Read about classic albums produced by main stream artists, underground bands, and independent musicians.
Page: 001
Beastie Boys - "Licensed to Ill"
By The Bear[Rated 7x]
Ever since 1980, when Blondie became the first white group to have a hit single with a rap in it (the single was “Rapture” and it appears on the Autoamerican album) it was inevitable that eventually an all white group would make a successful hip-hop album. That finally happened in 1986 when the Beastie Boys, under the watchful eye of Rick Rubin and Def Jam Records, released the now legendary Licensed to Ill. Jimmy G. of Murphy’s Law, the band that opened for the Beasties during the early part of the “Ill” tour, told me that the album blew up so fast that a tour that had been scheduled for bars and clubs had to be hastily moved to theaters and arenas.
There’s not much I can say about this album that hasn’t already been said elsewhere (and probably better than I could say it), but there is this: a through-line can be drawn from this record to the records that the Beasties did BEFORE this one, and they all have one very important thing in common: they were all meant to be fun. 1982’s Pollywog Stew, made when the band was still a hardcore punk band, and 1983’s transitional Cooky Puss e.p. were records where the artists were obviously not taking themselves seriously, and didn’t expect their listeners to do so either. All that was demanded was that the fan have a good time. Licensed To Ill, regardless of what detractors may say, is exactly the same in that regard, especially when you consider tracks like "Rhymin & Stealin," "The New Style," "She's Crafty," "Girls," "Brass Monkey," "Time to Get Ill," and especially the ever popular "Fight For Your Right." Musically, this album is fun, just fun, and lots of fun. Lyrically this record is very silly indeed — and that’s why it works even after all of these years. In hindsight it’s quite obvious the boys were joking and playing, and yet in 1986 there were a lot of people who were incredibly offended by a lot of this album. If that seems hard to believe now then the question must be asked if the album is still worthwhile? The answer, as I’ve already made clear, is yes. It’s fast, fun, funny, loud, and, believe it or not, still dangerous because quite a lot of the lyrics have gotten quite politically incorrect since the 1980s (case in point: what band would dare release a track like “Girls” (#6) today?)
Yes, the Beasties were accused of being white plunderers of rap, and all of that, and yes, “Fight For Your Right” set off a million frat parties and spawned a host of bad imitators. For the Beasties themselves, however, it seems pretty obvious that when they made this album it was party time. It’s still party time today.
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Before the pompadoured wonder Morrissey graced the stage as a solo act, he belonged to the band The Smiths. Say the name The Smiths, and someone, at least someone with good taste in music, will raise an eyebrow and smile. What about this band would cause anyone to do anything but smile? Morrissey and Marr are an even better combo than PB&J or chips and dip. The songs and sounds of The Smiths may have left a mark on the landscape of the 80’s music scene, but deeper than that, the lyrics to their songs can evoke a variety of emotions. On the surface, a Smiths song may sound like a fun little ditty, but a deeper listen will milk the core out of the brilliant lyrics and masterful musicianship. Take “Girlfriend in a Coma” for instance. The title is tragic, but the tune is lively. The lyrics are heart wrenching, but the delivery makes you want to snap your fingers and tap your toes. Who else could make a song about impending death so multifaceted? Only the Smiths.
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Songs to learn, sing, and love: Echo and the Bunnymen
By Dallas[Rated 7x]
Album Review: Echo and the Bunnymen/Songs to Learn and Sing
Echo and the Bunnymen, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated bands of all time. Oh these kids today, too bad many of them wouldn’t know cool music if slapped them in their emo hairdos. This album, containing such melodic wonders as “Rescue” and “Killing Moon”, has been one of my favorites since I was in jr. high, looking to define myself amongst my punk rock peers. Echo and the Bunnymen’s claim to underground fame came when they covered the Doors hit “People are Strange” on the 80’s vampire film the Lost Boys. After that, the Bunnymen faded into the darkness while only the true fans stood by their side. This album, in my humble opinion, contains some of the best songs that the band offers. The songs vary from upbeat rhythms such as “The Cutter” to more somber songs such as “Bring on the Dancing Horses”. Anyone with an affinity for 80’s music would like Echo and the Bunnymen as would anyone with an affinity for good music in general.
