Freak Out
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 May, 1995)
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Editorial Review

"This is the voice of your conscience, baby..." The recording debut of the Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention is a brilliantly wicked counter-strike to the flower power sensibilities prevalent at the time of it's release in 1966. Arguably rock music's first true "concept album," Zappa's aural collage mashes together chunks of psychedelic guitars, outspoken political commentary, cultural satire, and avant-garde musical sensibilities, and then hides it all under cleverly crafted pop melodies. Not diminished in the slightest by the passage of time, Freak Out! remains as vital and relevant today as it was in the 1960's. --Andrew Boscardin ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (45)

brilliantly concieved masterpiece
this album had a lot of influence on the Beatles "seargent Pepper" album, and it is quite apparant in the tunes here.It is similar in a way, but obviously weirder and I would think much better than that overrated piece of work.For one thing, the arrangements are extremely good for their time, and it is so good that it holds up extremely well today even after 40 some years.Also, Zappa and his Mothers were self deprecating and brought alot of social commentary through their work, while making fun of it with strange and delightful arrangements that, in their words, "were designed to get 12 year olds to like the band."But you don't have to be 12 to appreciate the genius of this album.I highly recommend it as a first purchase for those who are interested in Zappa, then get Hot Rats, Apostrophe, and Sheik Yerbouti for the best music he has to offer.

Frank Zappa is a genius...
Pure Genius...and I dont use that term lightly...I think that The Mother of Inventions were the true "anti-Beatles", not the Rolling Stones.

Good, but unlike other Zappa Creations
This CD is great, but is nothing like Zappa's other albums. For one, it doesn't have 8 minute guitar solos in every song. Another reason is, it doesn't swear... AT ALL. (not necessarily bad though...), and it's not as strange.

But, it's strange enough. No matter how much he denies it, half of these songs are popular, commercial 60's sounding. The other half are crazy tongue-in-cheek. One song is 12 minutes long with nothing but percussion, yelps, gibberish, and screaming of the words, "Cream cheese!"

So, in a nutshell, just get it ... Read more

Asin: B0000009RT
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Disco Volante
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Audio CD (10 October, 1995)
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Editorial Review

Imagine Frank Zappa composing the soundtrack for Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space, or the Residents unleashing a techno-dance project: that should give you some idea of Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante, an album of cheesy synthesizers, mangled disco beats, virtuosic playing, and juvenile noises. Like the Residents, Mr. Bungle is a Northern California band that obscures its true identity (it shares members with Faith No More) by prohibiting photos of its members and by using such funny names as I Quit (the drummer) and Uncooked Meat Prior to State Vector Collapse (the keyboardist). Like Zappa, the Mr. Bungle musicians like to show off their classical, jazz, and worldbeat influences in fast, difficult passages that are technically impressive but never seem to go anywhere.All but three of the album's dozen pieces feature lyrics, but the vocals are so deeply buried in the mix that the words are virtually indecipherable. The pieces are more accurately described as aural montages than songs, for short sections erupt and suddenly disappear, replaced by another passage just as well played and just as clever but with little connection to what preceded it. For listeners who enjoy the constant surprise of such arbitrary musical detours, Mr. Bungle provides much better musicianship than the Residents but less coherence than Zappa. --Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (93)

I had no thoughts but for the teeth
It's hard to believe a band that only survived through three albums could have covered the mind-numbing amount of ground Mr Bungle did.The reason this group's criminally brief discography eclipses those of bands with two, three, four times the number of releases is because they had no boundaries.Everything was fair game.No style was too straight or difficult to twist into irreverant perversion, no lyrics too ridiculous or offensive.The self-titled debut tore into the jazz influences of Naked City's John Zorn with a ridiculously bombastic blend of heavy metal, porno antics, and freak-out circus swing.The third and final venture, California, took a similarly eclectic swipe at sun-bleached surf rock.And all the while the members retained a level of phenomenal talent and composition.

Disco Volante is, stylistically and thematically and everything-else-ally, Mr Bungle's most difficult period.It takes more time to fully swallow and the hooks are not as immediate or obvious.For that reason it's probably not as wise a place to start as the aforementioned albums.For the same reason it is, in my opinion, the most rewarding thing this band has done.

