American Alternative music reviews

The instrumental beginnings of Athens, Georgia quirky pop band Love Tractor.

Though the title on Amazon implies this is only the "Cows" EP, it is actually a two-fer reissure combining the Love Tractor debut album "Love Tractor" (1982) with the "Cows" EP.

16 tracks.

If you haven't heard "Fun to be Happy" you've really missed out; It's worth purchasing this just for that song. The band The Feelies played it as a cover in some of their shows I caught years ago and it's just as good as the instrumental and up- beat tune "Rudolph Nureyev" from "This ain't no outerspace ship. The rest of the album is also quite good and I believe Bill Berry of REM wrote the song motorcade. And the last song on this cd is an absolutely amazing and good-feeling instrumental that is so awesome -it's hard to describe. Berry probably learned a thing or two from this quartet - that didn't rise all the way to maximum u.s. popularity because they focused on creating the most excellent music not being popular and image-conscious. This band was and still is better than REM- sorry to break the news to you.

Before he formed the Loud Family, Scott Miller led Game Theory, arguably one of the finest bands to come out of California in the 1980's. This greatest hits package (some of which, in Miller's words, reached national obscurity, as opposed to regional obscurity) is a great introduction to the band. Miller, a gifted songwriter and underrated singer, and the various folks that play with him (Game Theory was sort of Miller and whomever was in the room with him at the time) created some terrific alternative pop, not unlike Let's Active, REM and the Three O'Clock. Highlights include "Erica's Word," "24" and "The Real Sheila."

There is something for everone of GHV2. It opens with Kip Boardmans "The Bottom Line", it very catchy. Nadine's song grows on you very fast. If you like your rock with a pop feel, the Few's "Blue Eyes" if for you. Dan Wilson, from Semisonic, has a beautiful and touching in song. Pete Yorn's song is a blusey, stomp. The Wallflowers'cover Julian Lennon's "To late for goodbyes". You will find an intersting story on Jonny Polonsky and his song is very mysterious. Morello's (aka Malcom Cross from Minibar) song "turn around" takes a few listens, it has a county brit pop feel. Mal is also a great drummer, and person. Dont pass up a chance to see him or Minibar in cocert. Waz's track "Wait another sunday" is just great, cant find words. His entire EP makes you want to cry. The cd is ended with the Jukebox Junkies, "Raised by Rock & Roll", a song for all the kids of rock.

Since there is no cd information here, I'd like to give a description & track listing. This is a double cd - one cd is live, the other is a best of. Transmutation is the 'best of' and features 13 songs from Lydia Lunch's best albums: Honeymoon In Red, Shotgun Wedding, Stinkfist, and more. Along with Lunch are many of her famous friends and longtime collaborators such as: Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Clint Ruin (also known as Foetus), Die Haut, Rowland S Howard from These Immortal Souls, Shockheaded Peters, and more.

The first cd also features a postcard of the famous 'Transmutation' digital photo montage by artis JK Potter.

The second cd is a live recording (the packaging claims it is 'Live in Siberia' - who knows?). It features 10 songs.

i feel this album is for FANS of red kross (i.e DIE HARD FANS, FANATICS etc..) OH MY LOVER is actually a PJ HARVEY song and REDD KROSS cover it magnificently. the acoustic version of VISIONARY is ok & the original version of HUGE WONDER is interesting but this is worth the price of admission for the amazing song called ANY HOUR DAY which is right there with classic REDD KROSS style power pop.

This cd is great from the beginning to the end. I just saw him in concert and won tickets to the sound check and he is a great performer. He is very talented and you can feel his thought and emotions through each and every song. He has a great talent and he expresses his love and thoughts on this cd. I have not stop listening to this cd!

Cop Shoot Cop's second release on Big Cat records yields more of the same style as Consumer Revolt. Rythmic and driving arrangements that swell into blistering choruses. The songs on this album are even arranged in such a dramatic way that it is hard to stop the album once you start it. Each song becomes a prelude to the next in a fashion that almost plots out a twisted and spiraling story of loss, contempt and despairity with a smart and cynically sharp hatred toward just about everything. Imagine Tom Waits crossed with Einsturzende Neubauten.
It will leave you unsatisfied, you just can't get enough.

Dear Amazon, if you are smart you will get some more of these in stock, Mojo is the bomb.

A misguided compilation at best mixing some of the best indie bands of the 80's (Naked Raygun,Squirrel Bait, Big Black,Dinosaur jr) with some of the lamest(Reactions,Big Dipper,Great Plains,Death of Samantha). Antietam, Live Skull and Breaking Circus hold their own but overall this comp misses the mark and I believe Homestead pretty much disavowed it about a year later. Ultimately(sic) there are much better mid-late 80's indie comps out there.

Man, this one takes me back. I first got a cassette copy from a friend back in 1986 or so, when I was letting go of my nerdy high school musical tastes and branching out into (then new and exciting) alternative rock. And this obscure collection, featuring fourteen bands of which the average music fan has heard of maybe one (Dinosaur, back before they were Junior), has been the thing that has shaped my musical tastes in the intervening years. Of the fourteen bands, I have purchased albums by 10 of them, and loved them all; Antietam is still one of my favorite bands of all time, and the Volcano Suns, Great Plains, and Live Skull come close. The record is noisy crunchy guitar rock (not pop), and it sounds as lovely today as it did back in my college dorm room. "In a Glass House" is a stunning song--if you haven't heard it, you're probably out of luck because the original album is way out of print; however, Antietam's recent work--especially "Rope-a-Dope"--is still well worth checking out (frontwoman Tara Key is by far the best female guitarist ever). The other standout is Great Plains' winning "Letter to a Fanzine," and I'm pleased to report that, as of this writing, their career retrospective 2-disc set "Length of Growth" is still available. It's probably too much for dabblers, but it's economical (50 songs for 15 bucks or thereabouts), and any serious student of American indie rock (there must be a few of you out there!) should own it.

As for "Wailing Ultimate"....well, seems to be out of print, but there are a few used copies now and then. If you like crunchy 80s indie guitar rock, you need this album. Period.