American Alternative music reviews

The Intel song used the original version of "Umbabarauma," by Jorge Ben. I bought this CD (Lust's) specifically for that song, but unfortunately it's not the same - this version sounds like a couple of pre-pubescents jamming on their Sony keyboard. Just plain dumb, if you were to ask me.

Anyhoo, if you're looking for the original version of "Umbabarauma," I've discovered that it's on a compilation called "Beleza Tropical,".

Why this CD has been overlooked is a real mystery to me. Musically, it is always interesting and far more varied than Lindsay's newer music--maybe even better than their second CD, "Greed." Lindsay's interesting and subdued guitar can be heard throughout, and Sherer's magic makes up the rest of the band. One would like to have many more CDs from these two very gifted guys. For those who'd like to hear more from Peter Sherer, check out his "Very Neon Pet" from 1995 (available used on Amazon).

I first discovered this CD thanks to a friend who was a fan of my occasional "Alumni Shows" on KTUH in Honolulu. Every time I listen, I always start laughing at one point or another. When I first heard it, I was already familiar with Arto Lindsay's brand of warm and educated Latin-style jazz, and his witty lyrics. I like Lindsay, though I'm not a huge fan. But *this* album is hardly anything like that. Peter Scherer must have slipped Lindsay about ten double cappucinos and then simply started recording. Scherer is the producer and partner Lindsay always needed. The music seems always on the verge of spinning out of control. But, you know what? Scherer is always *perfectly* on top of what's happening. His subtle production values are more than impressive. Then, the lyrics are audacious to the point of being eye-opening! I love it! I have three CDs by these two, but this one is easily my favorite. My friend, on the other hand, seems to like the earlier releases better. I suggest you *don't* buy this on the basis of some commercial you may have seen. Buy it, instead, because two real musicians pushed the limits a bit on this one. Very serious, but tongue-in-cheek. Hopefully, it will at least make you smile.

No hooks, no strong instrumentals ... the band is becoming the backdrop for David Thomas' effete and pretentious attempts at dadaistic dinner theatre. A sad finale to the original run of Pere Ubu.

I love this album! David Thomas' warbly vocals, Mayo Thompson's rare but catchy guitar, Tony Maimone's complicated, intricate basslines, and Anton Fier's complex drumming make for a wonderful album. I'll do a song by song breakdown to make it easier for you to see the inside of my mind bu-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

1. The Long Walk Home: Great song with a jazz breakdown in the middle, featuring odd static noises. 4/5

2. Use of a Dog: David Thomas kind of sounds like Tiny Tim on this one, which adds to the song's oddness. Cool trumpet, played by guest Eddie Thornton. 4/5

3. Petrified: GREAT SONG GREAT SONG GREAT SONG the little voices in my head are screaming. I have to agree with them. Between the great rhythm section workout, the lyrics about fossils, and, uh... I dunno, it's good okay?! 5/5

4. Stormy Weather: Too long even at 3 minutes. Very boring, although some of the ship noises and bells are slightly interesting. My least favorite track on the album. 2/5

5. West Side Story: It sounds a little bit like jazz gone wrong, with the great rhythm section (again! Maimone and Fier are really awesome!) and the mallet instruments. I likeses it lotses. 4/5

6. Thoughts that go by Steam: Eh. It's pretty good, but not one of my favorites. 3/5

7. Big Ed's Used Farms: If only for the sheer goofiness of the song it gets 5/5.

8. A Day Such as This: A mini-epic divided into 2 or 3 parts, some of which sound vaguely tribal and quite interesting. David Thomas spells out "Hyperbole" which I think means something like nonsense. Ha ha ha. Really good song though. 5/5

9. The Vulgar Boatman Bird: Good. 4/5

10. My Hat: Goofy. 4/5

11. Horns are a Dilemma: Good 4/5

So, this album gets my seal of approval.

After two albums of overexperimental avant garde with a couple of really great songs thrown in, Pere Ubu finally releases a costistently good album without the unlistenable experimental songs like Lost in Art or a Small Dark Coud. While it lacks the grittiness of other stellar LPs like the Modern Dance, Song of the Bailing Man presents a more complex and, yes, artsy Pere Ubu. This album is no less artsy and FAR less pretentious than The Art of Walking or New Picnic Time which expect the listener to take a rock band so seriously as to make radio static acceptable. A great buy for someone interested in Pere Ubu.

