American Alternative music reviews

When the subject of "High Priest" comes up amongst my friends who know what it is, the only thing that comes into my mind is the wonderful courtroom story and namesake of the album.

Jello tells the tale of his battle against censorship, all over a portrait of decaying sexual organs by H.R. Gieger, which had been inserted into the Dead Kennedys album entitled "Frankenchrist".

This is truly my favorite Biafra album, if only for the second CD. It's incredibly entertaining, and well worth your money.

Listen to Jello Biafra's account of what Tipper Gore's thought police did to him over his use of a surrealist painting on one of his album covers. The Gores may look blandly innocent and environmentally-conscious, but they have a Religious Right agenda when it comes to education. Biafra outlines the history of fundamentalism's attempt to control our access to information and creative expression, ending with "Tales from the Trial" about his own experiences in court as a result of the Parents Music Resource Center's censorship campaign.

Anyone who is interested in censorship and music and can listen with an open mind would enjoy these CD's.

I want to begin by saying this Cd is an excellent aray of various "jambands" that are probably coming to your town very soon. The best song is "break of day" by The Big Wu. They never put this track out on a studio album and I think it is the best song they have ever written. The other tracks are ok, with a few highlights by Baaba Seth and Inansense. The Deep Banana Blackout's track also jams pretty hard. If you do not have these tracks yet, this is a great way to get acuainted with some really cool bands.

The compilation CD is fantastic. There are some definite high points, although even the low points are delectable pieces of song writing, pure jamming, and musicianship. Here are some of my high points for this album:

Format:
Song title (Group): Review

Break Of Day (The Big Wu): As the other reviewers point out, this is the highest high point of the CD. Guitar work is sheer genius. To heck with over produced guitar "gods". This guy has good old fashioned talent and a fine sense of lyrical playing. The kind from the neighborhood guitar virtuoso that lived down the block whom you always envied. Reminiscent of Trey Anastasio. Very lyrical and emotional playing with a groovy but simple chord sequence that the bass player keeps interesting.

Marist (Stir Fried): Country influenced rock that might have been very apropos on a Grateful Dead CD. Would do Garcia proud.

Sunday Driver (Gordon Stone): Blistering bluegrass. I mean, seriously, blistering. Red hot. The banjo just doesn't quit. And who the heck is that bass player? I get shivers listening to some of his lines.

Breakfast at Volo's (Deep Banana Blackout): Funky. I swear this sounds like Macy Gray, but it's better. Imagine Macy Gray in a jamming band. It's funky. And it rocks.

Forward (Baaba Seth): Excellent groovy jam.

One Fine Day (Refried Confusion): Another great jam which would feel right at home on a Phish album.

All the songs on this album are just wonderful, even the ones I didn't mention it. I bought this CD on a lark, and it was worth every penny.

One of the best mixes of jammin' music I've heard in a while. It rivals some of my own burned CD's. With The Big Wu, Deep Banana Blackout, Inasense, and others, you can't go wrong with this album. And the sound quality is great too!

This album is a real nostalgia trip for me. I became aquainted with Mission of Burma as a student in Boston in 1979. It was a time of great creative ferment in the avant-garde scene, both in jazz and in rock. MOB blew me away when I first heard Revolver on WBCN. I followed the band as much as I could at the time, and continued to be interested in Roger Miller's followup band Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. But MOB had it all. It had the raw rage of British punk, but the experimental attitude of other avant-rock groups like Pere Ubu, who are their most clear forebears. And the lyrics were smart...this was college student's punk.

This album captures much of the energy of that period. The cuts include the biggest hit, Revolver, along with numbers from Vs., MOB's strongest work, and other cuts that never made it to wax during the band's lifetime. The playing on the album is white hot, and Mike Swope's tape loop work is even more creative than on the studio work. And the more atmospheric work is prescient of the electronic ambient music of the later 80s and 90s. And though there is the requiset thrash and slash on the album, the writing and playing is excellent. These aren't guys who just learned to play their instruments, they are true creative musicians.

