In 1974 New York, they could have been the proto-punk Dictators. In 1977 Los Angeles, they could have been the primitive-punk Germs. In present-day Norfolk, Va., they're the punk 'n' roll Candy Snatchers. Poor Candy Snatchers: born too late to be the originals (or even the Originals), but they do choose their influences wisely.

The nine Candy Snatchers songs on this split c.d. with Cheap Dates run a narrow gamut from very loud and rude to extremely loud and rude, from the hyper-boogie-woogie beat of "You're Over It" to the speed-bass and crash-drum of "Ass Casserole." The title cut -- a cover of the late-'70s Belgian punk band The Kids -- captures the Candy Snatchers' live-show intensity, which often sees Iggy-inspired frontman Larry May stage-diving, cutting himself with broken bottles, spitting on the crowd, setting instruments afire, and generally performing acts of old-school mayhem. Thanks to May's throat-tearing passion, "This is rock 'n' roll /the only music I'll ever need" rings as anthem-true now as it did 25 years ago. Darby Crash, Stiv Bators, and Johnny Thunders may have gone and left us, but punk 'n' roll will never die.