From KISS to the Sex Pistols, Patti Smith to Neil Young, nostalgia was one of rock's biggest enemies in 1996. It was pervasive and suffocating, but it was also seductive as hell, provided it was pushing the right buttons. The self-titled debut by Imperial Drag certainly pushed mine, bringing me back to the days of my Riunite-fueled early-teen rebellion and a sound track consisting of cock-riffs and posturing (Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin), glam hooks and gender-bending (T-Rex), and full-blown prog-rock heaviosity (ELP's stomping synthesizers).
By revisiting these unheralded and now mostly unloved sounds with such unapologetic flair and flamboyance, Roger Joseph Manning and Eric Dover almost redeemed themselves for their smug power-pop they used to play back in their Jellyfish days. Imperial Drag is the album Urge Overkill should have made to follow Saturation and the one Redd Kross should have released to top Third Eye. Of course, it comes complete with long, greasy hair, wild bell bottoms, over-the-top lyrics ("I'm unoriginal, it's fine...I've got a boner for your zodiac sign"), and bona fide fist-in-the-air anthems ("Boy or a Girl", "Overnight Sensation") - the better to fuel the wayback machine. I love this album, and as an opponent of nostalgia, I hate myself for it. But at least I'm guilty about the pleasure.