One big problem with the album however is the recorded sound. Though not bad for music recorded in small bars around the country, it is still kind of muddy and at times, the instruments overpower the singing. MOB shouted with the best of the punkers, but you could usually hear them over the din. That's not always the case here and you loose something by not hearing all the lyrics.

All in all though, this is one of the best underground bands of the early 80s. It amazes me that it still sounds fresh, even after 20 years (though I suppose I shouldn't be amazed since the Velvet Underground still sounds fresh as well and it's been 40 years for them!) So many bands in the late 90s and today seem to think that they've invented punk attitude. MOB has them all down cold.

Don't let any negative reviews scare you away: If you really want to know what Mission of Burma were about Back In The Day, look no further: The Horrible Truth perfectly captures the brilliant, brutal fury of this hugely influential band at their very peak.

Guitarist Roger Miller often said that the reason Vs., Burma's widely acclaimed studio masterpiece, so eclipsed their earlier studio efforts was the fact that Vs. was essentially recorded live in the studio. By extrapolation then, "The Horrible Truth" is an even more significant recording than Vs., because it captures all the immediacy and rawness of Burma in an actual live setting.

That Burma was/is really a live band, and not creatures of the studio, is an important point. Every twist and wierd effect you hear on Vs. can be -- and was in fact intended to be -- reproduced in real time in a live setting. If you have been lucky enough to catch Burma live, you will know I do not exaggerate when I say that their live shows blow away anything they've recorded in the studio -- with perhaps the exception of The Horrible Truth.

So what you get here are roaring, sizzling, edgy performances -- especially "Tremelo", "1970" and the jaw-dropping Pere Ubu cover, "Heart Of Darkness" -- albeit with a slightly less refined mix than what one would expect from a studio recording like Vs. But make no mistake: this is essential Burma.

Mission of Burma were a classic indie rock band. Unfortunately, though their songs are excellent, thought provoking pieces of material, their producer never quite got their sound right so that the live experience was never fully captured. This documents them on their farewell tour. I saw them live on their reunion tour and this really lives up to the Mission of Burma experience. All of the songs are filled with the raw energy and sincerity that was supposed to be there on the studio versions but is somehow lacking. This is a great album to start with.

I would like "Now That You Know Me," "Fanfare In D Major (Come, Come)" and "Twenty-Five Forty-One" a whole lot more if I hadn't already heard superior versions of them elsewhere. "Now That You Know Me" benefits from Bob Mould's spiky guitar on the Husker Du live collection The Living End. And the other two songs were a lot prettier in their simpler forms on the EP; the busier arrangements here don't help them at all. But even in these renditions, they're still pretty good songs.

In addition, the leadoff track, "All Of My Senses," is lengthy and ambitious, the instrumental "Roller-Rink" is agreeable and "She Can See The Angels Coming" is touching. So, all in all, a decent effort.

For a time, I was quite the Husker Du fan. Grant Hart was the singer/songwriter of some of the best material from this legendary post-punk band. "Statues", "Diane", "If I Told You", and "Pink Turns to Blue" were some of his best songs from the early days and, on the Warner Brothers releases, I found Hart's tracks often were superior to Bob Mould's. I was always a little interested in seeking out Hart's solo work and, when I finally found this album in a record store, I broke down and bought it. I am very glad I did. This album is very enjoyable even as I listen to it in 2003. "All of My Senses", as other reviewers have pointed out, is amazing. It is followed by the harmonica-driven "Now That You Know Me." "The Main" is a gospel track which was a surprise to hear. The second side (or second half of the CD) starts with a couple of 60s sounding tracks. "Twenty-five Forty-one" is a fun number about a young couple's first home. "Roller Rink" is an instrumental dominated by a psychedelic organ. "You're the Victim" is Hart's stab at former band mate Mould (who released his first solo album, the brilliant Workbook, the same year). The album is different than Hart's Husker Du work, however, remains of the band's famous sound are still very evident on "Fanfare in D Minor" and, especially, the short guitar eruption "Reprise". I agree with one of the reviewers, "The other guy in Husker Du...He's good too".

