"This holiday is yours, but we all share with you the hope that this day
brings us closer to freedom, and to harmony, and to peace. No matter
how different we appear, we're all the same in our struggle against the
powers of evil and darkness. I hope that this day will always be a day
of joy in which we can reconfirm our dedication and our courage. And
more than anything else, our love for one another. This is the promise
of the Tree of Life." ―Princess Leia Organa
Hectic holidays this year! Lots of tragedy and joy intermingled, but here I am, drinking hot buttered rum, watching Riptide and gorging myself on fruitcake...
...So all in all things are good. Merry Christmas everyone! We'll get back to the records after today...
Track Listing: 1. Disappointed 2. Out of Focus 3. What's in a Name 4. You Could've Had Everything 5. Hollow 6. Think for Yourself 7. Just Like You Said 8. Solitaire 9. Best Defense 10. Icons 11. Shame on Me 12. Estranged
face to face chicken out at the fan backlash to "Ignorance is Bliss" and run back into the studio, tails between their legs, to churn out "Reactionary," probably the safest face to face album possible. The whole thing feels like trolling; from the album title, to the first track being called "Disappointed," to the whole gimmick of letting fans determine the track listing online. "Just tell us what you guys want and we'll do it! Yessir!Yessir!"
I remember at the time how rote "Disappointed" seemed. Here was face to face wiping away the last couple of years and going straight back to "Big Choice." Except the results were disconcerting, because if "Big Choice" wasn't exactly a progression from "Don't Turn Away," it was at least a lateral move. Maybe if I had disliked "Ignorance is Bliss," my feelings would have been different...I dunno. It felt insincere.
But as the record goes on, there are actually a lot of good tracks on here. After all, the band had always been excellent craftsmen when it came to hammering out pop-punk and their skills in this department had not deteriorated. "What's In a Name" is an excellent recreation of the"Big Choice" sound and even manages to momentarily capture some of that magic once the chorus hits. "Hollow" and " Just Like You Said " are brave enough to push things into "self-titled" territory, with slightly more melancholy guitarwork. "Just Like You Said" is particularly good with one of those ultra-catchy Trever Keith vocal melodies that propels it to my "best of face to face" mix.
I think your opinion of this album will be colored by your feelings towards "Ignorance is Bliss." If you disliked that album (as many do) and thought the band went too far into alt-rock territory, then "Reactionary" will probably be a huge relief. If you liked "Ignorance is Bliss" (as apparently only I do), then this is going to sound regressive and cowardly. Still, if you like face to face it's hard not to enjoy this record. It's face to face settling on a sound (burly, meat and potatoes melodic punk) and hammering out some catchy tunes. Nothing wrong with that, really...
This is the most recent face to face album I own. At one point, I had a copy of the follow-up "How to Ruin Everything," but it felt like the band had been frozen in a thick-ass slab of carbonite and I lost interest and gave it away or traded it somewhere over the years. I think the band has continued to churn out albums to this very day. If anyone has any recommendations for the later stuff, I'm all ears...
Let's listen to some music. Here's "Just Like You Said"by face to figgity face. Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. Overcome 2. In Harm's Way 3. Burden 4. Everyone Hates a Know-It-All 5. Heart of Hearts 6. Prodigal 7. Nearly Impossible 8. I Know What You Are 9. The Devil You Know (God Is a Man 10. (A)Pathetic 11. Lost 12. Run in Circles 13. Maybe Next Time
Apparently, punk is just a tempo to most people. face to face slow things down and instantly the results are loudly trumpeted as "not punk" by the fans. It's like a burlier version of emo mixed with SoCal pop punk. And the
speedier fare on the album more closely resembles post-punk than
pop-punk. In reality, you could probably double-time the bass and drums on a lot of this and the results would likely sound like the last album. Still, Trever Keith sounds great on those big-lunged, long melodies that a lot of these songs sport.
I don't know. I was kind of expecting the band to do an album like this. This was when emo was breaking through and the pop-punk bands were starting to sound a bit stale to a lot of people. And the previous album already hinted at this direction. I remember buying this during the autumn of '99 and it felt like the right record at the right time. And despite the lackluster first single ("The Devil You Know," which is probably my least favorite song on the album, next to the overly emo-ish closer "Maybe Next Time") I like this album a lot and only see it as a very slight step down.