Not to say there aren't moments of pure pop jubilation (check out the last half of "Carry Stress in the Jaw"), but overall this is a living, breathing creature far too complex to be experienced as simply a series of tunes or experiments.At times the album leaps into operatic binges of sonic juxstaposition, clashing sounds together to create jarring, psychadelic effect.At other times the music creeps along in subtle melody, pulling imagery out of the headphones without needing to resort to saturating lyrical exposition.In fact, the lyrical content here is mostly of the absurd, dreamscape variety.Some of the content is even disturbing, particularly on sinisterly retrospective cuts like "Everyone I Went to Highschool With is Dead" and "After School Special".

The end result is a surreal masterpiece that's all but impossible to describe.Don't be fooled into thinking Disco Volante is a mish-mash of over the top theatrics.It's musical.Exceedingly musical.The ideas here sparked some of the most prolific projects of the Bungle members post break-up."Desert Search for Techno Allah", a track for a Buddhist cult on LSD, very much gives a glimpse into what would become the defining epic-world sound of Trey Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3."The Bends", a narrative piece split into several distinct "sections" or "sub-plots", would be expanded upon later in Mike Patton's Fantomas project, particularly on the sprawling Delirium Cordia.

Of course, Disco Volante will always stand on it's own, even among the albums of a group notorious for innovation.I can't listen to it straight through without being blown away or finding myself absorbed in a a musical element I had never noticed before.For that reason, and also because it's just an incredibly orchestrated piece of art, Disco Volante is probably my favorite album of the nineties.Buy it.Immediately.You'll probably hate it.

Not as good as self title
But it still blows all the others out of the water.This Album is just insane, even the softest song "Chemical Marriage" had me jumping around to the sound track esque type music.Much Like California this album has tons of overtones and plenty of random bursts of action.If you are anyone who likes Mr Bungle or Mike Patton (the greates musician ever) then you HAVE to get this.

Unique, but lacking in some way.
Trey Spruance, in speaking of another record he played on, referred to it as experimentation and free association improv without purpose.While I disagree with him on that record, I feel thats largely the reason I can never enjoy "Disco Volante" as much as many other people.Being direct-- the album is interesting, its full of all sorts of moments that are unique, exciting, entertaining, and intriguing ("Violenza Domestica", "The Bends"), but in the end, I can't bring myself to feel much about it.

Now I come from a different stance than most folks-- I approached Mr. Bungle as a historical entity-- I came to them recently through my interest in John Zorn-- and so I've the luxury of having heard this after I first heard "California", a record that shows in my assessment a band in full flight, and feels much more purpose-driven and conceptually sound.This one seems to be a search for a direction-- its an entertaining listen, and it certainly is an experiment and genre blending, but ultimately its more of a curiosity than a work of brilliance in my mind. ... Read more

Asin: B000002N0B
Subjects:  1. Alternative Metal    2. Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Experimental    4. Experimental Rock    5. Funk Metal    6. Heavy Metal    7. Pop    8. Rock   

Atom Heart Mother
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

In the grand, color-bending tradition of psychedelic experimentalism, Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother takes as its title an inscrutable phrase and under the title launches a similarly inscrutable--or at least dense--musical concatenation. The title suite features French-horn-led brass melodies riffed on by David Gilmour's guitar and the rhythm section, all of which veers into choral passages that recall György Ligeti's vocal works and then almost atonal pulses of keyboards that mask reams of audio snippets swirling underneath. And then there's some moody folk from Roger Waters, an almost Kinks-ish rambler from Richard Wright, then more moody folk (this time from Gilmour) on "Fat Old Sun," and, to close, the spirited melodic runaround of "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast." There's a range of emotion here, from doleful to crazed to humorous (especially the dramatized comments on macrobiotics in the closer). Atom Heart Mother was a spotlight ahead for Pink Floyd, showing the extensions of form the band would engage in so successfully on Dark Side of the Moon just a few short years later. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (209)

Ugh...so underrated!
"Atom Heart Mother" is one of the more unknown Floyd albums, but without good reason. The inclusion of the horns to the music is a tremendous asset. The 24 minute long title tracks takes the listener on a sonic journey through the abyss. The first section with the horns is simply beautiful and epic. It really is too bad that the band decided to take the horns out of the foreground for the next few albums (ie: a sax in Money and in Us and Them, but little else).

