Honestly, I'm quite disturbed by a Screeching Weasel "greatest hits" record.

While I revere nearly everything they released as quality, independent PUNK ROCK, the idea of this band having a greatest hits record is somewhat disheartening. To me, all their songs were hits. There is the all-too-familiar feeling of knowing that this record will probably sell very well, every kid who buys it will spend all their paper route money on old Weasel albums, and it will eventually incite a reunion tour.

Kill the Musicians is a compilation album featuring 31 SW songs, all taken from comps, 7"s, outtakes, live performances, etc. Ranging from an alternate version of "Hey Suburbia" to covers of "I Fall to Pieces" and "I Think We're Alone Now," KTM is a must own of any fan. Certain songs such as "I Wanna Be a Homosexual" and "Mary Was an Anarchist" will most definitely be at the top of Weasel fans' lists, while sleepers like "Six A.M." and "Radio Blast" continuously haunt mix tapes around the world. Four Ramones covers, four live versions of great songs ("Veronica Hates Me," "I Can See Clearly Now," "Supermarket Fantasy," "Science of a Myth") and tons of rarely heard, out-of-print songs are spread out over nearly 70 minutes of tape. The early, faster SW is here ("This Bud's for Me") along with the poppy, Ramones-esque style they are known for ("Goodbye to You)".

The CD booklet is another piece of treasure, detailing much of the up and downs of Screeching Weasel in their early days by Ben Weasel himself, in traditional, long-winded fashion. Plenty of tour photos from the early `90s are also present, some of which are hilarious.

Kill the Musicians was the original Screeching Weasel greatest hits album. A simple, PUNK ROCK band at their best. Scruffy, scratching sound quality only adds to the flavor of this band. This is Screeching Weasel pre-Fat Wreck Chords, pre-Emo, pre-Weasel Mania.