"Grant Hart's first full-length solo album after the breakup of H�sker D�, 1989's INTOLERANCE is an eclectic, sometimes disorienting mishmash of styles that surprisingly works more often than not. From the psychedelic tape frenzy and carnival organ of the opening "All of My Senses" onwards, Hart largely disavows his punk roots in favor of a variety of late-'60s styles, including the Dylanish (complete with caterwauling harmonica) "Now That You Know Me" and the sneering Van Morrison-like shuffle "You're the Victim", one of several songs that seem to touch on the acrimonious breakup of H�sker D�. The harrowing "The Main" is a piano-led, almost gospel-like first-person chronology of drug addiction & one of the best, most vivid and personal songs Hart has ever written. The remake of "2541," his pained remembrance of the band's old rehearsal space from his debut EP, gives the previously acoustic song a dose of electric rock & roll energy that suits it just fine. It didn't get the press attention of Bob Mould's much slicker WORKBOOK, out around the same time, but INTOLERANCE is the better album."

If you want the just like heaven cover you'll like this. Just like heaven is an amazing song its so cool the music video was cool too if you have seen it. Plus two other songs that appered on the fossils CD (which are'nt very good).

This was the defining moment of the Dinosaur enterprise. Mr. Mascis steps up to the plate and swings his ax, "Just Like Heaven" could never be the same again. I couldn't either; for this is the real life song; just as I have been living it..

This isnt soundgarden and never will be its dinosaur jr!

It was very cold, and the night after Thanksgiving. The scene outside the show was not pleasant. We made our way through the crowd, and found our place. The music came on, and we forgot about the nastiness.
That night, Phish played one of the best shows that I have ever seen them perform. Listening to this CD, It becomes even more clear now. The set-list is incredible, and the sound is excellent. It is the best release of all of the live Phish recordings thus far.
There are some great old tunes; Ya Mar, Runaway Jim, Buried Alive, and Dog Log. It's a great show, and serves to remind that it is the music that really counts.

I've been listening to Phish for the past 4 years. This is one of my favorite shows. There really isn't such thing as a bad Phish show, but this one is just awesome. Also, the Cd Organizer is great for the Whole set of live phish (which I do have all 6 volumes.) I recommend 100%!!

This is one of Phish's best choices so far for the Live Phish series (on the contrary, why did they release 9/14/00?). The sound is fabulous, and the show is extremely energetic and fun. One of the best shows of 1998.

As on their previous albums, the Meat Puppets continued to switch gears on Mirage. The band added keyboards and electronic drums to their repertoire which added to their eclecticism. But while the band deserves credit for trying something different, as they did on nearly every album they made, the songwriting isn't up to par which makes this one of the weaker albums in their catalog.

Right from the get go, the band cover uncharted territory as the title track adds heavy synths to Cris Kirkwood's very original guitar work to mixed success. While "The Wind and The Rain" is a great country song that the band does so well, other songs in the cowpunk vein such as "Confusion Fog" and "Leaves" don't measure up to their usual standards. The tracks "Quit It" and "Get On Down" are decent enough but sound like outtakes from their Up On The Sun album. Furthermore, "The Mighty" may be one of their worst songs ever, sounding like something you're more likely to hear on Sesame Street than on a rock album. However, the second half is much better as the tracks "Beauty" and "A Hundred Miles" are very catchy while "I Am A Machine" has a great new wave feel. The slow "Love Our Children Forever" is very good as is "Liquified", one of their great heavy songs that sounds like nothing else on the album. The remastered version contains instrumental versions of "The Mighty", "Liquified", and "I Am A Machine" of which "The Mighty" works best since it sans its weak lyrics. All told, while this is a good album and has a few great songs, it's still one of their weaker efforts.