This record is supremely trippy, with the band conjuring up strange and wonderful guitar, just listen to the middle section of the title track, choral chanting, percussive beats and and electric organ. Only Pink Floyd...

If is a much simpler, acoustic song that is pretty simple, especially by the standards set by the past, although the arpeggios created by the guitar are excellent. Summer '68 picks up better, with Rick Wright on vocals (sounding, strangely enough, like later Roger Waters). The piano on this song steals the show, with a pleasent chord progression. The chorus is extremely weird...has to be heard. Fat Old Sun is another acoustic song, and is better than If, in my opinion. The final track is possibly the weirdest thing Floyd has ever come up with, a soundscape of background noise with jams over top.

"Marmalade, I love marmalade"

Phychedelic indeed.

an underrated pink floyd classic
atom heart mother is a great floyd album and i rate it very highly along with animals,meddle,wish you were here.very highly recommended.ignore the one star reviews and get all these albums.they are great.

send heavy metal where it belongs - on the seabed!
This particleur reveuwer needs to split rite way. He is unplassant and hilygh a noyying.

so send him where he belongs.

This record with a cow's ass is a tremendous insult to evolved adults.

for wino children it is also not good.

PARENTS BEWARE!!!


zero stars ... Read more

Asin: B000002U9W
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Rock   

Friday Afternoon in the Universe
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (24 January, 1995)
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Editorial Review

They may attract Sufi-dancing Deadheads to their rock-club shows and they may have connections to lower Manhattan's art-music scene, but when you get right down to it, Medeski Martin & Wood are just a jazz organ trio. Organist John Medeski, drummer Billy Martin, and bassist Chris Wood don't work a whole lot differently from the old Jimmy Smith Trio; they get a good groove going, add a catchy hook and then improvise changes on both the rhythm and the melody. They may take more liberties than Smith ever has, but that familiar combination of a thick organ sound and funky drum patterns is still the core. The third Medeski Martin & Wood album, Friday Afternoon in the Universe, is the best reflection yet of the trio's live show, for 13 of the 15 tracks feature no guests, just the interaction among the three principals. And that interaction has been honed by three years of extensive roadwork into a genuine give-and-take. There's no parade of disconnected solos here, no fast, flashy playing for its own sake; the three players move as one through impressionistic, atmospheric patches into driving funk grooves and then off onto spacey tangents. Medeski plays some piano and synthesizer, but everything he plays has the thickened textures associated with a B-3 organ--thick enough to make three pieces more than sufficient. --Geoffrey Himes ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Friday Afternoon in the Universe
"Because it's pretentious and boring". Those are the words I hear when someone answers me the question: "why don't you like jazz". Than I lendFriday Afternoon In The Universe, third effort by Medeski, Martin & Wood, to this person and after some time he won'treturn it back to me.
Friday Afternoon In The Universe is one of the most catchy, funky jazz release I know. Instead of touching your mind, this music moves your body. The music is complex and easy to listen at the same time. Highly recommended to curious listeners and jazz enthusiast as well.

Interesting
I feel out of my element here, since I don't know a whole lot about jazz.Nevertheless, MMW is fantasitic.When I first bought this album, I thought it was... alright.Chubb Sub was, and still is, my favorite.It would just bother me how Medeski would go off and drown out Martin and Wood.Then, however, I saw them live, and now I appriciate this album so much more.They truely are fantastic at what they do, but, know this, this album is very, for lack of a better term, crazy at times.It takes a while to really appriciate the majority of the songs on it, but it is well worth it in the end.

Thick, thick, thick, thick really good stuff!
Imagine the strongest jazz rhythm section you can (bass, drums, keys), get rid of all the superfluous stuff that usually hides them (vocals, guitars, and light shows), and then let 'em get nice and funky. MMW are only about advancing their groove, with an egoless melding that baffles the mind. Each of the plays so loosely, yet together they offer something that's incredibly well structured.