Listeners of the "Skarmageddon" series and "Mailorder is fun" maybe be disappointed by this, mainly because this is mellower, nicer ska. Even the Mighty Mighty Bosstones song featured is one of their more subtle tracks, at least by Bosstones standards. Standout tracks are "I'd buy a gun" and "Drums and chicken" (which is a song the MMB redid every other album, it seemed, and it only gets better with each remake.) The sound quality is a little poor at times, but overall it's enjoyable. Ska is like Pizza, even when it's bad, it's still pretty good.

This has a lot of variety, of course it's a comp. Everything from traditional to skacore. Even has a song by the Urge that I hadn't heard before. Good overall.

This album represents the bands that were basically the beginning of the third wave of ska. Though sometimes uneven, I gave the album 5 stars because there are some truly sweet cuts on here, and because it is such a classic compilation. Not only do you get great songs by great bands like Diggin' a Hole by Bim Skala Bim, and the Skatalites' Phoenix city by Les Miserables, but you get some special treats as well. Good early versions of some of the old Bosstones' tunes and a cool song by the Toasters under their earlier name (Not Bob Marley). Other cool groups on here include Let's Go Bowling, Gangster Fun, and the more obscure Bop (Harvey) with Bread and Circuses. Sure, some of the songs are a bit cheesy, but the energy and excitement of these young bands on the verge of a new scene is great.

This CD is a must for all Saccharine Trust fans. However, those new to the band may be somewhat nonplussed by both the sound quality and the performance -- as this is a live recording. What it lacks in mixing virtuosity it somewhat makes up for in enthusiasm. The rendition of the classic "A Human Certainty" is commendable, and the fact that "An Effort To Waste" comes in two parts is thrilling. The original Pagan Icons (apparently now rendered Pagans Trust) would be a good place to begin, but you will surely want to complete your collection with this rare treat (originally released as a two album set). Enjoy! You can't beat the price.

What! This record is great. Jack Brewer and Joe Baiza make one of the best poet/guitar noodler combos I've ever heard. They're both geniouses. "A Human Certainty" blows the studio version away. And this live document shows the early years as a struggling punk band, to the later years as a fully talented jazzcore. Awesome...awesome.

The sound quality is good; at least it's better than bootleg level. What really matters is the guitar sound Baiza gets on such tracks as "A Human Certainty," "I Have," and "The Giver Takes." Seriously, any true fan of metal guitar ala Iommi/early 80s Van Halen would have to like this. And of course fans of Black Flag and their ilk should have made this band at least as popular as B.F. The part in "I Have" where Jack Brewer screams "...many...' times" is the most explosive rock and roll moment I've ever heard, partly because it's quickly answered by a full bore ROAR from Baiza's axe.

If this review seems fragmented, emotional, and hasty, well, so are some of the best tracks on this album and so is rock and roll.

the first half of this album is downright awesome. the first 7 tracks have a couple of some my favorite minutemen songs. after that, 'tune for wind god' is a great jam, 'party with me punker' is still a classic, 'joy jam' is interesting to hear spot jamming with the band on clarinet, and 'tony gets wasted in pedro' is one of my fav minutemen songs too and is really overlooked in my opinion. there's 2 demos of mike singing and playing bass which are pretty much filler and i guess are important just for those who want every possible minutemen related recording known to man. then the live tracks are very good performances, but they sound terrible. it sounds like you could turn up one of their studio albums really loud and walk around your house outside listening to it and it would sound similar. in other words its really muffled and frustrating. this is not for beginners obviously just because of the sound.

This album is basically live tracks and demos. Though the sound quality is usually poor, it's fun and engaging. It's good to hear the band before they matured with Double Nickles, and great to hear them live, since sadly I was still a kid when most of these songs were recorded.

This album is for hardcore Watt & Minutemen fans only. Causal fans should start with Double Nickles & If'N (by fIREHOSE).

Oddly, this was my introduction to the Minutemen. I have to admit that I actually had a hard time getting into Double Nickels, because it sounded so straight ahead.

That said, Politics is a great album. Party With Me Punker back to back with Tune For The Wind God show the tremendous dynamicism that only the Minutemen can display so well. Showing humor, angst, muscianship, spirituality, punk, post-punk... They have it all.