"Burden," "Everyone Hates a Know-It-All," "Heart of Hearts," and "Nearly Impossible" are all killer tracks, with huge melodies, vocals and a fascinatingly spacious atmosphere. And like the previous album, the pure sound of the record is great. Everything is loud, clear and set for maximum impact. And I have to add "Lost" to the pile of all-time great face to face tracks. It's where this new direction crystallizes and I find myself not missing the skull-rattling speed of "Don't Turn Away" and "Big Choice" at all. I realize I would be perfectly fine with a more mature face to face churning out this kind of material well into their twilight years...
Some copies of this album came with an additional EP called "Why Aren't You Happy?" but I don't have that version. I remember running across it at a Best Buy but I already bought "Ignorance is Bliss" once already and didn't feel like shelling out another $15.00 just to get a four more songs. But the song "Bottle Rockets" from that EP is pretty boss, although I think the choice to include it on a separate EP was a good one, because it sounds a bit more "Big Choice" or self-titled than most of the stuff on "Ignorance is Bliss." I can picture a lot of punks walking around saying, "The only good song on the album is Bottle Rockets!" The rest of the songs on the EP are pretty dispensable though, if you ask me...
Alright, let's listen to some face to face. Here's "Lost." So get lost, eh?
Track Listing: 1. Resignation 2. Walk the Walk 3. Blind 4. Ordinary 5. I Won't Lie Down 6. Can't Change the World 7. Handout 8. Everything's Your Fault 9. Take It Back 10. Complicated 11. Put You in Your Place 12. Falling
The album "face to face" by the band face to face featuring the hit single "face to face." Y'know, as time goes on I appreciate this album more and more. Nowadays when pressed to name my favorite face to face album, I might have to go with this one. Which is weird, because it doesn't feel as jam-packed with stunning hits as the first couple, but the hits that are here hit hard. And they sound fucking fantastic.
Matt Riddle and his rattly bass are gone, which robs the band of one of their most easily recognizable facets but ultimately ends up not hurting things much at all. Scott Shiflett's playing is more fluid and melodic and highlights the songs more. And while the first album had an appealingly scrappy sound, this recording is pretty much an ideal example of how slick, corporate punk should sound. Thick, tough, dark, hard. Not unlike my shlong (sorry).
And I'd name about 3 of these tracks as the best face to face ever laid down. period. (y'know I mean business when I actually write down the word period and not just the punctuation mark). "Blind" is just a nice, simple, effective melody that hits a perfectly melancholy note while featuring some great sounding harmonies. "I Won't Lie Down" is a dense powerhouse that has an unforgettable chorus. I remember this getting some light airplay at the time, but Christalmighty. This should have ruled radio back in '96. Its' failure can only be chalked up to everybody was too busy paying attention to Gravity Kills' masterful "Guilty." Duh.
The big song on here, and in the running for the band's definitive moment, is "Complicated." The perfect face to face chorus. And there's a a section of the song that's so "fuck yea" that it kills me every time I hear it. It's when the song suddenly puts on the breaks and goes into a dark, shadowy, emo-ish alley that is so effective that you kind of forget about the rest of the song. Then suddenly the drums suddenly get a skip in their step, the band winds up and BOOM! That glorious chorus hits in again and it sounds so much more powerful for its extended absence. Just a brilliant arrangement.
Alright, I've got to blow this shithole. But before we go, let's listen to some damn rock. Here's "Complicated" by face to face. Enjoy it while you can...
Sorry about the lack of posts this month. 2016 has been Hell Year and I've been hanging out in hospitals instead of haunting used record stores. I had the rare chance to get to a computer and hack out this message. Hoping things calm down soon and I can resume the Friday Night Record Party in earnest.