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Germs - (MIA) The Complete Anthology
By The Bear[Rated 29x]
In light of the release of the movie What We Do is Secret, the dramatization of the Germs’ history, it seems appropriate to go back and see if the Germs’ actual music still holds up 30 years after the first wave of Los Angeles Punk. The Germs, of course, were known for being one of the most outrageous bands in the early L.A. scene and it’s been said that they rarely got through a full show without it turning into riotous chaos. Lead singer Darby Crash would encourage the audience to throw food at the stage and then various and sundry bizarre things would happen – well the written histories of L.A. Punk are full of stories about the Germs’ antics. And of course it all tragically ended when Darby overdosed on heroin in December 7, 1980, a death that would be overshadowed one day later when John Lennon was assassinated.
But the point of all this is ask the question “does the Germs actual work still hold up today?” The best place to find that out is by listening to (MIA) The Complete Anthology which collects all of the officially released Germs tracks, including their one full-length album GI in its entirety, as well as the later tracks recorded for the Cruising soundtrack, and other gems. Upon listening to the album one time you will realize that the Germs’ work is still available for a reason; it’s really good and it doesn’t sound dated or tame by today’s standards. In fact it still crackles with an energy and an anger that a lot of bands today can only dream of.
You might not think that from the album’s first two tracks: the Forming single made up of “Forming” and a live version of “Sex Boy.” “Forming” simply drones on and on in a seemingly endless manner (actually it’s three minutes), something that Darby himself is aware of even though he keeps (relatively) in time on his vocals, because at the end of the track he insults the song, the band that made the song, and anyone who would buy it. Interestingly the very last track on MIA is a re-recording of “Forming,” dubbed “Forming 2," which is only half as long as the original. Is it better? That’s a matter of opinion.
“Forming’s” B side, “Sex Boy,” is even more bizarre. It was recorded live at an early Germs show and is by far the most hilarious track on the record. It’s only two minutes and fifteen seconds long, but wow! Almost from the start Darby can be heard swearing at the audience and apparently trying to attack people. You can hear bottles breaking and at one point someone in the audience is heard yelling “Stay away!” Somewhere around one minute and ten seconds Darby stops even trying to sing and one can only wonder what exactly he was doing after that, although you can sometimes hear him yelling, and then the occasional scream from an audience member. Somehow the rest of the band continues to play and when the song ends there’s loud applause mixed in with people yelling “Boo!” and “Get off the stage!”
If that was all there ever was to the Germs they might still be remembered today since their antics were legendary. Nicole Panter, their own manager during the bulk of their existence as a group, writes in the album liner notes that “no matter how hard we tried, not once in that time did we have a live show come off without some major disaster happening” (Nicole Panter, from the MIA liner notes). However it isn’t the whole story to the Germs. Somehow they went from being a joke band to being a real band. They got much better at playing their instruments and singing, and they tightened up so much as a unit that one almost wouldn’t have known them for the same band at the end by the time, GI, their one full-length album, was released in 1979.
The first signs of this can be heard in tracks 3, 4, and 5, which make up the Lexicon Devil e.p., consisting of the title track, “Circle One,” and “No God.” From the first notes of this earlier version of “Lexicon Devil” (which is longer than the GI version) the band is markedly better as musicians, and Darby is keeping much better time on his vocals with the music.
However the full revelation of the band’s quality finally comes with track 6, “What We Do is Secret,” which kicks off GI. All of GI is included here, going from tracks 6 through 21 on MIA. The Germs’ best known classics are all here including, in addition to “Secret,” such gems as “Communist Eyes,” Richie Dagger’s Crime,” the faster version of “Lexicon Devil,” “We Must Bleed,” “Media Blitz,” “Let’s Pretend,” and “Shut Down (Annihilation Man)” to name some of them.
