American Alternative music reviews

Seems like another bad has been lost. What used to be an excellent punk band has now turned into your adverage emo band. Don't even bother with this album, go get Roges march or S/T. This band should have changed their name before ruining their music.

This is probably the best album you never heard of. Many of my friends who don't necessarily see eye to eye with me on music, have heard this album playing in my car and said, "Who is this? American Steel? 'Never heard of 'em, but this is awesome, can you burn me some of their stuff?" I'll burn them a few tracks and a few weeks later I'll get the call:"What's the name of that album again? I gotta go get it!"

With their two previous albums ( one self titled, the second "Rogue's March"), American Steel was a rowdy, in your face punk band. Both of these albums are good, but aren't going to win anyone over who doesn't already love punk rock.But there was something special there in the catchy song writing and smoke and wiskey scarred vocals. Something unique that set them apart from the crowd. Great story telling and passionate energy.

With "Jagged Thoughts", American Steel broke through in a big way. It's not just pounding drums, shredding guitars, and bleeding vocal chords - it's all that with an amazing pop sensability, folky story lines, and an "oldies" rock n' roll rythm. Think the Clash covering the song "Tears of A Clown".How many albums are agressive and still make you want to dance?

Romance, passion, broken hearts, smoking, drinking, down trodden, and up lifting. If that's not rock n' roll, I don't know what is.

Listen to the 6th track "Maria". That song more than any other seems to win everyone over.

Sadly, after "jagged Thoughts", American Steel called it a day.
But they didn't break up actually. They became the band Communique. But don't be expecting American Steel here. Communique combines a lot of the same elements as they did in American Steel, but with a much more stylized, "modern rock" feel. In my opinion it's equally as good, but some may not be willing to make the transition.

This album is a perfect example of how unpopular, out of the main stream bands can make music that anyone can enjoy. If you dont like it, you are probably a poser with no taste. Only listen to punk, only listen to rap, you are close minding and dont know what good music is. Any kind of music can be good, just have to realize that they all can be good although different types. Pisses me off to see people bash this band because its not "punk". This is an album that anyone with taste would like, and even people w/o good taste would like it.

When Black Flag ran out of gas in the late 80s, it took Henry Rollins six months to get this band together and running. This is THE Rollins Band album to buy, considering his body of work before 'The End Of Silence' came out.
This is the still poor, angry, we can make this band work Henry. Hard, angry, and not too poorly recorded. I love this album, all the tracks. But I only give it 4 stars because of the missing original CD track 'Joy riding with Frank', a 25+ minunite live track that had the best bass guitar work I have ever heard on ANY rock album.
Either way, its a great buy. Its funny, back when I bought this album around 1988, I couldnt think of Henry Rollins singing for anyone other than Black Flag. Now, listening to this album, considering Black Flags later work, it sounds like he was wasting his time with Black Flag, waiting to make this album, and when he did, he exploded. Recomended.

I never thought that I would like a Rollins related project better than Black Flag (or psychotic free Jazz tinged punk for that matter). But this album makes this band come close to being better than Flag to me. Chris Haskett is almost an antithesis to Greg Ginn. He is very restrained when soloing, uses tube amps and has a warm tone unlike Ginn, who was rude, unrestrained and out of control at times. Thats where their differences end though, as Haskett seems to worship Black Sabbath and Fusion just as much as Ginn. The rest of the band, easily outdoes Flag (even the classic lineup) as bassist Andrew Weiss could be pitted against any bass shredder like Billy Sheehan, and Drummer Sim Cain is amazing as well. This album is halfway from Lifetime to End of Silence, but add an Einsturzende Neubaten/Swans influence come mid album, and you have a killer cd. The song "Hard" sounds like they listened to a bit of Van Halen and Fusion and mixed them together (I'm serious, this swings alot like Hot for Teacher, listen to them back to back if you dont believe me). Rollins is more controlled than on Lifetime but he has a lot more power and passion. An essential album to buy..

