Rhythm Rats
Ratrospect (Rats)
Well, of course it’s what you think it is — a retrospective of Rhythm Rats recordings over the years. And the Rats, definitely the least-likely Austin blues-rock act to ever get labeled “too serious,” have a number of years’ worth of material to choose from. The obvious ones are here, like their novelty “hit” “(I Wanna Spend the Night With) Vanna White,” along with a Blaze Foley cover (“WW3”), and two Daniel Johnston numbers (“Broken Dreams” and the oft-covered “Speeding Motorcycle”). It’s mostly pretty silly stuff, though a lot of the references are a tad dated by now (just in case “Vanna” didn’t clue you in). Still, it’s all good fun, with lotsa fine guest stars, including Gary Primich, Ivan Brown, Clifford Scott, and such. Just cover the kids’ ears for spicier numbers like the lovely doo-wop ode to the “Streetwalker” (“It ain’t cherry, but it’s pie!”) and the less subtle “How Can I Say I Love You (When You’re Sitting On My Face?).” 
This article appears in November 24 • 2000.