Track Listing: 1. Struggle 2. I Know You Well 3. Sensible 4. A-OK 5. You Lied 6. Promises 7. Big Choice 8. It's Not Over 9. Velocity 10. Debt 11. Late 12. Disconnected 13. Bikeage
Another face to face album that I've listened to 10,000,000,000 times and know frontwards, backwards and sideways. This was a big one in my world...I remember I originally bought this on cassette, which looked like this:
The cassette differed slightly from the compact disc that I have now, since the CD has a couple of bonus tracks...There's a skit that appears before this album's obligatory version of "Disconnected" (third album in a row!) that's not on the tape version. There's also a cover of "Bikage" by The Descendents, which is fitting because "Disconnected" is this close to being "Hope" in places...
The confidence these guys had at this time was off the map. Armed with their most powerful version of "Disconnected" yet, you can tell they expected this thing to (rightfully) climb to the top of the charts, no questions asked. And why not? Green Day had managed to top the charts with their gazillion-selling album "Dookie" one year prior. And "Disconnected" is better than any song on "Dookie." This shit is fact. The album even kicks off with a sample of "ONE! TWO! ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" to remind the faithful of past awesome-ness. Get the faithful all juiced up. And to hammer home their mightiness, the sample is attached to the song, "Struggle" which is a marvel of 90's pop-punk. Just wall to wall hooks and energy. Pretty much every song on the album sports a big, burly, killer chorus of some sort. They had this shit down to a science at this point.
As it turned out, it wasn't really a Green Day/Offspring level hit, but it was pretty popular, if I remember correctly. I bought my copy at a K-Mart, if that tells you anything. Try finding a face to face album at a K-Mart or Walmart these days!
I think this album is slightly inferior to "Don't Turn Away," which mainly has to do with the album's sound. If you listen to it back to back with that album, it sounds a little thin and congested. The bass doesn't have that satisfying rattle that it did before. I should probably mention they added a second guitarist at this point, which changes the sound a bit too. It's all a little more detailed and busy. If they were able to capture the brute simplicity of "Don't Turn Away" with this set of songs, I think "Big Choice" might surpass it though. I dunno, hard to say...But with tracks as flawlessly constructed as like "I Know You Well," "Sensible" and "You Lied" it's hard not to speculate.
I'm still amazed at how many top-tier tracks they were able to fit on their first couple records. Again, naming the best song usually ends with me rattling off 9 or 10 songs. The only dud here is "Debt," which is the only track I would think of skipping, with its hammy vocals in the stop and start section. And even that song kinda rules when the chorus rolls around.
All in all, this is just another solid face to face album, showcasing the band right in the midst of their glory years. No struggle here. Nothing but sturdy, well-written, well-performed pop-punk. Let's check some out...Here's "Struggle" by face to face...Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. I Want 2. Nothing New 3. Disconnected 4. A.O.K. 5. I Used to Think 6. Don't Turn Away 7. Not Enough
A little 20 minute stopgap release. Most of this stuff appears elsewhere (the first three tracks appeared on their debut album, and a less boxy version of "A.O.K" will make it to the album, "Big Choice," which would quickly follow this ep). The other three tracks don't appear on any of their other albums and one of them happens to be among my all time favorite face to face songs...
If nothing else, get this for "I Used to Think." Hands down, one of their best tracks: catchy as fuck and makes great use of Trever Keith's big, blustery, melodic vocals. You need this one. The other two aren't anything to sneeze at either. We have "Don't Turn Away"'s missing title track, that makes you wonder why this song wasn't on "Don't Turn Away." It's of roughly the same quality as any other song of that album. Maybe they wrote it after that album? Sort of a "Houses of the Holy" type deal? I dunno.
Oh, this is also where the 2nd version of "Disconnected" appears. I honestly can't really tell these "Over It" versions from the "Don't Turn Away" versions without listening to them back to back. I think they might just be slight remixes or something. The "A.O.K" sounds much different though.
This EP appears to be out of print for some reason, but used copies are still readily available. To me, it brings back a flood of 90's punk memories and it has "I Used to Think" on it. For those reasons, it's essential (to me anyway)...