Musically GI still packs a powerful punch; from the very first you can hear the hard-charging energy and anger of it. You can hardly hear the first notes of any of these songs and not feel a powerful urge to start running towards a mosh pit into which you will then take a flying leap with legs and fists stretched out ahead of you to do damage. There are riffs here that still have bite – most notably the famous opening riffs of “Richie Dagger’s Crime” which strongly resemble an overly caffeinated person trembling from trying not to explode. The underlying rhythmic pace on a lot of the songs is of someone running really fast, and, considering the lyrical content, probably trying to run away from something rather than towards it.
The lyrics of the GI songs have a lot of elements in common. A running theme in Germs’ songs was of lies and pretense. The image of someone lost in a world in which a lot of things are not real crops up again and again. Nowhere is this more true than in “Let’s Pretend” one of the oldest songs on GI (it’s the only song from GI to appear on the hilariously awful Germicide record of the Germs’ first performance in 1977, but that album is a whole other story). The chorus of “Let’s Pretend” says it all:
Then there’s “Media Blitz” which lyrically anticipates the digital age of surveillance and the passive viewer. And the reaction to all that can be seen in “We Must Bleed” with the song ending with the Darby repeating “I want out” over and over again, eventually stopping while the music continues for another minute, as if he got lost in currents he couldn’t control.
This, of course, brings me to the other big theme in the Germs’ lyrics, which is of impending death, although that doesn’t really come front and center until we get to the tracks that were made after GI, mostly for the Cruising soundtrack, although only one of these songs, “Lions Share,” actually made it on to that record. The other five songs recorded in those sessions are “My Tunnel,” “Throw It Away,” “Not All Right,” Now I Hear the Laughter,”, and “Going Down.” These songs are even darker than the Gi tracks, and with the 20/20 vision of hindsight one can well believe that Darby was predicting his own demise here.
Whether he was or not the Germs certainly did create a body of work that has stood the test of time, at least in Punk Rock. After all these years the songs are still raw and gritty, even a bit shocking at times. They haven’t dated; they don’t sound “70s” Punk. Neither do they sound as if they were recorded later on. They’re basic enough to have been created at any time, and hard enough to continue to pack a punch even now. That’s why the collected work of the Germs remains a vital part of Punk Rock today, and this album shows it. An important record for any Punk to have, it also makes you wonder what the Germs might have achieved if Darby had lived a longer life.
(ADDENDUM: Of course the other test of the quality of a song is how it well stands up in performance, even long after the original singer is gone. This article was started before I went to the 2008 Warped Tour on Aug. 17. At that time I had not seen Shane “Wreck” West who plays Darby Crash in the Germs movie and who has since been inducted into the Germs by the surviving original members of the band. They were playing that day and I made a point of seeing them. For a perspective on that, and how it relates to the quality of the Germs’ work, I refer you to my review of that show over on the Show Reviews page.)
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My Girl has the beat and lyrics you can’t resist to smile or maybe even sing about. If this song doesn’t make you do a thing then I don’t know what would. The song is how a guy expresses his love about his girl and all the great things he thinks about her on a daily basis. I bet his girlfriend’s heart melted when she heard this song, because what girl could resist true feelings along with great music.
The truth is out, Beauty Is Only Skin Deep, even though guys do like a good-looking women when it comes down to the nitty gritty of a serious relationship it’s the personality that wins the race of emotion. Not always does the pretty face alone win. There are many of us that are lucky to find a woman with both a gorgeous appearance and the best personality so we should cherish that.
I’m Loosing You is showing how things are changing in the relationship, lips cold, touch is plain, the sense of another man in her life. Things that would make a guy think of things and to try not to think of it they make themselves assume it’s not true. I would think everyone has gone through this misfortune at least once in a single lifetime, it happens, its life.
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America the Beautiful makes me proud to be an American shows what we have done and what being an American is all about. We should all love where we live and show our support.
Imagine asks what if there was no heaven; imagine all the people without God imagine life without the moral base on which all of us base our daily living on. John Lennon also sang this song which was always my personal favorite.
In the song My God and I, no matter what Ray went through, the everyday of life’s hardships as well as the war he expresses how he overcame everything because of his God.
Overall this album brought up my American spirit, making me think more wonderful thoughts about where I live, what people have been through just to make it this way. Yes not everyone has this optimistic point of view but as long as I know I do and try to make others see it then I’m doing my job. Life’s gifts and pleasures are all around us we just need to open our minds, our hearts, and our view about other people. Make friends, make laughter, make your life better.
