American Alternative music reviews

If you already know Cowboy Mouth then I'll say that this album is "core" Cowboy Mouth. If you don't know Cowboy Mouth then go to CowboyMouth.com and find out where you can go see a show! Cowboy Mouth is an EXCELLENT live band and 'It Means Escape' is their best non-live collection of true-to-type Cowboy Mouth tunes. Cowboy Mouth can best be described as "hard-folk-rock" with a bit of Cajun and Irish influence. Beyond that it's too hard to describe (I've been trying to for 10 years).

If you're new to CM then you should check out their newest disc, 'Easy'. It's a great collection of songs and is more radio-friendly then the other CM albums. 'Escape', however, is a little more "raw" and better encapsulates the feel and sound of a CM concert.

The first track, "Why Ya Wanna Do Me?", is a quick, fun, pounding romp to get you set up for the uplifting driving-rocker "Man On The Run" (one of my favorite CM tunes). A wee bit of Irish flavor pops up in "Looked Like A Woman" (performed in the style of a funny tale sung with exchanged chorus lines); later you get more overt Irish treatment with the traditional-sounding songs "Hitchhiker" and "Irish Boy" (all written by rhythm guitarist Paul Sanchez).

The best version of the ever-present CM track "How Do You Tell Someone?" appears on 'Escape'. This song is the most infectious-sounding Cowboy Mouth creation and appears remade on more CM albums than any other song. Track four, "Here I Sit In Prison", is a rockin' country-song-flavored sing-along favorite that is rarely left out of a CM concert playlist. "My Little Blue One", "Jenny Marie", and "Angel With A Broken Wing" are enjoyable tracks that help flesh out the "core" of Cowboy Mouth's signature sound.

This album is great but is ten times more enjoyable after you've seen Cowboy Mouth perform live. I highly recommend the combination of album/live performance. Barring that, pick up a copy of 'It Means Escape' AND a copy of 'Easy' to get a feel of what this band is about.

Cowboy Mouth is a bands band, everyone gets a chance to write a song or sing a song or whatever, perhaps this is the secret to their greatness, of course, that being said, wild man Fred LaBlanc is also the frontman extraordinaire, he is maniac, he is a profit, he is rock and roll personified. This excellent album is a must have for fans of the band, their indie rawness has rarely sounded finer. Fans of Steve Earle, Warren Zevon and Richard Thompson who do not know the Mouth should take note. Every album by the band is a blessing; every show an extravaganza, Cowboy Mouth is not so much a band as a way of life. There raucous music is the purest rock and roll, the kind that reaches your soul and makes you move. Standouts include `Irish Boy' `Here I Sit In Prison (Yipee I Yay)' and `Why Ya Wanna Do Me' but all the tracks are excellent. Buy one today.

As one of the best rock and roll bands around Cowboy Mouth's music is full of energy and great tunes. "Escape" is the first Mouth CD that I bought after seeing them open for "Bare Naked Ladies" in Detroit. The power of the music and the meaning of the lyrics will blow you away. If you have never heard Cowboy Mouth sit down and at least listen to the samples avalible on Amazon.com. Cowboy Mouth is the next big thing to hit the well known music scene. Every one see them live and experence the energy that they have live!

Rarely do I love an album on first listen, but this one I did. "Nowhere to Go But Crazy" was the first song I heard on a local Americana radio program and fell head over heels immediately. It is still a favorite. I only wish she would come back to Texas!!

I've listened to a lot of wonderful (and underappreciated) women singers recently--Lucy Kaplansky, Rosie Thomas, Mindy Smith, Kasey Chambers. I've enjoyed all of their CDs. Maggie Brown easily ranks among them. Her debut CD is simply amazing. Comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Toni Price come to mind. Maggie Brown holds her own with everyone that I've mentioned. And she is a truly gifted songwriter. Buy this CD!

Any music enthusiast will really love this album.

An amazing record. This came out in 1981 with another line-up and it is more atmospheric with elements of country, blues, rockabilly and death rock.The highest point is Cris D. voice and singing style, he is one of the best punk rock singers ever.Buy this record if you have an open mine and want to hear something different.

I recently bought a Flesh Eaters greatest hits CD, but honestly, I think their best songs are right here on this album (if only it included "Pony Dress"!) The group's personnel lineup was never stronger, and the longish songs give them a chance to show off instrumentally, especially Steve Berlin on "Divine Horseman" and DJ Bonebreak on "Satan's Stomp". The dark, pseudo-religious lyrics are a bit off-putting, but musically this is a superb effort.

