The Hellacopters last album

I still can't understand why these guys aren't major league stars, The Hellacopters rock - they really rock - but for now they're calling it quite and going on to other things. I've never seen them live so now I never will but there are many great songs on my iPod that wouldn't exist if it were not for them.

I discovered The Hellacopters by accident. Actually, it was terrorist action. I'd ordered The Flaming Sideburns first album from Amazon but amid all the confusion in London during the tube bombings was sent a compilation from the same record company with a serial number just one digit different. I rang them up and the guy said, "We'll send you the proper album gratis. We've just had some very strange days up here."

So thanks to Al-Queada, I got Pushing Scandinavian Rock to the Man. That must mean me, then. The Flaming Sideburns had one song but The Hellacopters had two. At first I thought they were awful but it wasn't long before I came to appreciate their sheer balls in doing a cover version of Iggy Pop's "I got a right". I was hooked.

At the Imp Club National in Dorset that summer, as so often happens at my car and bike dos, we were sat around the campfires after the party late at night discussing music and I mentioned The Hellacopters. This prompted instant enthusiasm and agreement from my fellow Impers. One in particular, Steve Potz-Rayner, lent me a compilation CD and his Walkman to try out The Hellacopters who, he said, "sound like the Rolling Stones on acid."

I think I've got all their albums now. They were a hard touring band who allegedly hated rehearsing so instead they made up new songs. They liked American muscle cars, too.

So farewell Hellacopters. Thanks for all the songs. May your reputation grow exponentially as a result of this blog entry.