Mirage is exactly what you have heard it was, The meat puppets psycadellic masterpiece. I don't know how any meat puppets fan could dislike this album it's probobly my third favorite album of theres. Every song is so colorful and the album as a whole paints the picture of the album cover when you hear it. The opening of the album starts off with curts psycadellic guitar which is the intro to the laid back title track. Quit it is an all out Meat Puppets rocker which you can't help but really get into. Get on down is a funny song where the music just makes you want to do a stupid little dance as well as sing along too. The lyrics have to do with taking your car apart and what not. A Hundred Miles is probobly my favorite track where the music in the verses have a get up and grove beat and the chorus is the part of the song that rocks! If you liked Up on the Sun, Meat Puppets II, and Too High to Die then you will most likely love this and your collection should not be without this. If you want to start with this album then go ahead and click buy cd and wait for the glorious day when one of rock's greatest masterpieces comes on your doorstep.

The trilogy my headline speaks of began with "Meat Puppets II", continued with "Up On The Sun"... and brought you here, to "Mirage". Mirage is a crystalline view of sweat, thirst, rezilliance, joy, sadness... all of the things that make life worth living. Few bands can sum up an entire lifetimes worth of emotions in less than 45 minutes the way that the Mup's can... and this record is a solid testament to that fact. This record is equal to the previous two that came before it... and should be treated as the monument to Americana that it is.

You have despair and loss in "Love Our Children Forever". You have a sense of nature's elements in "The Wind And Rain". You can even have some mindless fun in "Get On Down". You can experience 75 years worth of living in suburban America by just spinning this disc once.

And how many bands do you know of that can deliver an entire lifetimes worth of emotions on one silver disc?

Great record--I keep seeing Alternative Tentacles products priced waaaay too high on Amazon. It's just a CD y'all-and it isn't out of stock at the label. Go get it at the record label for $12.

After a bit of a sideways drift in the mid-nineties, NMN return to their roots with "One". Somber, intelligent, and bass-driven, "One" harkens back to the days of "Sex Mad" and "Small Parts Isolated And Destroyed". Rob Wright's lyrics are as impressive as his bass playing, John Wright's drumming is phenomenal, and Tom Holliston has made a name for himself as guitarist, while retaining the best of Andy Kerr's enormous influence.

Albums like "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?", "The Worldhood Of The World (As Such)", and "Dance Of The Headless Bourgoise" are all solid albums with great songs, but lack the inherent vibe and cohesiveness of earlier albums. In addition, I've never been a fan of the more silly material, as in "Cats, Sex, and Nazis" and "I'm An $&*hole". NMN is at their best when they're serious, and "One" is a serious album, with the exception of their cover of "Beat On The Brat". My opinion: leave the punkier, wacky stuff for the Hanson Brothers side-project.

I've seen NMN live at least 7 or 8 times, and they are a sight to behold. Often given a hard time for being "too old", NMN nonetheless deliver the goods. If you have the chance, see them! It is my hope that they will continue to be the most relevant, intelligent, and talented independent band in existence for many years to come.

What can ya say except that these guys are the hands-down best! "Graveyard Shift" is one of the best songs I have ever heard. It takes things from inside us that are so personal and expresses them in a way that is so accurate to almost everyone of us. NoMeansNo has always had a great gift of expressing intimate things in a way that shows us how these things that actually make us feel different are what connect us to others. When you mix this kind of lyrical gift with the talent of the band as musicians and you get some of the greatest music ever recorded. "Our Town" is another personal favorite of mine. It's the "Headless Dance" of this one, good and dark. All of the other songs are great too. Their music is the most reliable of any band I've ever heard.