This album is the last truly underground release of Henry's career (it originally appeared on Texas Hotel records) and while Henry has admitted that he withheld some of the stronger material that they were working on (Tearing in particular) for later release (End of Silence), this album is easily the darkest, hardest and most honest album in the Rollins Oeuvre. The opening track "Hard" is an awesome ode to self-preservation, while "Planet Joe" is a brutally uncompromising vision of the iconoclastic spirit. However, it is the amazing "Turned inside out" (Who's the criminal now? Is that you? Could that be you?) and the frighteningly honest "Down and away" (The closer you get, the farther away I feel) that dominate this release. The bonus tracks are great (mostly demos), particularly the unreleased "Thin air," one of the greatest Rollins band songs of all time. This disc is like the Swans on steroids. Don't beleive me? Buy it and see. Rollins plans on re-releasing "Joy riding with Frank" in the future, so don't despair. However, you should have bought the original release true fan

Great hook, strong vocal performance and cool lyrics. Of all Sheryl Crow's fine singles "If it Makes You Happy" is simply the coolest. Taken from her 1996 album, which along with "The Globe Sessions" show Crow's most rocking side. This single also contains 3 non-album tracks which make this single a real great buy, even if you already have bought the album.

The cover of Eric Clapton's "Keep On Growing" gives Sheryl and her band another chance to rock. I'll choose Crow's cover anytime to the original.

"I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" is a cover of a Fats Domino song. Quite relaxed performance that does not sound very much like anything else Crow has recorded. Doesn't sound like a Fats Domino track either.
"No One Said it Would Be Easy" is a great 1994 live performance of one of the strongest songs of her first album.

A recent rediscovery of Sheryl Crow's music has made me appreciate it more than I think I ever did. This time last year I was besotted with the woman, but then throughout this year as I explored different artists such as Bjork and Tori Amos, she kind of faded into the background. However, I popped in her self-titled sophomore album the other day and was thrilled to rediscover that the freshness of her music has survived until this very day from way back in the mid-90's. That second album followed the multi-platinum "Tuesday Night Music Club," and contained some of Sheryl's most recognisable hit singles, such as "Home," "A Change Would Do You Good" and "Everyday Is A Winding Road." However, there was one other song, which eclipsed all these and is probably Sheryl's second biggest hit to date after her classic debut "All I Wanna Do."

That song is, indeed, "If It Makes You Happy." Although not a big hit in the charts, the song is somehow embedded into the public consciousness due to mass radio airplay around the globe. It seems everyone knows this song whether they want to or not. The song itself is an upbeat raw rocker with a chugging beat and chunky guitars. Sheryl's vocals are bitter and raw. Some like this, others don't. The song opens with the first verse, where Sheryl sings, "I've been long, a long way from home. Put on a poncho, played for mosquitos, and drank 'til I was thirsty again. We went searching, through thrift store jungles. Found Geronimo's rifle, Marilyn's shampoo and Benny Goodman's corset and pen." Sheryl then sings the bridge to the chorus, "Well OK, I made this up! I promise you I'll never give up." Sheryl then sings the classic chorus, "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad. If it makes you happy, then why the Hell are you so sad?"

Sheryl then proceeds to sing the second verse, "You get down, real low down. You listen to Coltrane, derail your own train, well who hasn't been there before? I come round, around the hard way. Bring you comics in bed, scrape the mould off the bread, and serve you french toast again." Sheryl then sings the bridge, "Well OK, I still get stoned. I'm not the kind of girl you take home." Sheryl then sings the second chorus, before a typical instrumental kicks in. After this, Sheryl sings, "We've been far, far away from here. Put on a poncho, played for mosquitos, and everywhere in between." Sheryl then sings the third bridge, "Well OK, we get along. So what if right now everything's wrong?" She then sings the chorus again over and over until it finishes.

The only complaint I have of this song is that the first part of the chorus, "If it makes you happy!," is a little loud, especially when on the "Happy" bit! Apart from that though, this song is a modern day classic that I am sure radio stations will be playing for years to come! The video is great too, check it out!

I'll be blunt. Sheryl Crow is one of my favourite female artists out there today. I understand why others might not like her style (or her voice for that matter) but to each their own... As for this particular song, it really blew me away. The harsh edge she brings to the lyrics, the raw energy she gives into this performance makes this song appear all too real for me. The 'screeching' (as some may call it) is overwhelming at times, but that's what I love about it. It's meant to overpower you... and it made me happy.

