Released in 1992, Hellzapoppin, was the 3Ds first full length album, and is now available for the first time on 12" LP. Plus, the digital album comes with the bonus track - the band's cover of Brian Eno's 'Baby's on Fire', which was orginally released as the B-side to the Outer Space 7" single (FN241, 1992).Opening with the giddy crunch of Outer Space, with its flat-out fun melody, plenty of crazy guitar effects, it sets the tone for an album that is both thrashing and tuneful but never pointlessly macho. Instead, amongst the crash, bang and occasional hysterics, songs like Ugly Day and Swallow radiate a great, fun vibe. Meanwhile, guest performer Alan Starrett adds a few extra instrumental touches during the course of the record, like viola and kalimba on the clattering Teacher Is Dead. Songs like Leave the Dogs to Play, with its hollow percussion, heavily treated guitars and vocals, show a band getting more comfortable with studio possibilities, while having a blast with them at the same time.At the time, the editors of Spin magazine picked Hellzapoppin as the "#1 album you didn't hear" in 1992 - and it is easy to see why.