Let's listen to some music. Here's "I Used to Think" by face to face. Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. You've Done Nothing 2. I'm Not Afraid 3. Disconnected 4. No Authority 5. I Want 6. You've Got a Problem 7. Everything Is Everything 8.I'm Trying 9. Pastel 10. Nothing New 11. Walk Away 12. Do You Care? 13. 1,000 X
Damn, I love this record. I remember back in the early-mid 90's there was a lot of suspicion surrounding this band. There were rumors they were an ex-hair metal band, they would get jeered at festivals by Capital P Punk Purists, etc. They seemed a little too good to be true. They came out of nowhere with a debut that while sporting a raw recording, was so well-tooled, powerful and fully developed that you could imagine it playing on FM radio. Eventually as time wore on and it was apparent these guys weren't a put-on, punks everywhere accepted the group as one of the best the 90's had to offer.
If you haven't heard them before, they sound like Social Distortion with 90's SoCal double-time skatepunk laid over it. They had a bassist named Matt Riddle who had the coolest, driest, rattling bass sound ever laid down. The singer sounds almost exactly like Mike Ness, minus the rockabilly influence. And they were capable of writing some of the catchiest, most immediate hooks imaginable. Every song on "Don't Turn Away" is excellent and about 9 or 10 of them are flat-ass perfect 90's punk classics.
Is "You've Done Nothing" the best 90's punk album opener? I think a case could be made.. There are a generation of folks out there to whom the seemingly benign countdown, "ONE! TWO! ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" will instantly dilate their pupils and have them frothing at the mouth and forming a circle pit. That's how potent the first five seconds of this record are.
This is also the first appearance (that I know of) of the immortal "Disconnected" which was a pop-punker so unstoppable that they went on to include it on three consecutive albums. And I was happy to hear it every time. One of the all-time, from out of nowhere, great pop-punk choruses.
"I Want," "Pastel," "I'm Trying." Too many good songs to nameheck them all. If this isn't their best album, it's damn close. The argument could be made that it's all a bit samey and there is no variance in the production, but most punks would view that as a plus. Just a bunch of plainly recorded, awesomely energetic, catchy stuff. If you're into 90's punk at all, this is a must have.
Let's listen to some face to face. Here's "Pastel"...Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. Punks Not Dead 2. Army Life 3. Fuck A Mod 4. Barmy Army 5. Dogs Of War 6. Dead Cities 7. Sex & Violence 8. Yops 9.Daily News 10. Dole Q 11. I Believe In Anarchy 12. God Save The Queen 13. Psycho 14. Blown To Bits 15. Insanity 16. S.P.G. 17. Jimmy Boyle 18. U.S.A. 19. Attack 20. Rival Leaders
I had no idea what "Totally Exploited" was when I bought it and the packaging isn't a huge help. I thought that it might be a live album but it turns out it's a greatest hits album from 1984. Apparently there's a CD version out there that sports 7 additional tracks, but that's not the version I have. Mine's the vinyl version with only 20 tracks, so that's the version I'm covering...
This covers the band's career up through their third album ("Let's Start a War") and houses a bunch of the band's excellent non-album singles, like "Dogs of War" and "Dead Cities," which are some of their best tracks. There's quite a bit of overlap between this and "Punks Not Dead," and rightfully so, since that seems to be the defining album for a lot of folks. Amusingly there's a cover blurb by Gary Bushell, praising the band (who was the music journalist being roasted in the band's track "Singalongbushell"). I usually bust this out to listen to "Insanity" (a fluttery punk rock wonder) and "Rival Leaders" (one of their most vicious thrashings). I haven't been able to score a copy of the "Let's Start a War" album, so this one usually gives me the fix I need.
To be honest, I'm
getting a bit burned out on talking about the Exploited this week. It's like writing paragraph after paragraph about bread and butter, there's just not a whole lot to it. They
usually grind away on rudimentary punk chords while Wattie shouts some
direct, simplistic lyrics. It's pretty exciting to listen to, but not
real fun to talk about.
So let's be done talking about it... Let's listen to some music. Here's "Rival Leaders" by The Exploited. Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. Anti-UK 2. Power Struggle 3. Scaling the Derry Wall 4. Barry Prossitt 5. Don't Really Care 6. No Forgiveness 7. Death Before Dishonour 8. Adding to Their Fears 9. Police Informer 10. Drive Me Insane 11. Pulling Us Down 12. Sexual Favours
Sorry I haven't posted at all this month...
Y'see, the United States recently elected 2013 WWE Hall of Famer and Game Show host Donald J Trump to the office of the Presidency, so I decided to stowaway on a steam boat to Canada, where I am currently in hiding...