Also, Badges is a cool tune for die hard Watt fans.

Due to its relative rareness and its inability to stay in print, here's a record that you'll probably never hear. If you're unfamiliar with American Music Club, this isn't necessarily the best means of introduction anyway, but it still has its moments, and it qualifies as a reasonably solid first album. The Restless Stranger sounds exactly as you might imagine a San Francisco-based band to sound in the mid-eighties, full of angular, wrenching arrangements and analytical, self-deprecating lyrics that are more than a step or two removed from the mainstream. It also displays the diversity of the band's range, veering from the melancholy sadness of "Room Above the Club" and "Away Down My Street" to the wrenching catharsis of "$1,000,000 Song" and "Mr. Lucky." Singer Mark Eitzel remains interesting throughout, whether he's sympathizing with the losers who populate his songs ("Yvonne Gets Dumped") or flagellating himself over some self-perceived shortcoming ("Point of Desire").

Despite the subject matter, Eitzel never sounds as though he is ranting uncontrollably, since his words are usually well grounded in intriguing melodies, while the band arrangements remain simultaneously understated and provocative. At times, the band sounds a bit like early-eighties Cure, with lopsided chords echoing behind a forlorn melody, but ultimately, the American Music Club is too original to retain anything quite so derivative. Any such comparison is thoroughly trashed by the inclusion of the acoustic blues of "Heavenly Smile" and the ethereal energy of the title track (actually, a bonus track on the CD release). To hear the band at its most original and expressive peak, pick up a copy of Mercury. If you appreciate that, then search this out; it will be worth the effort.B+Tom Ryan

There are some good songs here. A little over produced for my taste.

'When Your Love Is Gone' is possibly the archetypal AMC song : it is ostensibly about loss,somehow manages to crystallise what you already knew but hadn't quite been able to express or put into words("...you'll see her in everyone")and yet is just massively,unbelievably uplifting and inspirational.
The rest of the album almost follows suit.'Yvonne Gets Dumped' is a hypnotic rocker and there are more up-beat numbers than on later releases(this is not 'Caught In A Trap...')so overall it is possibly a good introduction.But then there's the majesty of 'Everclear' and the blistering return to form of Eitzel's 'Invisible Man' so who am I to tell you where to start...Okay then,just buy everything!!!If you've ever been in love and thought 'I will lose you,I will forget you...',then this album and this band are for you.Have fun...

Sheryl Crow has a great talent. She is a good singer with a veeery seductive voice, and her compositions do own a certain Western soul.

Songs like �If It Makes You Happy�, �Redemption Day�, �Hard To Make A Stand� or �Oh Marie� are emotional and beautiful. But the album as a whole has too many slow, sleepy, ta-dam ta-dam tracks.

Sheryl Crow is one those artists where buying her �Best Of� in ten years is going to be the best bargain.

This song has cool lyrics, a good beat, and a nice flow. This is something you can dance to; do yard work with,listen while to clean the house. Every time i hear it it makes me want to dance and smile because of it's great beat. Sheryl crow has done some good songs in her past and this has to be one of her best.

Sheryl Crow became one of the most popular artists with her debut album TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB, and many speculated whether she could last. Well all fears are put to rest here, on her self titled sophomore album SHERYL CROW. SHERYL CROW in my humble opinion is better than her first album. The first single "If It Makes You Happy" is a good taste to whats on this album, songs that matter, songs that will make you listen and take notice. Sheryl co-wrote and had a hand in producing most of the 13 tracks on here. This version of the CD features two bonus tracks "Sad, Sad World" and "Freeman" which are both worth buying this import for, both excellent songs. "Everyday Is A Winding Road" has to be one of the most memorable songs on here, lyrically its just so interesting and the melodies and instruments all seem to work so well together. One of the most beautiful songs on here in my opinion is "Home" where Sheryl just sounds so raw and real, and its just so captivating when you listen to it. The beauty of Sheryl's work is her ability to convey a song through complex and deep meaning lyrics. "Hard To Make A Stand" is one of the catchiest songs on here. Other highlights on here include "Maybe Angels", "Superstar", "Redemption Day" and "Love Is A Good Thing". Overall its a strong album, by a very talented artist. No sophomore slump for Sheryl, this one is well worth checking out.