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In the early 1990’s a copy of a copy of a cassette tape made its way from Long Beach to Las Vegas. It was grainy, it was sun warped, but it sounded sublime. This tape became an underground secret. It was copied again and again until its original origin was untraceable.
Soon the entire Vegas Valley was singing along to the songs “Scarlet Begonias”, “Don’t Push” and many others off of Sublime’s latest EP. The reggae infused rock paired with the lead singer Bradley’s smooth vocals brought a little taste of sun, sand, and sea to the arid Sin City desert.
As the sacred tape made its way through the valley and as copy after copy was made, a fan base grew. This Vegas fan base was lucky enough to not only listen to the songs on 40 oz. to Freedom, but to see them played live.
The first visit from Sublime was a North Las Vegas Elk’s Lodge. Five bucks for live music…what a bargain. Fans got exactly that. Discount music. The band had spent a few to many hours enjoying .99 margaritas that day and could barely stand up to play the show. Needless to say, after the drummer threw up, the show was over. Was Sin City’s fascination with Sublime over? Not hardly.
The 2nd visit from Sublime redeemed the first one and made everyone fall in love again with the songs of 40oz. to Freedom. Playing a small, standing room only venue, a sober Sublime brought down the house with “Waiting for my Ruca” and the Bad Religion cover, ”We’re Only Gonna Die…”. Every member of that audience ditched their dubbed copy for their very own genuine copy. Vegas fans weren’t the only ones. Sales of the album were up all over the West Coast. Sublime had arrived.
Its been 16 years since I got my copy of 40oz. to Freedom, and to this day it is still a road trip and house party favorite. Cassettes have been upgraded to ipod downloads, but the music is still the same. Mellow, poetic, and full of California dreamin’. Sublime is exactly that.
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The Mamas And Papas (The 20th Century Masters Album)
By Lucky[Rated 63x]
Overall: This band of four, Denny Doherty, John Phillips and his wife Michelle Phillips and Cass Elliot was last but not least, is all about romance, from loving everyday with her, to the heartbreak and the needing of getting over the one lover and her finding someone new/better. A lot of the songs are positive and shows people they can be optimistic as well.
Songs In More Detail:
Monday, Monday-Most of the time people hate Mondays and more hate Monday mornings most of all. But this song shows an optimistic view of Mondays. Looking forward to Mondays for enjoyment and happiness because everyday in love is a great day. Not only do Mondays bring happiness but so does every other day when your in love.
Dedicated To The One I Love- The pain that we get when our lover is away and not with us takes a tole on us. This song is dedicated to the one I love just as the title says. “Whisper a little prayer for me baby, yeah…” shows how much one wishes for their loved one to be present.
Look Through My Window- This song is the explanation of the heartbreak of a loved on changing and the one lobe you had finding someone new to love. But he feels it wont be hard for her to find someone because of how great she is. Letting go is the best choice.
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ABBA (Kickin' Back Old School)
By Lucky[Rated 19x]
ABBA started off their career by winning a Swedish Eurovision Song Contest starting the year 1972. The group of four consisted of Benny Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Frida for short., and last but not least Agnetha Fältskog. They were highly rated on charts during the decade of 70’s-80’s. The name ABBA came from all first letters the members’ first name creating the acronym A.B.B.A. Their songs caught the worlds attention with there simple yet enjoyable sound. ABBA was the first pop group to come from mainland Europe and were a big success in the United States.
The 20th Century Masters ABBA Album takes you was back, the type of music that brings up hopes and makes people want to dance. Also the lyrics could relate as to how people felt, the simple cry for help in, S.O.S. Picture and 80’s school dance I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do plays as your grab your gal in the puffy dress. Kicking back old school, getting back to the movie type romances, where things seemed more perfect.This album is a great album because it takes you back to the past makes you appreciate good music and where it came from. The song Mamma Mia, would have been a song that all the girls probably would have gone nuts over and probably loved to sing it because it explains the way teenage girls might have felt towards their heartbreakers. An upcoming movie called, “Mamma Mia” brings back the timeless lyrics, the happy smiles, and the simple appreciation for music of ABBA this summer.
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MDC "Magnus Dominus Corpus"
By Andrew Ridley[Rated 34x]
This is mdc's first studio release in 11 years, making this the twelfth album they have released since 1979 (counting the submissives). Mdc is a hardcore punk band originally from austin texas. Lyrically they draw influences from bands like the dead kennedys, crass, dri, and many many other punk rock bands that are heavily into politics. Their new album is no different. The only real difference is in the sound quality being better than that of their previous efforts. They are still angry, and they still play about as fast as they can. This album is chock full of songs about dubya, the planet being destroyed, blink 182 and good charlotte, cops, nazis, more cops, and even a song about our founding fathers. Nothing is sacred and that is how it should be. Some of my favorite songs on here are the sillier sounding songs .... Nazis shouldn't drive ... Its just funny. Its especially fun to sing along with it at a show ... And recorded it is fine too! Another would be the ballad of g.w. It is set to the sounds of the classic beverly hillbillies sound track ... How fitting. "next thing you know, lil georgie goes to yale, he cant spell his name, but they never let him fail" it is gold. If you like mdc already, you will not be disappointed with this one. Its not another millions of dead cops, but its impossible to replicate something like that. If you have never heard them, what are you waiting for? Mdcpunk.com mdc-rocks.com
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Operation Ivy was a 4 piece ska/punk band active from about 1987 to 1989. Op Ivy consisted of Jesse Michaels on vocals, Tim Armstrong (at that time known as “Lint”) on vocals and guitar, Matt Freeman on bass, and Dave Mello on drums. Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman may be better recognized as members of Rancid. While Operation Ivy was definitely a precursor to Rancid, this young band from Berkley has absolutely proven to be an inspirational musical root in both the ska and punk genre. Seedy was released in 1996 as a collection of unreleased recordings. The album contains 11 tracks of awesome ska and punk variation. In play order, these tracks are 01 Healthy Body Sick Mind, 02 Someday, 03 Plea For Peace, 04 Troublebound, 05 Uncertain, 06 Hangin Out, 07 Left Behind, 08 Old Friendships, 09 Hedgecore, 10 Steppin Out, 11 The End. Many tracks by Operation Ivy, not only on this CD but on various other albums as well, are combinations of multiple Op Ivy songs. These kids were purely about jamming out, relentlessly focused on creating the music that they loved. Anyone familiar with Tim Armstrong’s scratchy style guitar riffs and Matt Freeman’s incredible bass lines would recognize the talent that these kids displayed. Beyond their natural instrumental talents, the lyrical content of Operation Ivy’s songs was no less than amazing. Considering that these kids were teenagers during the existence of the band, their lyrics were amazingly insightful targeting main stream America and the visible descent of society in terms of value and integrity while promoting a sense of social justice that the global community tends to overlook. Personally, Operation Ivy is my favorite band as a result of their intense approach toward promoting a truly powerful perspective of the world from youthful eyes accompanied by truly inspirational musical talent. Operation Ivy should be respected as one of music’s great inspirational roots. Anyone who has never heard Op Ivy or just isn’t very familiar with the band should really look up a few songs and maybe do a little more research on what they were about.
You can find out more about Operation Ivy by going to www.operationivy.com.
Operationivy.com has an mp3 page where you can check out each track on just about all of their albums.
Op Ivy played under Lookout! Records however Seedy was released under the Karma Kredit label.
"We sat back and laughed, ignored by the world we attacked
Everything seemed so fake and plastic, you were so cool and sarcastic
You looked over your shoulder and I was always there
We went easy and stepped lightly in a world so different from us" Op Ivy, Old Friendships
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Steven "Jesse" Bernstein - Prison
By Richard [Rated 58x]
Steven Jesse Bernstein was a drug addled mentally ill monster of a poet, channeling his rage and pain into word to feel okay in his day to day life. His poetry, though often very grim and vulgar, was Bernstein's way of confronting the reality of his situations in a way that showed others like him that there was someone else with feelings one may be too afraid to say in polite society. He described himself as "...a war correspondent, and sent his dispatches from Hell to shake up the souls of the over-comfortable", and that he was, as a gifted spokesman for the outcast and insane of the streets.
The details of his real life were a bit hazy. From what people have been able to understand, he was born in Los Angeles, was declared mentally insane and placed into state care at an asylum, and eventually made his way to Seattle. In the 80's and early 90's, he made his way to Seattle and established a life within the city’s art scene. This album was a small taste of his infamous live spoken word shows. Noted regulars of Steven "Jesse" Bernstein's spoken word/poetry shows included Kurt Cobain and director Oliver Stone. His live shows in Seattle were known to be wild occasions where Bernstein would read poetry like a mad man and throw anything from beer bottles to his own wallet at hecklers and admirers alike.
Originally meant to be performed live in front in a prison housing special offenders, it was instead turned into a studio recording with slight jazz and ambient music to punctuate mood due to the inability to record at the prison. During the music arrangement of the album Bernstein, filled with near constant pain due to a lifelong illness, coupled with his mental illnesses, took his life shortly before the album was released. The result is the only recording of Bernstein's poetry, which range from esoteric beat poetry to ultra descriptive ten minute long stories of how his hatred of his own face and identity caused him to go insane as a young boy. His use of flow and description are multifaceted, fast paced, and will leave a divisive split of those who cannot stand to hear him drone on, or those who are enamored with his at times frank, uncensored, darkly humored, and always all too real perspective.
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Minor Threat – Complete Discography
By The Bear[Rated 177x]
What can be said about Minor Threat that hasn’t already been said many times over from many different sources? Yes, they were a great punk / hardcore band; yes, their songs were full of furious punk energy; yes, they’ve had an enormous influence on bands that came after them. But what the question about their music really comes down to "how well has their work held up after all of these years?" And the answer is – superbly well actually. "Complete Discography" collects all of their releases from their all too brief existence onto one disc, and it’s an amazing collection of primal hardcore punk. These are the tracks that launched thousands of hardcore bands, inspired the straight-edge movement, and have influenced just about every punk band to follow. However, unlike many of their descendents, these tracks have staying power; Minor Threat was simply a better band as a band than most, and their work survives today because of it. Minor Threat remains a standard against which many hardcore bands, whether straight-edge or not, are measured, and these tracks show quite clearly why that is. The songs vary, including the raw fury of songs like "I Don’t Wanna Hear It," "Seeing Red," "Screaming at a Wall," and "Bottled Violence" to name a few, to more pointed, even issue oriented songs like "Guilty of Being White," "Out of Step," and the eponymous "Straight Edge," to the slightly more introspective songs in the second half of the album like "Betray," "Look Back and Laugh," and the album’s closer "Salad Days." One of the interesting things about having all of Minor Threat’s tracks gathered together this way (Tracks 1-8 were originally released as the "Minor Threat" e.p., tracks 9 & 10 were released on the "Flex Your Head" comp., tracks 11-14 were released as the "In My Eyes" e.p., tracks 15-23 make up the "Out of Step" Record, and tracks 24-26 come from the "Salad Days" single) is that you get to see how the band develops musically. The earliest tracks are much rawer simpler than what comes later. One really gets a sense that they are developing into better musicians as time goes on. It’s not really all that surprising that Ian Mackaye, the band’s leader and one of its main songwriters, later went on to form Fugazi.
No self-respecting punk should be without this album. More punk bands have covered Minor Threat tracks than probably any other punk band, and, as this record shows, there’s a good reason for that.
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Black Flag - The First Four Years
By The Bear[Rated 144x]
Black Flag’s "The First Four Years" is exactly what its title says it is - a collection of Black Flag’s first three E.P.s and a few other songs from the early days. All of these tracks are from the years before Henry Rollins joined the band and document the band’s early development through its various line-up changes (especially with the vocalists) and stylistic evolution.
This is album made up of several important punk e.p.s. The first four tracks are especially noteworthy as they make up the "Nervous Breakdown" e.p., which is one of the most important releases from early L.A. Punk, (and even punk in general) as it had a huge impact on the scene. The title track alone is considered a classic punk anthem nowadays and other bands often cover it (with Gallows’ cover of it on their "Orchestra of Wolves" album earlier this year being the most recent high profile version). Even today it still sounds like a shot of punk fury stunning you into submission. The other three tracks from the e.p. are "Fix Me," "I’ve Had It" (which has a killer raw guitar riff, and "Wasted." The lead singer for this first record is Keith Morris, who later left Black Flag to form the Circle Jerks. Not many people outside of L.A. saw him with Black Flag, which is a shame because he was said to be the most entertaining of the band’s singers on the stage (if not necessarily the best vocalist they ever had). Anyway the "Nervous Breakdown" record is one that is already discussed in punk history books and has earned its place in the seminal punk canon (whatever that may be).
Tracks 5-9 comprise the "Jealous Again" e.p., which features Chavo on lead vocals (and Chuck Dukowski singing track 9). There is a noticeable hardening in the musical sound with these tracks that continues on through the rest of the album as the band continues its development over the years. This section contains such songs as "Jealous Again," "Revenge," "White Minority," "No Values," and "You Bet We’ve Got Something Personal Against You!"
Tracks 10-16 are all sung by Dez Cadena, Chavo’s successor as lead singer, and Rollins’ predecessor, with track 10 being from the "Cracks in the Sidewalk" comp., 11-13 comprising the "Six Pack" e.p., and 15-16 being the "Louie Louie" single. This section is particularly notable for early versions of the songs "Six Pack" and "Damaged I," which both appeared later on the "Damaged" LP with Rollins on vocals.
As a whole this album is a great portrait of the early Black Flag, showing clearly the band’s musical development and increasingly harsh sound.. Even Rollins once said that this was his favorite Black Flag album. No Black Flag collection is truly complete without it.
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The Vandals - Peace Through Vandalism / When in Rome Do as the Vandals
By The Bear[Rated 127x]
If you’ve never heard these first two records by the Vandals then you can’t say you know the whole story about this band. Like most fans I became familiar with the group through the work that they’ve done since their line-up stabilized in 1989 – the familiar one that features Dave Quackenbush, Joe Escalante, Warren Fitzgerald, and Josh Freese. But the Vandals existed as a band for almost a decade before that, and these records are from that time. The first six tracks make up the six song e.p. "Peace Thru Vandalism" which was released in 1982 by Epitaph Records (in fact it’s the very first official Epitaph release). Tracks 7-17 make up the first LP, "When in Rome Do as the Vandals" which came out in 1985. The only member of the 1989 line-up who was in the band at the time is Joe Escalante. The vocalist in those days was Stevo, and you’ll hear him on these tracks in all his hard-edged glory.
In fact this whole collection tends to be a lot harder edged than the later, more familiar, Vandals. I would never have thought in this day and age that the Vandals could shock me, but several years ago, when I heard some of the songs on this record for the first time my jaw dropped. Some of these songs are really out there (even for the Vandals), and a couple of them are very violent. Of course the time when this record first came out is a lot closer to the time of the first wave of Los Angeles Punk, and the spirit of that time infuses a lot of this record, especially the "Peace Thru Vandalism" part. This record quickly became my favorite Vandals record.
The first six tracks contain an unforgettable set of classics, from "Wanna Be Manor" (track 1) which starts things off in a really rundown squatter’s house (the likes of which gutter punks the world over will still recognize today), through to the "Anarchy Burger" (track 6) a real skewering of punk anarchy pretensions that the band still performs (and which has one of the greatest sets of comedic punk lyrics I have ever heard in "America stands for freedom / but if you think you’re free / try walking into a deli / and urinating on the cheese!" — pure punk genius). Other songs from the e.p. include "Urban Struggle" (track 2) about the fighting between country fans and punk fans of the time, "The Legend of Pat Brown" (track 3), "Pirate’s Life" (track 4). and the very shocking "H.B. Hotel" (track 5) which begins as a cover of "Heartbreak Hotel" but quickly morphs into a song in which the singer sings about torturing and killing his ex-girlfriend.
"When In Rome…." gets under way with track 7, the famous "Ladykiller" which is an early punk/hip-hop crossover song (in fact it predates the Beastie Boys’ "License to Ill" by at least a year). Other standouts on the LP include "Birthday Bash" (track 8), about the birthday party from hell (sometimes called "Bad Birthday Bash") when the Vandals come to perform at fan’s birthday party, bringing a bunch of their friend with them who the proceed to destroy the fan’s house; "Big Brother vs. Johnny Sak" (track 10), a metaphorical political tract; "Mohawk Town" (track 11), a parody of the western showdown, only this time the showdown is between punks and skinheads, "Airstream" (track 16), about life on the road, and the closer "Rico" (track 17) about life in Hollywood.
The whimsey and comedy of the Vandals is already very evident on this record, although it would be refined in later years. At this time, however, the comedy is mixed with a much harder edge, and the result is a punk album that still sounds vital even after more than 20+ years.
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Third Eye Blind's self titled first album hit the shelves of stores everywhere on April 8, 1997 on Elektra Records. It's been over a decade since there first hit played on radio stations across the United States. Many first heard Semi-Charmed Life on local radio stations and it instantly became a hit. Third Eye Blind came out of nowhere and many people had never heard Third Eye Blind before Semi-Charmed Life was played on everyone's radio and tape-deck players. This self-titled album also had other popualr hits that many still know and love for instance; Graduate, How's It Going to Be and my personal favorite Jumper. In my opinion this was one of the best albums of the nineties and an album that has lasting power foe ages to come!
Overall, I give this album 4.5 out of 5
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This is the second (and later) of two versions of the Clash’s ferociously seminal debut album. This is the U.S. version (as so noted), released only in the U.S. and about two years after the UK version. Actually of the 15 tracks here ten of them: “I’m So Bored With the USA” (2), “Remote Control” (3), “White Riot” (5), “London’s Burning” (7), “Janie Jones” (9), “Career Opportunities” (10), “What’s My Name” (11), “Hate and War” (12), “Police and Thieves” (13), and “Garageland” (15) appear on both. Specific to this version are “Clash City Rockers (1), “Complete Control” (4), “White Man in Hammersmith Palais” (6), “I Fought the Law” (8), and “Jail Guitar Doors” (14), all of which were singles and B sides in the UK.
Regardless of which version you have this is one of the most important Punk albums ever released. If you want to know what first wave British Punk at its most ferocious best was like this is the place to come. Yes, the Sex Pistols get the lion’s share of the attention, but the Clash were much more accomplished musicians. As Stephen Erlewine notes in his review of this record at allmusic.com, “Though the cliché about punk rock was that the bands couldn’t play, the key to the Clash is that although they gave that illusion, they really could play — hard.”
This record has a lot of classics, some of which are still (and rightfully) covered today by other bands. The prototypically fast and furious “White Riot” (5), which has inspired many an old-school and oi! band to try to write similar (and usually inferior) standard mosh songs, was famously covered by the Dropkick Murphys, and Defiance covered the seminal “London’s Burning” (7) (changing the location to Portland), which remains one of the tightest angry Punk songs ever written. Other gems include “I’m So Bored With the USA,” which in recent years has been (unfortunately) increasingly relevant again; just update the location names in the lyrics and you’ll see why. Also 3 and 4 (the “Control” songs), track 8, which is a cover of “I Fought the Law (and the Law Won)” which still gets played on the radio today, tracks 6, 9, 10…. well all right, there are NO bad tracks on this record. And how often can one say that about an album?
For people familiar mainly with later, more polished, Clash albums like “Combat Rock” and “London’s Calling” this record is going to be a bit of a shock. It is much rawer and more direct; the production values are not as high, and the songs are simpler (musically) than a lot of their later work. However, that is as it should be; this was first wave British Punk at its best, and polish would have detracted from the sheer anger of the effort. However the true mark of this record, and the songs on it, is that they’ve stood the test of time very well. They still sound edgy, angry, and primal today. In fact, there aren’t many bands in the years since the first wave of Punk who have been able to match, let alone top, this early record from the Clash (and not for lack of trying!). That’s Punk!
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