This release is really good stuff - "Chubb Sub" especially - and is the release that got MMW's name out of NYC and into the many converstations nationwide. However, your interests might be inclined toward one of their other realeases. For example, _It's a Jungle in Here_ is a bit funkier, _Tonic_ is quite a bit more mellow, and _Notes from the Underground_ is a bit more convenitonal. ... Read more

Asin: B00000322D
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

SYR 4: Goodbye 20th Century
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 November, 1999)
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Editorial Review

Wildly influential four-piece Sonic Youth have self-released their version of a tribute to the 20th century: two discs of noisy interpretations of modern, experimental classical scores. The group has chosen composers whose works leave a great amount of innovation open to the performer. This chance-embracing approach--typified and in some senses originated by John Cage--is one of the crucial turning points of "new" music. What's great about this CD is that it demonstrates the freewheeling, decidedly unserious spirit behind this music, essentially combining the legacies of punk rock and out-sound. In addition to three late works by the chance-loving Cage, there are pieces by current Merce Cunningham collaborator Takehisa Kosugi, minimalist giant Steve Reich, "deep-listening" drone lover Pauline Oliveros, and Fluxus founder George Maciunas. Longtime collaborator Wharton Tiers, the young everything-ist Jim O'Rourke, and even some of the composers themselves join in on these exercises. The result is messy, fun, and anarchic, with occasional revelations (notably James Tenney's "Having Never Written a Note for Percussion"). It's not a disc to play all the time, but it is a challenging, enthused record that ideally will point listeners toward some of the most vital music of the last half of the last decade of the second millennium. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (19)

"Keep it new"
I came across this CD at my local library while searching for the works of Cornelius Cardew.My only criticism is that liner notes were not included.Liner notes would have been appreciated not only as explanations of this admittedly esoteric music, but as an opportunity for the performers to respond to potential criticism and explain their intentions.They are to be commended for taking the risk of alienating their commercial base with this collection of recent aleatoric compositions and performance art.The other reviews merely prove the point that despite their posturing, many fans of popular music are as conservative and hidebound as their great-grandparents, uncomfortable in their day with any composers after Brahms.A scan of the FM dial reveals little change in popular music over the past 50 years - lots of 3-minute songs in 4/4 time.Witness the proliferation of stations endlessly broadcasting the same 1960s to 1980s standards.

For this audience, this CD is just what was needed - a slap in the face of convention.If this sparks in anyone an interest in searching for "what else is out there," the exercise will have been well worth the effort.

Classical avant-garde experimentalism from.....a rock band?
It's hard to believe, but it's true.

The 4th CD in the SYR experimental series (titled Goodbye 20th Century, appropriatly) of Sonic Youth Records, is a fantastic double album soundscape of the finest kind. The CD has reinterpretations of post 50's era classical pieces (by such illustrious names as John Cage, Steve Reich, Christian Wolff), and they sound great for the most part. But Sonic Youth was not alone in recording this double album. They enlisted the help of many people, like Jim O'Rourke, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon's daughter Coco Hayley Gordon Moore (who screams out Yoko Ono's Voice Piece for Soprano), and...surprisingly...Christian Wolff collaborates on his pieces with the band. There are many other contributors, but I can't recall them at the moment.

Judging from all the other tracks, the one that stands out the most (to me, anyway) is Pauline Oliveros' Six For New Time (composed specifically for this project). Thurston intones lyrics over rising and falling drone guitars. Genius. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other tracks that are as great, such as Steve Reich's Pendulum Music (swinging microphones over amps, creating a pendulum effect of feedback), and George Maciunas' Piano Piece #13 (hammering down the keys of a piano till they no longer produce sound).

The centerpiece of the album, though, is John Cage's Four6. There are 2 other John Cage songs on the album (Six, performed twice) but this one stands out the most. It may seem like random banging and aimless instrumental wandering, but give it a chance, and it will slowly reveal its beauty.

Overall, this album is a fantastic piece of avant-garde, and will certainly entertain the artier person in you.

If you enjoy this record, why not try other CD's in the SYR series, Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, or seek out the works of the composers on this album?