This is Byron Coley's favorite album of all time. Does anything else need to be said?!? This album represents the best Flesheaters line up as well as the best songs. Despite Christgau's comment that Chris D. sounds like a strangled werewolf, the screams he lets loose on "See You in the Boneyard" are some of the most intense moments in all of rock 'n roll.

A perfect album.

An amazing record. This came out in 1981 with another line-up and it is more atmospheric with elements of country, blues, rockabilly and death rock.The highest point is Cris D. voice and singing style, he is one of the best punk rock singers ever.Buy this record if you have an open mine and want to hear something different.

I recently bought a Flesh Eaters greatest hits CD, but honestly, I think their best songs are right here on this album (if only it included "Pony Dress"!) The group's personnel lineup was never stronger, and the longish songs give them a chance to show off instrumentally, especially Steve Berlin on "Divine Horseman" and DJ Bonebreak on "Satan's Stomp". The dark, pseudo-religious lyrics are a bit off-putting, but musically this is a superb effort.

This is Byron Coley's favorite album of all time. Does anything else need to be said?!? This album represents the best Flesheaters line up as well as the best songs. Despite Christgau's comment that Chris D. sounds like a strangled werewolf, the screams he lets loose on "See You in the Boneyard" are some of the most intense moments in all of rock 'n roll.

A perfect album.

An amazing record. This came out in 1981 with another line-up and it is more atmospheric with elements of country, blues, rockabilly and death rock.The highest point is Cris D. voice and singing style, he is one of the best punk rock singers ever.Buy this record if you have an open mine and want to hear something different.

I recently bought a Flesh Eaters greatest hits CD, but honestly, I think their best songs are right here on this album (if only it included "Pony Dress"!) The group's personnel lineup was never stronger, and the longish songs give them a chance to show off instrumentally, especially Steve Berlin on "Divine Horseman" and DJ Bonebreak on "Satan's Stomp". The dark, pseudo-religious lyrics are a bit off-putting, but musically this is a superb effort.

This is Byron Coley's favorite album of all time. Does anything else need to be said?!? This album represents the best Flesheaters line up as well as the best songs. Despite Christgau's comment that Chris D. sounds like a strangled werewolf, the screams he lets loose on "See You in the Boneyard" are some of the most intense moments in all of rock 'n roll.

A perfect album.

The "New Picnic time" is an album that I greatly enjoy. Some may say that it is too experimental and becomes too fast... or whatever reason. The truth is that this is an album that can grow on you very fast. When I first got it, I was lost and impatient. Back then, a song over two and a half minutes would boar me, which is a side effect of being part of the generation with the attention span of a goldfish hopped up on coffee and PSP abuse, which is what most people are now. But as I listened to it more I found that this record has very strange energy to it. The only track I could do without is the opening track "the fabulous sequel", which is like a version of "not happy" without as much thought put into it. But tracks like "A Small Dark Cloud" and "All the Dogs Are Barking" really make this album. Other tracks, like "Make Hay", "Small Was Fast", and "One Less Worry" give another spin on the quality of this record. These songs are musically interesting and give some room for thought. In "Art of Walking", which isn't nessecerely their best, has one song "Go" that would have fit in this part of the album very nicely. Actually, that song sums up the theme through out "New Picnic Time".
The record concludes with the song Kingdom Come, which ends things well. It is echo-y and has a keyboard that sounds like a custom car horn.
So my point is that this pere ubu stuff can be seen as very good, it depends on how you look at what they were trying to do.

During the late '70's, a new Pere Ubu record was a huge event in my life. When New Picnic Time was released, I eagerly snapped it up and rushed home to listen. "IT'S ME AGAIN" blared through the speakers at ear-splitting volume. The grin on my face stretched from ear to ear. The Fabulous Sequel indeed! In the wake of Dub Housing, this is certainly a fabulous effort.

Pere Ubu is truly a love/hate band. I've cleared parties faster than a half dozen cops could've by spinning a Pere Ubu disc. But the few who stick around to listen are saying "Wow, this is really cool, who's this band?"

New Picnic Time is classic Pere Ubu. Buy it or better yet buy the Datapanik in the Year Zero CD box set.

Yes he sings some lyrics about Jehovah's Kingdom on here (to the discomfort of other band members) ... yes they were on the verge of pretentious excess, caused by the singer's domination of the band ... yes some of the tracks here are so-so moody meanderings ...

But the better part of this record is fantastic! I mean, good grief! Really unbelievable!

I'm almost speechless as to how beautiful parts of this record are. I came here to say something, so I'll say that on tracks like the first two each member of Ubu is contributing to a strong, slightly bizarre rhythm that moves and grooves. I'll also say that Tom Hermann (who left after recording this) was a genuinely astonishing player and that he left the evidence all over this record. Highlights are the first two tracks and "One Less Worry"; those tracks make nearly all of the history of recorded music seem like a mere build-up to this.