Sheryl Crow has a great talent. She is a good singer with a veeery seductive voice, and her compositions do own a certain Western soul.

Songs like �If It Makes You Happy�, �Redemption Day�, �Hard To Make A Stand� or �Oh Marie� are emotional and beautiful. But the album as a whole has too many slow, sleepy, ta-dam ta-dam tracks.

Sheryl Crow is one those artists where buying her �Best Of� in ten years is going to be the best bargain.

This song has cool lyrics, a good beat, and a nice flow. This is something you can dance to; do yard work with,listen while to clean the house. Every time i hear it it makes me want to dance and smile because of it's great beat. Sheryl crow has done some good songs in her past and this has to be one of her best.

Sheryl Crow became one of the most popular artists with her debut album TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB, and many speculated whether she could last. Well all fears are put to rest here, on her self titled sophomore album SHERYL CROW. SHERYL CROW in my humble opinion is better than her first album. The first single "If It Makes You Happy" is a good taste to whats on this album, songs that matter, songs that will make you listen and take notice. Sheryl co-wrote and had a hand in producing most of the 13 tracks on here. This version of the CD features two bonus tracks "Sad, Sad World" and "Freeman" which are both worth buying this import for, both excellent songs. "Everyday Is A Winding Road" has to be one of the most memorable songs on here, lyrically its just so interesting and the melodies and instruments all seem to work so well together. One of the most beautiful songs on here in my opinion is "Home" where Sheryl just sounds so raw and real, and its just so captivating when you listen to it. The beauty of Sheryl's work is her ability to convey a song through complex and deep meaning lyrics. "Hard To Make A Stand" is one of the catchiest songs on here. Other highlights on here include "Maybe Angels", "Superstar", "Redemption Day" and "Love Is A Good Thing". Overall its a strong album, by a very talented artist. No sophomore slump for Sheryl, this one is well worth checking out.

I bought "Dawn of the Dickies" in about 1984 and was immediately mesmerized. How could any band beat the withering, flipped-out guitar solo in "Nights in White Satin", or the playful lyrics in "Stuck in a Pagoda (with Tricia Toyota)"? Sad to say, "Dawn" has never been released on CD and I'm stuck with my old LP version (and here I am, caught between turntables! ). When I found that amazon.com had this CD available I jumped at the chance to purchase it and I have to say, I was disappointed. The song selection was great, but the CD was "digitally cloned", as it says on the back cover, from a 1986 cassette! Come on! Several songs drop out countless times in the middle and most of the CD is muddled and unprofessional. This one is only for hardcore collectors of Dickies material.....uh, like me. Maybe we can get amazon.com to exert some pressure on the record label or the band to re-release "Dawn of the Dickies, undoubtedly the finest moment in L.A. punk recording.......

Watching Abe Vigoda and everything will be fine!

I remember years ago that 'Still Got...' was only available on cassette.Thank goodness for CD reissues,wouldn't you say?I mean cassettes break or jam all too often anyway.Total of 25 songs played in one hour's time.Any Dickies fan should be much delighted with this disc as the guys tend to show off their all American brand of high-energy straight ahead punk.Plenty of covers as well.Covers that you might not expect a punk band to play,like Sabbath's "Paranoid",Paul Simon's "The Sound Of Silence",Moody Blue's "Nights In White Satin",the Monkee's "She" and Barry McGuire's "Eve Of Destruction".Oh and they even close out the set with the Banana Split's theme.Now,that's what I call original.Just an all around fun CD to listen to.Should appeal to fans of The Damned,Buzzcocks,Generation X and the Dead Milkmen.

I just heard from the Dickies on this very subject. This is a CD re-release of the cassette "We Aren't the World" that was released on ROIR. The performance is excellent, although the sound quality lacks sometimes. I had the cassette of this release in about 1988 or 89 and it has long been out of print.

Take it for what it is... that is, A GREAT DICKIES CD.

If you are a Dickies fan, I would suggest buying the following DVD:

The Best of Flipside Video, Volume 1. There is a great performance by the Dickies, as well as an amazing set by the Circle Jerks. There are also performances by Bad Religion and The Weirdos.

There is also a new live video from Japan that is being released!!!

this cd is worth the price just for Mule. great song.

buy this excellent old school punkcore before it goes out of print/ out of stock like every other selfless release

nasty, nasty boys