Can you guess what it is yet?
Well this is one Sonic Youth's more experimental releases ( if you hadn't gathered by now ) and it's fair to say that this is a challenging listen. You'll need to keep your wits about you and a sense of humour to contain this on first listen. It's quite possibly one of those " gets on your nerves " sort of album at first albums. But give it time and you appreciate the album that it sets out to be. You're not going to absolutely love this but you can enjoy it for what it is or yank it out of your stereo system and criticize Sonic Youth as bulls**t poseurs. It all means the same thing - nothing! ... Read more

Asin: B00002R0NC
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Choral    3. Experimental Rock    4. Indie Rock    5. Keyboard    6. Miscellaneous    7. Pop    8. Rock   

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Released in 1981, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is a collaboration between ambient pioneer Brian Eno and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. On Ghosts, the two strong-willed musicians manage to come to a meeting of the minds, blending Byrne's herky-jerky funk with Eno's atmospheric sound sculpting. More than anything, this is a large album, intent on pushing itself to the front of the listener's consciousness. Abundant percussion (everything from booming tribal drums to eerie electronics) reverberates in the background while Byrne and Eno toss all manner of found sounds, field recordings, and radio broadcasts into the mix. What results is a groundbreaking album that introduced a generation to the dazzling possibilities offered by electronic recording techniques. Highlights include "The Jezebel Spirit," an electro-funk workout that uses a recording of an exorcism as its focal point, and "Very, Very Hungry," a mysteriously ethereal display of electronic percussion and large-scale sonic architecture. --S. Duda ... Read more

Reviews (54)

Qu'ran is back, baby.
Perhaps I have a strange version of the cd, but I think the new versions of the cd now have "Qu'ran" as track 6 and "Very, Very Hungry" at track 12.

I'm glad they put Qu'ran back in the mix because it's one of my favorite songs.I also particularly like "Mea Culpa" "Regiment" "Help Me Somebody" "Come With Us" and "Very, Very Hungry"

It's very funky and odd.Not quite like anything else.I do get strange looks from people, though, when they hear preaching coming out of my cd player.

Groundbreaking brilliance...
Few records can justifiably claim to be "groundbreaking", but here's one - a mesmerising example of two highly creative musicians at the peak of their powers pushing their ideas out to the edge. Using the infectious poly-rhythms and jerky, high tension riffs & vocals that permeated their brilliantly successful collaboration on Talking Heads' "Remain in Light" as their starting point, they mix-in ingenious looped samples and insidious guitar, synthesizer & percussion back-beats to produce something completely unique. Not only like nothing else around at the time but, like all truly great albums, one that hasn't aged with time. Often sounding more like an inventive slice of modern "electronica/dance" it's almost impossible to believe that it was produced over twenty years ago... and, of course, a great deal of what's followed since can be traced back to this amazing record.

Darker and far more "left-field" than "Remain in Light", "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" is no easy listen, but with repeat playing it becomes equally addictive... a worthy successor and a wholly successful exploration of just how far Brian Eno's & David Byrne's complex fusions of electronica & rock could be taken. File under "essential, timeless and under-rated slice of musical genius".

Brilliant
I have had a few copies of the vinyl, and back in the day created a cassette with the deleted track Qu'Ran. Then a friend gave me a program that enabled me to rip Qu'Ran from tape to the PC and enabled me to burn a cd with the proper track listing adding Very Very Hungry as the bonus track it should have always been.We are also in the process of finding the Katherine Kuhlman tracks which were deleted due to pressure from her estate.Whee! ... Read more

Asin: B000002MM1
Subjects:  1. Ambient    2. Experimental    3. Experimental Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Powaqqatsi (1988 Film)
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (17)

Minimalist worth a try
I was afraid of minimalist music at one time.In a nutshell, if you are looking to minimalist music, this is a safe way to start.While this wasn't my first minimalist CD, it is by far my favorite.Because it is a soundtrack, no song goes very long and each track is slightly different allowing you to be choosey with what tracks you want to listen to.Yet, this is still minimalist.For those of you who like intelligent composition, the reoccurring themes develop great intrigue in changing meters, different orchestration, and the use of rhythm to develop melody the trade mark of minimalist music.Everyone will like the beautiful native South American melodies intertwined into those of the Indian, African, and Chinese themes.This album is one of three in the "Qatsi trilogy", and while the others have their moments this is by far the best.

