Crow” Smith are an exciting band and Wild Wild Love captures that well. A two-disc retrospective, Wild Wild Love features 33 tracks — comprised of group’s self-titled album, its cassette-only mini-album (In Stereo) and 13 recordings known as The Outtakes — and a 40-page booklet with liner notes and rare photos. All remastered and fit into a digipak, of course.

Why a 9 and not a perfect 10? A career-spanning retrospective, as paired with outtakes, would have been a better move as far as getting more people aware of the legacy of the Flat Duo Jets. But then again, perhaps that is already in the works from the stars of Two Headed Cow. In turn, this release is for already-established fans of the Flat Duo Jets who ought to love every second of it.

Wild Wild Love Track Listing:
CD 1:
01. My Life, My Love
02. Please, Please Baby
03. When My Baby Passes By
04. Madagascar
05. Mill Stream
06. Baby
07. Chiquita
08. Sing, Sing Sing
09. Wild, Wild Lover
10. Tribute To Gene
11. Pink Gardenia
12. Man With The Golden Arm
13. Dreams Don’t Cost A Thing
14. Strut My Stuff
15. Riot In Cell Block #9
16. I’m Sorry
17. Love Me
18. Theme For Dick Fontaine
19. Think It Over
20. Raining In My Heart

CD 2:
01. Bring It On Home
02. Minor Swing
03. You Made Me Cry – 01
04. Love Has Its Jokes
05. Penetration 1
06. Rock Me Baby
07. Wild, Wild Lover (Outtake)
08. Apple Blossom (Time Mix)
09. Bumble Bee Boogie
10. Look Down 2
11. Sleepwalk (Take 7)
12. Harlem Nocturne
13. Justine 1

Run Time: ??:??
Release Date: October 20, 2017

Have a listen to the band’s classic single “Wild Wild Lover”