I am currently deep in the wilds of New Brunswick, living off of Beaver Tail and Ketchup Chips. I have tied this blog post to the leg of a Canadian Goose and I am hoping this message makes its way to the internet...
Here it is. All the way from Canada. A few random sentences about "Death Before Dishonour" by The Exploited:
There are entirely too many man asses in the inside cover of this album. If I wanted Man Asses, I would have bought a Stephen Stills album!
The front cover is pretty dope, though (of the Exploited album, not the Manassas album).
The Grim Reaper embracing Maggie, plotting the demise of many young citizens, no doubt.
As for the music on the album, it rules. The band are pretty squarely into punk/metal territory at this point. The album's method of operation becomes apparent right from the very first seconds of the very first track, "Anti-UK." It's all about Wattie shouting himself hoarse over big slabs of grey, muted crunching guitars and rushing drums. Wattie seems to get less melodic every album. At this point, he's so hoarse, gurgly and ugly sounding that you sort of have to admire the slovenliness of it all..
It isn't as immediate as the catchy chant-alongs of "Punks Not Dead," but once I became acclimated to the samey, blurring bleakness of it all, it became apparent to me that I probably prefer this era of Exploited to the early stuff. I have no idea why I find this war-torn battlefield of sound so
fascinating. Maybe it's because you don't often find lyrics as terse,
blunt and unadorned as the list of grievances on "Drive Me Insane." It
just kinda wallows in its own anger and hopelessness. Stuff like "Scaling the Derry Wall" is just so pissed-off and Discharge-y, that I can't not love it. The only bit of weirdness is the closing track "Sexual Favours" which suddenly pops in with a 60's shimmy bassline that you can sorta imagine hippies dropping LSD and twirling around to. It eventually turns into another hoarse shouter, though.
All in all, another good album by the band. Like I said, it'll probably blur right past you like it did me for the first couple listens, but if you value pissed-off punk/metal as much as I do, the grey blobs will eventually come into focus. I haven't really explored the band's discography much past this album. Last I heard of them, was 1996's "Beat the Bastards," which was freakin' industrial metal or something...I haven't heard it in a couple decades so it's a bit blurry...Not sure what happened to them after that...I'm sure they're still out there grinding away on some tour, while mohawked kids hurl themselves off the stage in ecstasy...
Let's listen to some Exploited...Here's "Drive Me Insane"...Enjoy...
Track Listing: 1. Jimmy Boyle 2. Daily News 3. Disorder 4. Alternative 5. U.S.A. 6. Rapist 7. Troops of Tomorrow 8. UK 82 9. Sid Vicious Was Innocent 10. War 11. They Won't Stop 12. So Tragic 13. Germs 14. Class War
Hey! My copy just has a picture of Wattie yelling (presumably about Maggie and/or Anarchy). Where's the sweet metal album cover?!
I love the (literally) squatting punk on the far left and the (literally) squat punk on the far right. He looks really worried. I can see the zombies behind him, but I still have to wonder what's on the other side of the camera that has Big John so terrified? Let's turn the camera around...
Oh no! It's the 1982 debut by Kenny G!
Anyway, I love the painted fucking metal cover. I wish I had that version instead...Mine must be an alternative cover...
"♪ALT 'ERN A 'IIIIVE!!!! ♪"
Sorry. I couldn't resist. Alright, "Troops of Tomorrow." The second album by Scotland's own The Exploit 'ed! Is it just the 1990 Grand Slamm reissue I have, or does this record sound odd? Loud, grey, distant, echo-y and ringing. Tinny yet murky. It's pretty bold. (Update: Listened to the 2001 reissue somebody posted to youtube and it sounds like a completely different album. still kinda grey and ringy, but muuuuuch much clearer, which either leads me to believe they did an incredible job with the remaster or the Grand Slamm pressing was just shit).