Biafra's first album prepared his followers for something they weren't used to listening to...Speeches. However, Biafra changed the common American punk rockin' fun lovin' kids' ideas about what life is really all about. Another thing Biafra taught us is simple: Speeches can be fun.

Take "Message From Our Sponsor" for a very prominent example. Jello speaks of a future world that's not too far off from our own at this point. Notice that a lot of Jello's SW pieces turn into songs. "Mild Kingdom" sure sounds like a certain DK song that I can't remember the name of right now. "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" is obviously the inspiration for the song version that goes by the same title.

Life to Jello is not about fist fighting like so many punk rockers out there. It's about freedom fighting. Jello, over all of his albums, has taught us one thing: we have to fight this. Corporations, republicrats, nuclear warheads, censorship, and racism IS out there.

This is what I like to think is Jello's most "fun" album. So many conspiracy theories and jokes packed in, you'll forget you're not watching TV! Is that a good thing?

Jello Biafra, the original politically-incorrect bad boy, splashes into spoken word with No More Cocoons. One of the most arresting albums I've ever listened to, NMC contains lots of material that, while dated, still relates to our lives today. Ronald Reagan may no longer be president, but with Jesse the Governor Ventura considering the office, it's healthy to think that "What Reagan Didn't Know" is probably a tenth of what Ventura doesn't know.

Other excellent pieces on this album are "Names for Bands", "Letter to Tipper Gore", "Urinalysis is Freedom" and "Why I'm Glad the Space Shuttle Blew Up". We may not hear about it anymore, but Gore once was a fierce advocate for censoring music in this country. We don't think to ask if they're still sending plutonium up in space shuttle flights, but would they really tell us anyway? We take our freedom for granted... Jello helps to remind us (again and again) that nothing in this world should be taken for granted. Especially our freedom.

very good. expand your knowledge with this set

This is one of the better punk comps i've heard, and has a lot more varied stuff on it than an "oi" comp would. There are some classic songs on here from Wasted Youth, TSOL, Agent Orange, and Flipper. Pretty much all of it is good but those are the best. I'd recommend getting Agent Orange's "Living in Darkness" or TSOL's "Dance With Me" if the songs on here appeal to you.

Sure, any compilation like this reeks of cash-in, and in the realm of "punk rock" that's a sin, but suspend your prejudices for a time and realize that the songs here are vital.

Serving as an admirable time capsule for SoCal early eighties punk rock, this CD ties together a great lineup of important bands of that day and age. And not only are the bands first-rate, the songs chosen are actually the best those bands have to offer. Honestly, once you hear "I Don't Care About You" by Fear, that's about all the Fear you'll ever need to hear. Same goes for the Germs' "Richie Dagger" and Agent Orange's "Bloodstains." Sure, you could delve deeper into each artist, but if you didn't bother, you could still safely go to your grave not missing much.

If you need a primer introduction to the roots of what they call American punk today (Offspring, Green Day, Blink182), this will serve that purpose admirably.

This is one of the better compilations that I own. It is great, but it could have had a better germs cut. Darby Crash rules!

This masterpiece is a punk classic. Not only will the guitar riffs rumble throughout your very existance, the highly offensive vocals of the lead singer will pierce even the most honorable man's moral.
A must have for anyone who can hear.

Incredible through and through. Steve Shelley on drums (from Sonic Youth) provides the backing for some awesome psychedelic punk guitar craft (not just thrash chords) and the sad/sick/twisted yet political/insightful rantings of Doc Dart make this a must have.
Plus, "When The Top Comes Off" is the best (only?) allegorical song about the mortal terror that both humanity and worms share under the dominion of 'The Man'. Really.

I had the frightening pleasure of catching an incendiary show at the Fireside (which is a bowling alley by day) in Chicago years ago, they're the real deal. Doc is completely insane.

This cd is a compilation of two CrucifuOverall the two albums are not really punk rock in my opinion they are some experimental genre of music that has never fully materialized however these albums are essential additions to any quality uinderground rekid collection.

Every now and then I need to find some new bands, and this album was just the thing. Lot's of great bands. I've found a bunch of new favorites in here and picked up a bunch of new CDs based on this album. If you are bored of your current music collection and are looking for some new CDs to add to your collection, then buy this CD.

Old favorites and wonderful new discoveries in store for the Big Star fan or the recovering college DJ.

The Tearaways turn in an excellent performance of "Jessica Something". They stack up well with some of the better known acts, as do the Wondermints.

Check out "In You Ear" if you like Jessica Something (which is not the best song by far, but catchy).

The Tearaways may in fact be the best band you have never heard of.