Great hook, strong vocal performance and cool lyrics. Of all Sheryl Crow's fine singles "If it Makes You Happy" is simply the coolest. Taken from her 1996 album, which along with "The Globe Sessions" show Crow's most rocking side. This single also contains 3 non-album tracks which make this single a real great buy, even if you already have bought the album.

The cover of Eric Clapton's "Keep On Growing" gives Sheryl and her band another chance to rock. I'll choose Crow's cover anytime to the original.

"I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday" is a cover of a Fats Domino song. Quite relaxed performance that does not sound very much like anything else Crow has recorded. Doesn't sound like a Fats Domino track either.
"No One Said it Would Be Easy" is a great 1994 live performance of one of the strongest songs of her first album.

A recent rediscovery of Sheryl Crow's music has made me appreciate it more than I think I ever did. This time last year I was besotted with the woman, but then throughout this year as I explored different artists such as Bjork and Tori Amos, she kind of faded into the background. However, I popped in her self-titled sophomore album the other day and was thrilled to rediscover that the freshness of her music has survived until this very day from way back in the mid-90's. That second album followed the multi-platinum "Tuesday Night Music Club," and contained some of Sheryl's most recognisable hit singles, such as "Home," "A Change Would Do You Good" and "Everyday Is A Winding Road." However, there was one other song, which eclipsed all these and is probably Sheryl's second biggest hit to date after her classic debut "All I Wanna Do."

That song is, indeed, "If It Makes You Happy." Although not a big hit in the charts, the song is somehow embedded into the public consciousness due to mass radio airplay around the globe. It seems everyone knows this song whether they want to or not. The song itself is an upbeat raw rocker with a chugging beat and chunky guitars. Sheryl's vocals are bitter and raw. Some like this, others don't. The song opens with the first verse, where Sheryl sings, "I've been long, a long way from home. Put on a poncho, played for mosquitos, and drank 'til I was thirsty again. We went searching, through thrift store jungles. Found Geronimo's rifle, Marilyn's shampoo and Benny Goodman's corset and pen." Sheryl then sings the bridge to the chorus, "Well OK, I made this up! I promise you I'll never give up." Sheryl then sings the classic chorus, "If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad. If it makes you happy, then why the Hell are you so sad?"

Sheryl then proceeds to sing the second verse, "You get down, real low down. You listen to Coltrane, derail your own train, well who hasn't been there before? I come round, around the hard way. Bring you comics in bed, scrape the mould off the bread, and serve you french toast again." Sheryl then sings the bridge, "Well OK, I still get stoned. I'm not the kind of girl you take home." Sheryl then sings the second chorus, before a typical instrumental kicks in. After this, Sheryl sings, "We've been far, far away from here. Put on a poncho, played for mosquitos, and everywhere in between." Sheryl then sings the third bridge, "Well OK, we get along. So what if right now everything's wrong?" She then sings the chorus again over and over until it finishes.

The only complaint I have of this song is that the first part of the chorus, "If it makes you happy!," is a little loud, especially when on the "Happy" bit! Apart from that though, this song is a modern day classic that I am sure radio stations will be playing for years to come! The video is great too, check it out!

I'll be blunt. Sheryl Crow is one of my favourite female artists out there today. I understand why others might not like her style (or her voice for that matter) but to each their own... As for this particular song, it really blew me away. The harsh edge she brings to the lyrics, the raw energy she gives into this performance makes this song appear all too real for me. The 'screeching' (as some may call it) is overwhelming at times, but that's what I love about it. It's meant to overpower you... and it made me happy.

To get the full power of this recording you really have to invent a time machine and go back to the early eighties and see Sonic Youth perform live. An example of the early, raw power of this band. Back when they first started they were constantly redefining their sound with new kinds of chord progressions, feedback, distortion and just plain weirdness before settling into the corporate mainstream with more accessible recordings of their music. Still a great band though, especially live. The best early work by this band also includes Bad Moon Rising and Evol.

My copy only has one track not two, so it's even heaveier going!

This album is excellent... almost the equivalent of the SYR series only 15 years earlier. Snippets of actual songs from early Sonic LPs show up but they're not the point of this, the instrumentals are.