This album is actually really awesome. I don't quite have the nostalgic connection to it that I have with "Punks Not Dead" but to me, this is probably the better album. There was a bit of unintentional comedy on the first album, but I don't laugh much here. The band sounds much leaner, meaner and more serious than before. Stuff like "UK 82" and "So Tragic" rip right out of your speakers and leave a trail of dust across the horizon. Even their Vibrators cover (a group I consider to be a fun timey band) is no joke. They sound pissed and it's a great sound for them. The only time they get clunky and cliche is "Sid Vicious Was Innocent" which is still kinda cute and endearing in the same way a lot of "Punks Not Dead was.
My copy ends with the song "Class War," which wasn't on the original pressing. I don't know where it originates. Presumably from one of their billions of singles/EP's they put out. Cool song either way. Pretty much what you'd expect. A verse, a shouted slogan for a chorus. Repeat.
Overall, this album doesn't have the dopey fun feel of the first album, but it's much cooler in a head-banging, fist pumping way. Speedier (except for the title track and "War") and more serious, it comes very close to becoming straight-up 80's hardcore at times. Depending on what pressing you buy, it might sound weird, though.
Track Listing: 1. Punks Not Dead 2. Mucky Pup 3. Cop Cars 4. Free Flight 5. Army Life 6. Blown to Bits 7. Sex & Violence 8. S.P.G 9. Royalty 10. Dole Q 11. Exploited Barmy Army 12. Ripper 13. Out of Control 14. Son of a Copper 15. I Believe in Anarchy
Y'know, it struck me the other day that I've been watching The Price is Right for forty years now and I still have no idea what Gold Bond Medicated Powder is.
Now that I'm an old-ass man, I'm sure it's something I need, yet I have no clue what it is. And it's not like somebody invented a program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user. Do I have to do everything around here?!?!
But I didn't invite you here to discuss my need for medicated powder. I invited you here to shoot the breeze about some old punk record I have..."Punks Not Dead" by The Exploited. And oh, man...This record. It's absurd. It's hilarious. It's fantastic. It's catchy as fuck. It's stupid as fuck. I love it.
"Y'know wot? I know it's old fashioned and a little bit corny in this day and age but dagnabbit! I still believe in anarchy! Y'know that old chestnut anarchy? Were those the days or wot? The world was a simpler place then...Kids throwing flaming trash cans into the streets...Motorcycle fetish mutants molestin' old ladies?"
"My political beliefs? Well, I believe in anarchy and stuff...I think the world would be a better place if we could just all do what we want...If you want to work together to build schools for the community you could do that or if you wanted to just smash a window with a hunk of concrete you could do that too, y'know? Anarchy is utopia if you think about it...I think the world would be a better place if Wattie were President...The President of Anarchy..."
Like many teens who stumbled into punk I eventually worked my way to the "E's" and ended up with an Exploited album.
I started with a cassette version of "The Singles Collection" and I
can tell you that as a mentally-impaired teenager, I fell for its charms
hook, line and sinker...
"These guys are real ponk! Not that fake Blink 182 pop-punk shit! The Exploited are for real! These guys who dress like colorful Mad Max murder clowns are just being themselves and don't care at all what other people think! If I ever see a goddamn mod around here, I'll jump on 'is goddamn 'ead!!!"
But then as my brain stem grew in, aspects of the album became funnier and funnier to me... And one of those gut-busting moments appears on this "Punks Not Dead" album! The enduring anthem "Exploited Barmy Army," which never fails to crack me up because it takes sooooo fuckiiiing loooooong to spell their name. They decide to go mid-tempo just to drag things out too..."E! (big long drum roll and punk chugging...) X! (another infinity of drum rolling and distant chugging) P! and so on and so on...
If you're unfamiliar with The Exploited, they're a sort of yobbish oi punk, but I guess that's probably not too helpful a description, because if the phrase "yobbish oi punk" means anything to you, then you'd probably already know who the Exploited are. I'd say they helped define and solidify what generic "punk" is. Prior to this, punk was a wide-ranging genre that encompassed arty new wave bands to street-level rock to literary-minded guitar jam bands. But pretty much since this UK 82 shit came out, it's become the default setting for so many years and if you fail to adhere to its suddenly rigid guidelines, you're often met with cries of "THAT'S NOT PUNK!" I think it's because The Exploited and these other bands proclaimed their punk-ness so loudly and so often.