This CD is a compilation of the Minutemen's first two 1980s LPs on the SST label. There was no doubt in my mind about the genius of Mike Watt, D. Boone, and George Hurley at the time this music was released. In 1981, no one in the music world was blending leftist political song lyrics with ultra-short jazz-punk song stylings like these guys. In addition, the Minutemen were wonderful bearers of a post-Vietnam/anti-Cold War revolutionary spirit. Their songs seemed to stand for justice, equality, honesty, and peace for all. And they wrote about these topics in a very unique, obscure way. Each song was like a little puzzle to figure out. "Son of a martyr, son of father/You can look inside you, you can look inside me." What the heck was Mike Watt talking about there? I don't know, but it was fun trying to figure out. Like the Dead Kennedys, the Minutemen were a political/metaphysical education to my fifteen year old mind. However, upon listening to this music in 2001, I now have the sense that it sounds "trite" and "above reality." It has hard to put my finger on why this is; perhaps it's because I have gotten older and more discriminating in my tastes; perhaps it's because I've become conditioned to better music production techniques over the last twenty years. But whatever the case, I just feel annoyed when I listen to these CDs today. They sound amphetamine-fueled, screechy, and grating to me. All in all, I think if you have not heard the Minutemen, "What Makes a Man Start Fires?" and "the punch line" are the place to start. However, keep in mind the context that this music was written and I think it will sound and play better.

I'll always love the cover painting on Punch Line. One of the great advantages of albums/12"s/lps or CD's: simply the size of the jacket that gave you much greater visual feasts when they had 'em and that was one.

If you don't already own these on album (heck, I own both and I still got this baby) get this thing and the other two Post Mersh volumes. All three were released in 1988 with music from 1980 through 1985.

Just listen to their music. You will never hear another band that sounds like them. (There's that excellent tribute CD Our Band Could Be Your Life). We were just lucky that three guys got together in San Pedro and made this music. It blew us away then. Though, I gotta admit, I didn't think it was Hardcore enough to go see them live as often as I coulda. Ya wimp (that'd be me). Only later, maybe near the end in 1985 did I start to realize how amazing these guys were. Each time I saw them live, about once in 1983 and two times in 1984 and maybe once in 1985, they just blew my head off. They definitely needed to release a live lp. Fortunately, there's that DVD documentary comin' out soon. Corndogs if I'm not mistaken. Saw the premier of that at the cool old theatre in San Pedro. Buffo. No question. There's gonna be at least one full live set on that DVD, hopefully more.

This was one of those bands that ruled in the studio and live. Not all bands can do that. These guys did. And death from a car crash (R.I.P. d. boon) is all that kept them from ruling the musical world for decades to come. One can only imagine what music they would have created and gifted us with. Only imagine. chrisbct@hotmail.com

Like another reviewer here, I caught the Minutemen's whirl-a-gig jazz at a young age, but unlike him it's settled in nicely in my memory. The Minutemen opened me to Coltrane and Ornette, and the elliptical artistic attack of Boon, Watt, and Hurley continues to explode good sense as far as I'm concerned. They're at their most elegant here, finishing off practically every song under two minutes. Favorite lyric: "Pack a chunk of the sun/Glue it to your heart hold on." If you happen to have money to splurge, you could buy both of these albums separately: they were released a little more than a year apart, and while "The Punch Line" forms the musical foundation for everything to follow, "What Makes A Man Start Fires?" is thick, rich and strange enough to demand its own hearing. D. Boon's ghost might say, "Go econo."

Wow!! Recovering the Satellites...the Counting Crow's second release. Featuring "Have you Seen Me Lately", "A Long December" and "Angels of the Silences". A little different from August and Everything After, but spectacular! They kind of got rid of the acoustic twang found in Round Here, and Mr. Jones. It's more electric, with louder vocals. A definite for all Counting Crows fans. It's the kind of album that you can listen through all the way through. Walkaways and Catapult are my personal favorites...for now anyways. Anyways, i recommend you buy this album.

just good stuff...you won't be disappointed. rts is, by far, the rockin'est counting crows cd in existence. all of them have their strengths, but if you gotta buy just one--this one's it!

after seriously having my life changed by the power and emotion of august and everything after, I can remember walking back towards college one cold afternoon right after buying recovering the satellites with it in my walkman, I have to admit that I didnt make it to college that day I went to a quiet place I knew sat down and listened to this album till my batteries ran out, then I ran and got some more and went back and listened for a few more hours, the crows have changed my life again, absolutly superb, without a doubt my faveorite band of al time