As its title so neatly suggests, “ The Complete Misfits Discography” is essentially an overview of the countless official and unofficial releases by the legendary Misfits that are circulating out there in today’s market as well as those by associated acts such as Danzig, The Undead, Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein, Samhain, Michale Graves, Dr. Chud, Gorgeous Frankenstein, and so on and so forth.

This decent-sized 242-page opus is filled to the brim with information on pretty much every release relating to the Misfits and its rather huge musical family that you can possibly think of, and the best part about the book is that the wonderfully geeky yet skilled writer Mr. Cotter guides us through the history of the band from beginning to end too, thereby placing each release (be it an official or unofficial one) in a larger historical context. In other words, there is a red thread running through it all and the author’s own perspectives on all things Misfits as well as his thoughts on each album and single and so on are often hilarious and make for a great read. Actually, the irony and sarcasm that sneaks in quite often is arguably the most charming part of the piece and there were so many phrases and paragraphs that had me in stitches. Some readers would probably have preferred a more objective and encyclopedic approach to the Misfits discography, but personally, I dig Cotter’s creative style of writing as his enthusiasm and passion with respect to the subject matter shines through on every page, which is certainly commendable. Numerous illustrations, promotional photos, pictures of fliers, rare record sleeves and album artworks are also included, and in most cases they have a story of their own to tell. Another thing that I enjoyed when reading it was that it made me go back and listen to some of the recordings discussed within its pages, which is always a great thing in that you will find yourself either agreeing or disagreeing with the author’s opinions and that might just force you to reevaluate your own perspectives on certain matters or at least making damn sure that you were right from the very beginning. Again, things like that are always a fun exercise for music lovers and fanatics.

As a reference tool (or an extensive catalogue of the wilderness of albums, singles, EPs, tapes, videos, and the likes out there), “The Complete Misfits Discography” is both useful and valuable. Whether it is actually complete or exhaustive I simply cannot say as I am not THAT much of a Misfits connoisseur to authoritatively assess just how complete it truly is. However, it is packed to the rafters with interesting trivia, funny anecdotes, and weird stories, and the thing about this cool little piece of literature is that you can easily digest it in just a few hours. Having said that, chances are that you might not find it all that captivating or impressive unless you are a hardcore fan of the ensemble and perhaps also some of the bands and outfits that belong in the Misfits family tree. As a huge fan of the horror punk pioneers, this one came in quite handy for yours truly and it is worth checking out if you are either a serious collector or simply just looking to start collecting a few Misfits items and need a bit of guidance in that department.

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