"WHEN I smell meat/I can't retreat/Come on, baby/ I'm in heat." Welcome to the world of Rudi Protrudi, the Theopolis P Wildebeast of garage. This is a man who, with one thrust of his spandexed (!) groin makes the animalistic activities of Blackie Lawless seem like those of Curly Watts. This is the man who will probably die with loons around his ankles, a bottle of Jack in his hands, and a broad smile on hIs face. "IN HEAT" is a collection of Protrudi's innermost thoughts, set to a ravaged hump of the most scuzzy, tacky, ballsy psycho-trash rock since Naz Nomad had too much to dream one night. The Fuzztones are old enough not to be out of date, to concoct their brew from the BANANA SPLITS, the irreverent powerkreig of vintage Damned and the subtlety of Freddie Mercury in the "I Want To Break Free" video. With such literary and musical gems as the title track, "Nine Months Later,"(moral: "Always wear your rubbers in the rain"), "Me Tarzan, You Jane," and "Charlotte's Remains", the Fuzztones invent an imaginary era for you to revel in. Endless adolescence, sticky summer nights, the smell of packed parties in dingy basements and the feel of snakeskin strides. A bit like PORKY'S set in Transylvania. Highlights are the pulsating single, "Hurt On Hold", and the Hammer Horror of "Charlotte's Remains": "They said Charlotte had it all/ Style, looks and brains/ Now I'm the man with everything/ Including her remains." Just remember, if Rudi Protrudi ever bends those rubbery lips into a devilish grin in your direction, you'd be safer sleeping with Freddie. - Cathy Unsworth SOUNDS (UK) 1989

I haven't been a Fuzztones fan all my life. There's my confession, now my story: This guy Martin (singer in Satan's Sadists) would constantly play the Fuzzy ones full volume when we drove to gigs. Especially this LP. How can you help but like loud, distorted fuzzguitars with plenty of hooks and great catchy choruses? You can't! So like I got into these guys more and more. This LP is one hot rockin' disc. Song after song powers it's way into your brain , it overcomes you like all good psychedelic drugs are supposed to. Now that I've just listened to it again, I can forgive Rudi for changing the words to "Strychnine" to "Sixty Nine." These guys do goofy things sometimes. - Al FLIPSIDE (1989)

IN HEAT is even better than the soundtrack to the 1971 classic film "Werewolves on Wheels," and if you know The Fuzztones, that's probably just what they were going for (if you don't, you should have given up the acting career and moved back to Wisconsin). The album's a keyboard-fest of freaky fun, with eerie guitars setting up the Fuzz's sick lyrics. The band never seems to slip out of the post '65 grunge-party feel, even with a bunch of harmonicas, Harley noises, and, I shall repeat, sick, sick lyrics. Sicker even than any naive atrocity George Bush tries to pass off as policY, and more money was spent pressing this record than George will spend on his so-called war on drugs this whole year. Sickness - did I mention? - abounds: side A opens up with a recorDing of Alan Freed declaring, "To Estelle, whose boyfriend Larry has just been drafted into the Army," then the Fuzztones fade in with "It Came In The Mail." Shel Talmy who's been fairly dormant for a good ten years, produced this album with the same zest he gave the Kinks long ago, and the Fuzzies writhe nicely over his stable framework. Let's wage our own war on drugs: buy this album instead of crack, okay? - Lorraine Ali L.A. WEEKLY (1989)

For The Fuzztones, the distinction between music ranging from the 1950's through the 1980's is.... rather fuzzy. These guys cross the Doors with the New York Dolls and are as grimy as an oil-soaked mechanic's rag. They write songs like "Nine Months Later", having the kind of harmonics that heat a young heart, but flaunt lyrics berating pimple-infested teenage sex. You know, that "damned if you do, damned if you don't" taunting message that naughty 1950's rock 'n' roll reeks of. "Everything You Got" boasts lead vocals which scald lyrics and pump them out like glowing hot coals. "Black Box" begins with a mock spiritual organ prance and leads into dungeon drums as dark and evil as a funeral casket. "Hurt On Hold" is true garage band grease. A gleeful voicebox booms,"Ever since you left me/I've been meaning to cry," as a teasing guitar darts back and forth between vibrating organ spasms and meaty bass licks. The Fuzztones may be confused about what year it is, but that confusion work's to their listener's advantage. - Karen Iris Tucker ROCKPOOL (1989)

The Fuzztones continually defy the times, insisting on playing rock 'n' roll with a decided 60's garage punk sound. Why? Original Fuzztone Rudi Protrudi insists that rock 'n' roll is not about "smack and smashing up hotel rooms," but things like "Russ Meyer cult movies, EC comics, drive-in burger joints, old values... and being 16 forever." It's impossible to find more fun than between the sleeves of this album. And when was the last time you heard a Farfisa organ getting overworked like this? IN HEAT was produced by the legendary Shel Talmy (The Who's "My Generation" and the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" among other notables), who came out of retirement for this project. - unknown (1989)

Earlier recordings by the New York-based Fuzztones may be more authentically garagey, but this set from 1989 perfectly capture's frontman Rudi Protrudi's campy misogyny. Produced by Shel Talmy (the Kinks, the Who). - Alan Di Perna GUITAR WORLD (voted by this magazine as #7 in the 10 essential albums of Garage Rock in their "100 Essentail Guitar Albums" April 2003 issue)