“Set it on Fire! (Play The Scientists)”

“Set it on Fire! (Play The Scientists)” 1993. Dog Meat Records. A comp of garage rock/punk blues bands covering The Scientists (from Australia, active late 70’s/80’s and then reformed in 2007). Set it on Fire! has a super-solid lineup, including Mudhoney (who were partially responsible for The Scientists getting back together in the 2000’s), Monomen, Cheater Slicks and Laughing Hyenas. My top pick has to be, of course, Honeymoon Killers on “Murderess in a Purple Dress,” mostly because Jon Spencer, Judah Bauer and Russell Simins of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are all part of the Killers lineup on this track (recorded in 1991 in the Netherlands). Also great are the opener/title track “Set It on Fire” by Cheater Slicks (recorded in ’91) and the extra-swampy pyschobillied “Swampland” by Monomen (recorded in ’92). Laughing Hyena’s “Solid Gold Hell” (recorded in ’92) is darkly unhinged, and also pretty great.  Mudhoney’s interpretation of “We Had Love” (recorded in ’91) is a pretty faithful rendition of the original and there’s no mistaking it as Mudhoney: all their signature grungy, messy sneers are present. The Scientists’ Kim Salmon clearly approved of the cover as the Mudhoney version appears on his YouTube channel: