Death :...For All the World to See
2009
Drag City Records
Format I Own it on: Vinyl
Track Listing: 1. Keep on Knocking 2. Rock-N-Roll Victim 3. Let the World Turn 4. You're a Prisoner 5. Freakin Out 6. Where Do We Go from Here??? 7. Politicians in My Eyes
Early recordings, dating back to 1975, from Florida Death-Metal legends Death...Many of these sessions predating the band's 1987 debut "Scream Bloody Gore"...
Huh? Wrong band? Alright, let me start over...
I had read the reviews and was very interested in checking out "...For All the World to See," by some unknown Detroit band from the early 70's called Death, but I never really got around to it...One day I was scrolling through Netflix and ran across the 2012 documentary, "A Band Called Death."
I loved the documentary and recommend it to anybody. As compelling as I found Found the human interest story, ultimately it was the damn music that blew me away...I could not process what I was hearing! There was this song called "Freakin Out" that sounded like 80's hardcore...But it was written in 1974 and recorded in 1975?, well before the Ramones or anybody had released a record...So I immediately bought a vinyl copy at Eastside Records, tossed it on my turntable that night and tossed back a few colds...
Immediately, I was saddened and dismayed that I hadn't been rocking out to "Keep On Knockin" my entire life...I was robbed of 30-something precious years where I could have been blasting that song every Friday night! Curse you record companies of the 1970's with your Peter Framptons and your Debbie Boones!! Why didn't anybody sign Death?!?! Why did Clive-freakin'-Davis turn them down because of their name?!?! Curse you!!!!
Oh well, better late than never I guess...If there' one good thing about the internet, it's endless free porn...If there's two good things about it, it's that all kinds of old, forgotten gems are being dug up and polished in beautiful vinyl packages for me to buy(I guess that somewhat offsets the internet's accomplishment of pretty much destroying new music...). Anyway, "Keep On Knockin" is a thing of pure beauty...The perfect mix of windmill-worthy arena rock guitar heroics and punk ferocity...And check out that mighty chorus for "Politicians in My Eyes"...You must pump your fist in the air! You must hold your can of beer on high! Worship almighty Death! Worship them!!!
Really, every song is here is great...Even if it starts out wimpy and diffuse ("Let the World Turn") it eventually gets around to rocking like crazy...And I think it's safe to say that the chorus of "You're a Prisoner" is the first hardcore break-down...I guess if I had to pick a weak spot, it'd be "Rock-N-Roll Victim," which never develops a memorable melody, but even so, I love that speedy riff and lightning quick hi-hat hits...
Fuck it, it's all good...If you have any interest whatsoever in proto-punk bands like the MC5 or Stooges, you've got to check this out...Don't deprive yourself of this...Stick it to Clive-freakin'-Davis...
Listen to "Keep On Knockin"...You will believe...
Death: III
2014
Drag City Records
Format I Own it on: Vinyl
Track Listing: 1. Introduction by David 2. North Street 3. Open Road 4. We Are Only People 5. Restlessness 6. Free 7. Yes He's Coming 8. First Snowfall in Detroit 9. We're Gonna Make It
There was another Death album that came in-between "...For All the World to See" and "III" called "Spiritual • Mental • Physical" that I still haven't picked up, despite the amazing cover...
But the cheapest copy I've been able to find runs about $19.00 and there's just no way I'm paying that much...But if I ever find something in the $10-$15 range, I'll be sure to snag it and write a post on it then...
"Death III" (and from what I've heard of "Spiritual • Mental • Physical") is a much different release than "...For All the World to See," in that it's a bunch of loose demos and jams from various time frames, so don't go in expecting the tight, concise punch of that groundbreaking album..."III" is more rewarding in a "big picture" way...
"...For All the World to See" presented us with a band out of time, on that had somehow seen the glories of raw, primal punk rock and reported it back to the early-mid 70's via a filler-free 7-song masterpiece recorded in a monumental session in a real-deal recording studio...It was a single magic moment caught on tape...The recording dates for "III" take place in random locales over three decades...
From the 70's we get a couple of lo-fi recordings...One is a brief guitar instrumental intro from David, and the other ("Free") is a drumless sketch where David's flanged guitar threatens to swallow the vocals entirely..."We Are Only People" starts out a lot like "Let the World Turn"...Same despondent guitar figure accompanying a desolate vocal, but whereas "Let the World Turn" eventually erupted into molten rock, this one gives way to a funky strut, making it an interesting companion piece...However, my favorite of the 70's sessions turns out to be the unassuming guitar instrumental "First Snowfall in Detroit" that effectively conveys the mood of a long-faded Polaroid of a cold Detroit street corner in the 70's...
And to round things off, a couple of David Hackney's final recordings made in 1992..."Yes He's Coming" is a bizarre gospel rock track, but "We're Gonna Make It" is the highpoint here...So optimistic, with charming touches like that synth-y sitar line and triumphant horns...As the film makes clear, David was always the one who always believed in Death and was confident that one day people were gonna come around, and as it turns out, he was right...We can take comfort that if he didn't necessarily live to see the band's belated success, you can hear it in this song that he already knew it was going to happen...It was a foregone conclusion to him...His confidence was well-founded, because let's face it, Death ruled...A great way to top off their discography (assuming the claims that this is the final release of archival Death recordings is true)...
Again, I wouldn't start with "III"...Definitely check out "..For All the World to See" first...That was their indisputably their moment....But for the archive-fiends and those who want a closer look behind the curtain, it's a good listen...
Here's "North Street" by Death...Enjoy...
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