American Alternative music reviews

...the funkiest song known to man is Born Under Punches by the Talking Heads, there's no two ways about that (Not even Cashing objections by Bobby Conn comes close). Still, I felt like a Gringo might be the closest third I've heard so far.

That song is one of the greatest ever. What a notion. What delivery. Spectacular record. The MINUTEMEN were in their prime. Well, all their time was their prime. This was released in 1983. They did 9 records in 5 years. They toured incessantly. I think they may have released more records and done more touring in 5 years than any other band I've ever heard of.

Lucky us.

Maybe one day someone will piece together some sorta listing of their touring history.

'I Felt Like a Gringo' is also another classic. Well, really, the MINUTEMEN rarely did any songs that were less than grand. Some are spectacular, others are just great.

Sure, get this record in another CD with those Post Mersh volumes. Get yer music's worth. The more MINUTEMEN the better. This record, by itself is totally worth it, no matter what way you get it. Driving, impeccable drumming, conviction in the vocals and a sound they simply invented themselves.

God bless d. boon and the MINUTEMEN. chrisbct@hotmail.com

(if you wanna see my story of me seein' 'em 3 times look up the What Makes A Man review here.)

"I FELT LIKE A GRINGO" is the funkiest song known to man...i dare you not to "bounce" in your seat....can't be done as far as im concerned...their finest cuts are on this early ep. Bon Minutemen!!!!!!

This Album is totally different than the US version. In the booklet that came with the double CD, she thanked numerous people for the 3 years spent on the project.On the all audio CD there are 16 songs instead of 13. She has numerous guest appearances from the likes of Don Henely and Stevie Nicks. The Second CD has the live audio from Abbey Road Studios,and the enhanced stuff on it. What really blew me away was the enhaced version it had videos of Soak up the Sun and Steve McQueen. The video of Soak up the Sun seemed to take place in Hawaii and had surfing beaches just like what you'd do when a person is "Soaking up the Sun". Overall a solid A+.

when i got the cd fortress i new right away that the singles were champagne high and change your mind. i dont have this single but i've heard all the songs on it except wanted it to be which i heard a clip of. i highly recommend this single.

Amazing sounding reissue of classic live blast. Really, this is one of the best sounding live albums I have ever heard. The set list is fantastic, the audience in prime form, and the band can't get more committed. Searing solos, bouncing feedback, a rhythm section that will tear your heart out: this has it all. It makes you sad thinking that this group of individuals may never record again. Steve Wynn's solo stuff is OK, but this document is an essential part of any true understanding of american popular music. Most of the songs come from either "Days of Wine and Roses" or "Medicine Show" and the sonic assult of "Halloween" is quite possibly the best redition EVER. I can't recommend this enough. I can't stop listening to it even though I've heard all the songs a thousand times. It's the real deal.

dude, get it. it's fantastarastic!!!

Noted for both tight composition and lush instrumentation, the team of S. John Archer and Ron Satterfield have been nominated for the Grammy award four times. For the most part they have an exuberant rhythmic style that lays down a groove and then hauls the listener down the road with them. While they are not the only musicians to approach contemporary instrumental music in this fashion, they are one of the most talented pairings in the business.

Distant Thunder, dated 1987, was their big break into popularity. The works vary in style from the celebratory vibrations of Spring Dance to the quieter, more contemplative After the Rain and Woodland Cathedral. But rarely does Checkfield's work come anywhere close to somnolent dreaminess. There is a certain purposefulness to the compositions - a clear sense of development and direction.

Another thing that sets Checkfield apart is their willingness to include scat and other vocal instrumentation in their work. When they do it is rarely center stage, but arises so easily that one second, you don't hear it, and the next you are riding along side. And then, just as easily, it disappears. Satterfield has a natural voice for this (listen to Spring Dance) and I with there was more of it. Close listening reveals even more unexpected depth.

If you are into any type of hardcore music, than you need to own this CD. Tree has been playing together since the early 90s and have cranked out some amazing tunes, many on this disc. Ranging from the concert favorites, Truth, Homefront and Paper to the former radio single, Blind me to a cover of This Land is Your Land, this CD is amazing. Everyone should buy it.

