Though they came to prominence in the first throes of the U.K. punk explosion, Eddie & the Hot Rods have more in common with the hopped-up R&B of British pub rock than the four-on-the-floor squall of punk contemporaries such as the Damned or Stiff Little Fingers. Like a less grimy New York Dolls, the Hot Rods survey a footloose shimmy longer on rave-ups and riffs than on hooks, led by sole original member and singer Barrie Masters and his Daltrey-esque tenor. The band broke up in 1980 after four studio albums and reunited periodically over the following 25 years. They only released one album in that time, 1996's Gasoline Days, before Masters brought together a new lineup for 2004's Better Late Than Never. It's a fine return that's nearly the equal of their earliest albums, from the garage-y, Farfisa-fueled "High Society" to blues-stomp "Ain't No 9 to 5" and a sizzing take on Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten Twice Shy."
