Delmonas 5!

The Delmonas were a “girl group” that existed under Wild Billy Childish’s umbrella in the late 1980s. They started out as backup singers on Milkshakes records; on record, the polarities were reversed and they sang lead on a mix of cover songs and originals by Billy Childish and/or Mickey Hampshire, backed by the Milkshakes. Delmonas 5 was their second album, first released in 1986 and reissued in 1988; it opens with a version of the absurd movie theme song “Dr. Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine” and also includes a version of “Hound Dog” that uses Big Mama Thornton’s lyrics, not Elvis Presley’s; the All Night Workers’ “Why Don’t You Smile Now” (written by John Cale and Lou Reed, pre-Velvet Underground); and Bo Diddley’s “Keep Your Big Mouth Shut,” among others. Their vocals are amateurish, to say the least — they’re better than the Shaggs, but nowhere near the Shangri-Las. This is fun, but not essential listening.