That's right. Virtually unlistenable and incredible good. It goes right up to the line. How many times is he going to play that riff? Just when you think it's exhausted, or you're exhausted, there's a variation--exactly the right one. The album's an aquired taste, but worth it. Angular, jagged, convulsive, controlled, constrained. It focuses in on a very narrow musical spaace and explores it with great intensity and imagination. You start off not being able to live with it, and before you know it, you're addicted to some of the most innovative instrumental work by today's most important rock guitarist.

OH yeah. Gone done gone and come back. And if you can listen to "Freeny" without breaking into a dopey grin then you are down indeed and had better avoid sharp objects and mirrors. And just when you think "Smoking Gun In Wasco" (sic!) has practically no melody at all you notice that there's this weird repetition thing going on with the guitar, like some kind of sample, man, and. . .and. . .well, Greg Ginn has never sounded better and his new rhythm section (Steve Sharp and Gregory Moore) is right there with him. Prolific dude, Ginn, what with this revamped Gone and all his solo stuff and Confront James to boot. Way beyond Black Flag, way beyond gone and words and into another something, way way gone away.

This CD (the Door Is Closed) was released before their swansong Soundtracks For The Blind and contains the German versions of some of the songs on SFTB. The music is like a vast orchestral piece built around the eerie sound of the drone, interspersed with beautiful melodies and Gira and Jarboe's voices, held together by cinematic fragments and interludes.

The sound moves from the Wagnerian symphonic to the most overwhelming heavy rock, as on the live track YRP, with many interweaving textures inbetween. Most chilling of all, this spooky German version of All Lined Up (Ich sehe die alle in einer Reihe) is much grimmer than the one on Gira's Drainland album.

The highlight is the 23 minute opener, Ligeti's Breath/Hilfloss Kind, which is the perfect showcase for the final phase that this great band's music had evolved into by the middle 1990s. Of course, this music can be emotionally overpowering in its relentless despair, but it also contains beautiful moments of resignation and transcendence.

On the rare Body Lovers album called Number One Of Three, Gira went even deeper into uncharted territory. The flipside to this morbid but moving music is the beautiful sound of his post Swans project, Angels Of Light, whose music is much more accessible although not necessarily lighter in mood.

For those few who want more, I recommend the aforementioned 2-CD set Soundtracks For The Blind, a multifaceted masterpiece with greater variety that in its vast sprawl sounds less oppressive than Die T�r Ist Zu.

'Die T�r ist zu' is composed of recordings made prior to the last studio album of the band, 'Soundtracks for the blind'. Initially given to a German label as an exclusive offer to the German fanbase, the lenghty E.P. -almost an hour long- includes the earliest released versions of several future classics of the band such as 'The Sound', 'I See Them All Lined Up', and a notoriously extended version of 'Helpless Child', sung in German and attached to an introductory piece called 'Ligeti's breath'.
As known by many, Swans was seldom at their best with studio recordings. Most of the times, the versions of their songs released in official bootlegs were superior by far. However, in the case of 'Die T�r ist Zu', Michael Gira proved himself able to produce a mesmerizing piece of work in the studio, easily ranking amongst the best material of the band. A must for any fan of Swans, sadly, now only offered at kidnapper's prices.

I was a teenager when this first came out. I always LOVED the song "Good Guys and Bad Guys," and I still do. It's one of Camper's catchiest, funniest, and most memorable songs. The rest of the album is a lot more trippy and psychedelic than you might expect from "Good Guys and Bad Guys." There's a nod to Pink Floyd, as well as many references to Led Zeppelin. Camper Van Beethoven's sound is very difficult to describe if you have never heard them...rock, folk, country, middle eastern, reggae...all of it is mismashed into something completely new and foreign-sounding. They rely heavily on the violin for some of the main melodies...they are capable of rocking out and also capable of very subtle, intricate music. What I liked about them was they ALWAYS had a sense of humor and NEVER took themselves too seriously, even in their trippiest, most psychedelic songs. Intelligent lyrics, great deadpan delivery by Dave Lowery, and best of all...they are back together now (New Roman Times, their latest CD, is excellent). This CD has some extra material on it and is really a good bargain for the price.