Gangstabilly (1998)

Gangstabilly (1998)

Debut albums are often tentative steps to future greatness, and though Gangstabilly exhibits many of the growing pains we commonly associate with still-incubating groups, it is also far better than its puerile title would suggest. Featuring a bunch of besotted pals including upright bassist Adam Howell, drummer Matt Lane, and guitarist and future full-time Trucker John Neff, the album is mostly Hood’s show: His heart-rending “The Living Bubba,” which remains a concert staple and fan favorite, is a life-affirming tale of an AIDS-afflicted musical peer; the slow-burning “Why Henry Drinks” is a preview of the sort of acute character studies Hood would perfect on future albums; and the robust, nose-snubbing revelry of “Buttholeville” is the band’s very own “T-Bone,” for better or worse. “Panties In Your Purse,” Cooley’s lone songwriting contribution, introduces his trademark rapier wit with this bon mot: “You asked me if I could play some Dylan / I said ‘Dylan who?’/ And you told me to kiss your ass.” Like Nirvana’s Bleach, Gangstabilly sounds less like the work of a great band than a damn good first try.