It just shows how much fun being in Sonic Youth is, despite their reputation for po-faced pretensiousness... they put The World Looks Red on in double-speed and it still sounds kewl!

I think they were just having fun, and what everyone forgets is originally this was a fan club only release on Thurston's Exstatic Peace! label -- it was never meant to be a best-seller.

Bear that in mind, listen to it on headphones and have fun -- it's like a musically rollercoaster -- scary and exhilerating!

This isn't for fans of Goo or Dirty. It's Sonic Youth's noisiest and most abrasive album. If you like Confusion is Sex, you'll love this. It's got awesome versions of The Good and the Bad, Confusion is Next, The Burning Spear, Kill Yr Idols, Early American, and some really cool instrumental stuff. All the songs are noisier than the studio versions, even the songs from Sonic Youth's weird early 1981 period. My only complaint is that Lee doesn't play the power drill on Burning Spear!

Despite the 5 covers, slower tempos and for the Minutemen much more conventional and longer songs, 3-Way Tie For Last is a good album. Unfortunately it's the Minutemen's last official album being released just before D. Boon's untimely death and isn't a very good swansong. One wonders what direction this odd and intelligent band would have taken had D. lived. Because this album doen'st really point in any one direction. It's somewhat scattershot and unfocused with moments of brilliance interspersed with moments of boredom and self-indulgence. I wouldn't start here if you are new to the Minutemen. Rather you should start at the magnificent What Makes a Man Start Fires? or their masterpiece Double Nickels On The Dime which is a five star album if ever I've heard one.

I've been a huge Minutemen fan for a long time and regret not having seen them live before their sudden and tragic demise nearly twenty years ago. In my opinion, "Three Way..." is the band's weakest effort, by far. What really spoils this record for me is it's slick production. Previous Minutemen records feature bare-bones production techniques that faithfully capture the raw intensity of their live shows. This record (or CD, if you prefer) is just too glossy sounding for my tastes and seriously dulls the band's edge. Still, every Minutemen record is worth a listen.

But.....

If you are new to The Minutemen, first pick up their classic double LP (or extra-length CD, but with fewer songs) "Double Nickles On The Dime". Then, get "Post-Mersh Vol. 1" which contains their first two LP's on one CD. While you're at it, check out "Ballot Result", a double LP consisting of live recordings chosen by the band's fans. Originally, D., Mike, and George were going to perform these songs live once the results were in. But due to D. Boon's untimely death, the songs were compiled from live shows, rehearsal tapes, and radio broadcasts. Sound quality can be very spotty in places, but don't let that prevent you from enjoying this nice tribute to D. and his bandmates. Also, listen to how much better the live versions compare to the same songs on "Three Way..." No contest!

This is their most politically coherent album. If you're old enough, you'll remember that "3 Way" came out during Reagan's second term. The administration was supporting death squad governments in El Salvador and Guatemala, while covertly funding terrorist "Contras" in Nicaragua. This record is a direct response to those policies. The lyrics are EXCELLENT, still poetic and personal but very clear in their anti-war stance.

The album is well recorded. I don't know what "slick" means in this context; they wanted it to sound the way it sounds. The production serves the songs. And about the covers ... "Double Nickels" had a terrible Steely Dan cover, so why complain about Creedence and Blue Oyster Cult?

They were maturing and evolving on this one. Who knows where they might have gone next.

This album contains one of the most adequate song titles in music history. "I can't stop talking", the "singer" whines (he can't stop whining either, you see) and that's about all he ever does. Sure, once in a blue moon he actually sings the "chorus" but most songs by this band is built in the same way: a monotonous bass line to which the "singer" talks and talks and talks. He tries to add drama, but he just can't seem to get it right; he just raises his voice at random, adding no drama whatsoever. But their concept is brilliant. This way, they don't need to actually write songs and they still make a lot of records that people buy for no apparent reason. Stay away from this crap!

[...] oh yeah, the sound quality is AMAZING!!!!!! the dance is AMAZING. one of their best most powerful releases. and it has 2 vinyl only tracks added on to the import european import!!!!THIS IS A MUST HAVE!!!!! dance isn't too far behind!!!!! [...] seriously. it's awesome, but um...
later!