A lot of previous punk bands hemmed and hawed and talked about how they were always trying to transcend the limits of punk. On the other hand, The Exploited happily wallowed in the cliches. They understood the glory of the incessantly buzzing guitar, the breakneck tempo and the big terrace chants. As a result, "Punks Not Dead" is a such a blast to listen to. Find some other people who know it, crack a few beers and chant along blissfully. It's a lot of fun!
My favorites? God...I've always thought "Army Life" was a catchy little punk song with all it's stop and start "ME! ME! ME! ME! ME! ME-ME!"'s and you can't go wrong with tossing the title track on at a Friday night record party...Their cover of "Mucky Pup" shows they have a sense of humor...I'm also apparently one of the few folks who can stand the endless chant "Sex and Violence." These guys have a real knack for creating memorable chants, actually.
(Almost wholly unrelated memory: Me and my friends looking at the back of a Total Chaos CD cover and seeing the title "Punk No Die" and laughing hysterically).
Again, the whole thing's a lot of good fun. Great shoutalong yobbo punk. No shame in that. Alright, let's yob...Here's "Punks Not Dead" by the Expoi' ed! BAHMY-AHMY!
Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil
2010
Anti Records
Format I Own it on: Vinyl
Track Listing: 1. Devotional Number One 2. Ain't Blues Too Sad 3. Goodbye Sweet Dreams 4. Be and Bring Me Home 5. Bring Back the Past 6. Please, Judge 7. John Lawman 8. True Love Cast Out All Evil 9. Forever 10. Think of As One 11. Birds'd Crash 12. God Is Everywhere
Holy shit. A new album by Roky Erickson backed by the soft rock/roots-rock/alt-country band Okkervil River that I'm somewhat familiar with. Not the first type of music that pops into my head when I think of Roky Erickson but this Will Sheff dude knocks it out of the park with the liner notes though. Sweet fuck, are they comprehensive, working as an in-depth making of the album as well as a complete history of Roky himself. I'd say the liner notes were probably worth the cost of the album alone. It's seriously a damn book worth of info here. The concept behind the album is kinda interesting. The short version is that Will Sheff sifted through a mountain of Roky's old tapes and demos and pieced
together an album that ultimately works as a diary of the man's
undeniably interesting life.
As for the music on the album itself? It's not what I would have expected from Roky but it's exactly what I would expect from Roky Erickson and Okkervil River. The man definitely left his Dracula cape at home for this one. Lots of rootsy contemplation, gentle performances and ruminations on love, religion and mortality. You can totally picture old man Roky reflecting on his hazy past while looking at old sepia-toned photos of himself.
The album is mostly low-key country shuffles like "Ain't Blues Too Sad," "Be and Bring Me Home" and the title track or skeletal gospel music as characterized by "Please, Judge" and "Devotional Number On." To be honest, it kinda reminds me of those sad old man albums that Rick Rubin would make with Johnny Cash or Glenn Campbell. The difference being that those guys were basically on their deathbeds while Roky still seems a little too active and impish for such treatment. To be fair, there's a tiny bit of rocking here and there..."Bring Back the Past" is sprightly and Byrds-ish enough to qualify as "rock" as does the noise-fest "John Lawman" but that's about it. We've come a long way from the horror-rock of his 70's work or the fevered psychedelic fantasias of the Elevators for sure. Even the light-touch Buddy Holly-ish stuff is gone replaced by a darker moodiness despite the unguarded lyrics.
People (like me) who see the name Roky Erickson and the word "evil" on an album cover might walk a way a bit underwhelmed, but what's on here is interesting. You get to view a different side of Roky for sure. I can totally see a different audience eating this up though. Your narrative-driven NPR fans who like to unwind to some new tunes by old folks will love it. Or people who veer more towards laid-back serious music as opposed to monster-movie rock. But when I readjust my mindset before putting it on I always find myself enjoying it. It's always good to hear Roky again. He's absolutely one of the most interesting rock artists of all time and his output is relatively scant for someone whose career has spanned six decades, so it's important to treasure and appreciate what we have. Here's hoping the old guy has another record in him...Maybe one with a bit more spring in its step though...
Here's "True Love Cast Out All Evil" by Roky Erickson...Enjoy...