Ignorance No Barrier
I frankly admit that I dont know anything about 20th Century serious composers-I mainly listen to jazz-but this album is astonishing. I have to admit that some of Glass' other works,like "The Photographer," don't excite me very much. But the music on this CD is wonderful.On the strength of this album and the other soundtracks for this trilogy I've been carefully buying other Glass CDs. If some customer stumbles on to this album and is intimidated or turned off by Glass' reputation as a "serious" composer,let me assure them that this is an album that almost anyone can sit down and listen to and enjoy. Don't let his reputation as a "classical" composer who works with orchestras prevent you from grabbing this incredible CD. You don't have to be a highbrow to listen to this

Powerful music transcends the soundtrack...
Aside from the moments of sheer bliss, there are moments of sorrow, moments of deep repose and moments of a connection with the world at large.It at first seems miminal and repetitive but it is so chock full of hypnotic ryhthms, it becomes more and more of an experience.

Not quite background, not quite foreground, it kind of seeps into you and remains, resonating within for quite a while after listening to it.
... Read more

Asin: B000005IZ8
Sales Rank: 44316
Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Film    3. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

The Velvet Underground & Nico
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 May, 1996)
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Editorial Review

When the Velvets recorded this debut, they were best known as the protégés of Andy Warhol (who designed the sleeve), and as a grating, combustive live band. Fueled by drummer Moe Tucker's no-nonsense wham and John Cale's howling viola, some of the straight-up rock & roll and arty noise extravaganzas here bear that out. But before Lou Reed was singing about sadomasochism and drug deals and writing lyrics inspired by his favorite poets, he was a pop songwriter, and this album has some of his prettiest tunes, mostly sung by Nico, the German dark angel who left the band after this disc. Even the sordid rockers are underscored by graceful pop tricks, like the two-chord flutter at the center of the classic "Heroin." --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (204)

beginning.
i own a thousand albums of all different kinds of music.this one is a centerpiece of my collection - the start of so much, but more than just an influence for what came after it.there's almost more variety than should be possible - from the flowing "i'll be your mirror" to the biting "black angel's death song".at the center of the album is perhaps the greatest song of rock and roll, or even modern music - "heroin" - which by itself could have been an album.no matter what your music taste leans toward, this album belongs in your collection and in your head.

"Its all the streets you crossed, not so long ago..."
Dominated by Lou Reed's ultra-hip chant vocals and John Cale's wailing viola, The Velvet Underground made some of the greatest music ever to come out of the Sixties.
The sound captured on this, their debut, can be called pop music from Mars; Its a set of deceptively simple, impossibly catchy tunes that happen to sound completely different from anything you've ever heard. Art-pop, if you will.
This is exemplified by songs like the medieval death-march "Venus in Furs," a filthy little number driven by a particularly slimy viola riff and drummer Maureen Tucker's slow but relentless skin-smashing, a simple beat which just may stop your heart. All the while, Lou Reed is romanticizing sadomesochism with a sneer that could freeze mercury. Then there's "Heroin," a seven minute shiver that buries a two-chord guitar riff in some of John Cale's most atmospheric and subdued playing, as well as some downright unsettling percussion from Moe Tucker. The album's more far-out moments, particularly the closing one-two punch of "The Black Angel's Death Song" and "European Son" have alaienated quite a few listeners, whih truly is a shame when you consider how great these two songs are. In "Death Song," Cale's viola caries almost all of the melody, making for a piece of music that sounds as slippery as ice. Reed skates across it effortlessy though, all the while spitting out a bizarre but catch lyric. "European Son" starts out as an equally weird tune, one that's propelled by a few simple but devestating chords and a beat that keeps shifting ever so slightly. From there, things get realy strange, as the song becomes an all-out white-noise jam that one would have to hear to concieve of liking.
But for all of the weirdness, the Velvet Underground and Nico still posesses some great and relatively straight-forward rock tunes. The most obvious of these is the rhythmic churn of "I'm Waiting For The Man," with its grease-soaked guitar licks and sublimely primative drum line. The amphetamine rush of "Run Run Run" is a propulsive rocker that's fueled by a totally out-of-control John Cale and some truly inspired lyrics from Reed. "Sunday Morning" is a delicate and haunting song that opens the album with sublime beauty and draws the listener in. The wide-eyed chorus is one of the best things that the Velvets have ever done. "Here She Goes Again" is the closest thing to simple R&B tinged rock to be found on the album. Its a bouncy, catchy, and downright fun tune with some great vocal harmonies and some impassioned lead vocals from Lou Reed. The opening bars are a nod and a half to Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike," which signals just what kind of tune it'll turn out to be.
Andthen there's Nico, the mysterious German chanteuse whose presence gave the album its title. Although she only preforms on three songs, its clear that she has one of the most distinctive voices to be found; its an icy, tender, and intricate thing, simultaniously romantic and haunting. Its effect on the songs is unmistakable: "Femme Fatale" is transformed from a gentle pop ballad into an etheral and sultry accusation. The subtle but passionate chorus is a thing of beauty.
Bottom line, the Velvet Underground and Nico is one of rock's greatest achievements, and it belongs in every CD case or (better yet) vinyl collection.