It has two bonus tracks which the could not put on the CD. It is two records with a bigger insert with more pictures and all that.

As far as album quality goes... It is just unbelievable. After enough exposure to NMN you begin to look at your other records and think, "Hmm... Do I really need all these?"

The Rape, Dance of, Disapear and This Story Must Be Told are amazing songs that will haunt you with their beauty and mania. The two bonus vinyl only tracks, Youth and Life Like really do round out the record, all though people looking for Wrong style fury and energy will be underimpressed. I like 'em.

In 1989 Scott Fitzgerald first released Thunderdrums on an audiocassette from Nature Recordings. Every piece was emotional and evocative, and the title piece of the recording, "Thunderdrums", was one of the most powerful pieces of music I had ever heard, capturing the primordial energy of the thunderstorm and melding it seamlessly with the strength and energy of tribal drumming. This was, at the time, one of my favorite recordings.

Imagine my delight when, a few years later, I discovered what I thought was the same recording, now transferred to CD. No longer would I have to worry that my audiocassette would wear out from repeated playing! Now I could select my favorite track and set it on repeat, and sink into a trance as the music washed over me! But the recording on the CD is NOT the recording that was originally released on audiocassette. For some reason, every single track had been remixed, some slightly, some horribly, and the title track was the most hideously butchered of all.

In place of the original, intense piece, there now exists a new-agey, overly instrumentalized, sanitized version of the original. Where the original starred the majesty of a thunderstorm as its central element, now it seems added as an afterthought, an accent. Where the deep thrumming of tribal drums sank into your bones, now they are flat, with riffs and flourishes of other instruments adding 'texture'. Where the original evoked the spirit of the Thunderbird, and called the stormclouds into the sky, now it evokes nothing more than a yawn.

If you can find the original, 1989 release of Thunderdrums, buy it and treasure it as a masterpiece. If, however, all you can find is the new version (which I believe is the only one released on CD), save your money. There are far better recordings out there.

This is an excellent CD. The cover art may be a little misleading. Its not really Native American. Native American influenced, maybe, but its completely original and uniquely Fitzgerald, and at the same time its something else. Something deeper. Almost primordial. This music is some of the most emotionally charged pseudo-ethnic drumming I think I've ever heard. I love it. Just listen to it and let it take you on a wild ride through the jungles of Africa or wherever else you picture yourself. Primal and beautiful. If you like the music of Mickey Hart, you'll love this.

This cd is great... When I get angry at any one or anything, I put this in to my player and let it remove all of my hatred/ anger. I would recommend this to any one. Also a great stress remover.

Another Sub Pop compilation filled with as many "lesser" bands as household names. Not quite the quality (in the music or the packaging) as the Sub Pop 200 re-issue, but a nice snapshot of what came to be known as The Grunge Era.

Unfortunately, the overall quality of this (and other discs like it - not to mention the individual band catalogues) serves as a constant reminder just what a boring musical time we live in now. Nothing lends weight to music like a "music scene," and the folks at Sub Pop played the Seattle angle to the hilt. Lucky us they did . . .

I admit it, this is not the best compilation album. I suggest you only buy this if you know what you are getting into, this isn't for anyone new to the music. And uh, "Music Fan" or whatever, if you honestly think that 'grunge' brought about the whole glam pop thing you need to seriously take a closer look, grunge did nothing to bring about glam pop it has existed for years. If I remember correctly Nirvana are the guys who knocked Micheal off the top of the pop charts? And yeah, Grunge is slow, the guitars are played really screwy and the the lyrics are dark...I prefer ameteurs playing that's what punk was about I thought? Look at the Ramones...At any rate the cd is ok the scene itself was awesome.

Anyone that says the only well known artist on this compilation is Nirvana is incredibly unfamiliar with the grunge genre. Let's not forget Mark Lanegan and the Screaming Trees, Afghan Whigs, Mudhoney, etc, all just as noteworthy in the genre's history.

With that said, the comp is a great record of some obscure songs by some great bands, which, if grunge is near and dear to you, you already know. I was happy to find it in the used bin years ago. However, if you're only a moderate grunge fan and you know it, this one's not for you.

This transaction was cancelled because was out of stock, they gave me my money back

A good compilation of odds and ends of the Surfer's material,originally put in circulation as a bootleg.However,after a certain point,Surfer's drummer King Coffey had decided to make it a legit release.Beat that.Apparently,the sound quality is pretty dang good,no?Total of seventeen tracks with a duration of 74:55.Plenty of live tunes,I noticed.Was liking their two covers here,Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and the Beatle's "Come Together",as well as much of their original songs,like "Psychedelic","Lady Sniff","1401",the list goes on.If you're a long-time fan of the Bunghole(er,I mean BUTTHOLE)Surfers,you should get many enjoyable spins from 'The Hole Truth...'.A should-have.

This has the reputation of being a poor man's Humpty Dumpty LSD, a collection of demos and b-sides released in 2002. However, I think that this is far from that. This is a collection of live recordings, 2 demos and a hilarious interview. And if you get it new or are careful about it, you can get a sticker of the CD cover (without the 2 black side bars) and one of Trance Syndicate. It's quite different in all honesty. Unfortunately since Trance syndicate no longer exists this record has been out of print for some time, and most likely will stay that way. The Hole Truth... is more like a second Double Live. (Something also out of print) So if you get it off eBay or something and you want the stickers, then you are going to have to be careful about it. Definitely a must have if you are a big Butthole Surfers fan, especially if you are an 80's fan, as the only song from the 90's is the Wooden Song. And I agree with another reviewer saying that that song just feels misplaced. Awe well, since no one here has covered all the songs and I'm sure some people are wondering about them, I'll just go ahead and do it.

1. Butthole Surfer: a 1983 demo that is easier to make out the words, but quality isn't as good.
2. Something: the SAME 1983 DEMO that appears on Butthole Surfers/Live PCPPEP, pretty good.
3. Moving to Florida: the classic and hilarious song off Cream corn from the socket of Davis, it's pretty good here.
4. Hurdy Gurdy Man: an earlier live version 6 years before they recorded it. Good quality.
5. Come together: A beetles cover, and it works rather well, especially with the 2 drummers. A shame its only 54 seconds long.
6. Cherub: and EXCELLENT version of cherub. The funny intro with Gibby talking to the audience, and the drums and megaphone all work brilliantly here, my personal favorite.
7. Graveyard: different show, different quality, it's the fast version in case you are wondering, its pretty cool.
8. U.S.S.A.: Ok, the cracks are starting to show, Gibby sounds really tired here, and the drums aren't as good. The version on the Double Live is way better, but this one still listenable.
9. Lady Sniff: the hilarious song, that is just as good live, quality is a little poor, but it works.
10. John E. Smoke: different show and Gibby doesn't sound tired, great quality to a great song.
11. 1401: later to be renamed the Colored FBI guy on the Widowermaker! EP, its great.
12. Psychedelic: different concert again, and it's an instrumental, like it should have stayed.
13. Bon Song: Different Concert and it's a live version of the bong song, now I wasn't a big fan of the original, but it's beautiful.
14. The Wooden Song: Different concert and like I said, it feels out of place, but it the opening with the gibbytronix is pretty cool.
15. Pittsburgh to Lebanon: You can actually hear Gibby shooting off a shotgun into the crowd! Don't worry, he did it often and it was filled with Hollywood blanks (you know, the only that just flash and nothing more).
16. The Shah Sleeps in lee Harvey's Grave: Hilarious, most of the time, when they perform it live, it doesn't go over as well as it does here.
17. WNYU Interview: This Alone should make the disc worth Paying for. A hilarious 5 and a half minute interview, unfortunately it seems like it was cut off, I would have loved to hear the entire thing.

Well, the Hole truth...and Nothing Butt! is a gem for the fanatic. But towards the end, it just doesn't have the same feel; it must be the lack of the second drummer. It isn't 5 star worthy but it's pretty close. All in all it's definitely worth your time if you are a Butthole Junkie. My advice is to try and get it with the sticker, because there aren't many of those. Hoped this helped. Support the Butthole Surfers and support John E. Smoke, the crippled little Midget lesbian boy who stood ten feet tall with a knife!