"The most Prophetic Album ever made"
Rollingstone Magazine Simply called this album "..The most prophetic rock album of all time.." and with a Good reason. It's a record of fearless breadth and lyrical depth. ... Read more

Asin: B000002G7C
Subjects:  1. Experimental Rock    2. Pop    3. Proto-Punk    4. Rock    5. Rock & Roll    6. United States of America   

The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1
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Audio CD (11 August, 1999)
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Reviews (4)

Outstanding, outlandish, original,out there
Yes I'm a Sun Ra fan and this is the album that made me one.I first heard/saw Sun and the Arkestra on Saturday Night Live and thought that it was the worst music I'd ever heard in my life, so bad in fact that I taped it on my sisters' portable cassette player so I could play it back for my friends (I wish I had that tape now)I still remember it vividly, the Arkestra's costumes, Suns poetry, the dancers, the huge horn/percussion section and the seemingly chaotic, yet rhythmic nuttiness comming from the black and white tv.Well some 20 years later, after playing free improvised music and listening to a great variety of different sounds I figured I'd give Sun another chance.So I plunked down my bucks for this album not quite knowing what to expect. Heliocentric Worlds Vol. 1 is magnificent.It sounds like an amalgam of twentieth century classical music, free and composed jazz.Its really beyond my abilities to describe.There are huge dynamic shifts from the beginning piece that starts quietly then grows in tension when the trombones and horns start an ominous drone to the controlled intense seeming chaos of (I think) The Cosmos.The various pieces comprising Heliocentric Worlds flow into one another to make what is in effect a large suite, and what a journey it is.Complex, dynamic, exciting, abrasive but never boring, this album has to be heard to be appreciated, words are impossibly limited.Sun used his entire band to improvise/create this music.There is freedom given to the individual musicians but there are also intensely complex unison lines and textural nuances that only a very well disciplined band could pull off.The kind of loyalty and practice schedule that Sun Ra demanded from his musicians was necessary to make an album this daring and complex.This music is intense and sublime, but not everybody is going to like it, in fact most people will run screaming from the room.I know this from first hand experience.But if you are a Sun Ra fan or if you enjoy more adventurous music I recommend getting this immediately.I find it his most satisfying large-scale work.

Sublime
Though I have been listening to (and relishing) Sun Ra for 6 or so years, I feel I'm still just scratching the surface of potential appreciation and comprehension.This is my second favorite of the (unfortunately only) 13 or so Sun Ra albums I possess (my favorite is still _Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy_.)I wish I could describe this CD as eloquently and intelligently as the other two reviews here, but I can't.
This is still experimental jazz of course, and not for those who will measure everything by Kind of Blue (Miles Davis).Yet for all its sometimes wild and bombastic, sometimes restrained experimentation, the sounds here are not a mere free-for-all explosion (like parts of The Magic City).They seem [to me] more like voices of a jazz-opera, arranged masterfully by band leader Sun Ra.Percussion abounds on this 1965 album, punctuated by little fits of instruments colliding, spaced by solos where only one instrument plays.
"The Cosmos"--one of my all-time favorite Ra pieces--stands out with playful personality.

Prepare to Be Amazed
This ESP disk, along with it's companion volume, has not been obtainable for many years now. As a result, people have not been able to hear two of the finest Sun Ra albums that exist. This work documents Ra's first steps into truly "out" playing, but characteristically, this is controlled "out" playing, not a typical NYC 60s freakout. Ra is not about freedom, he is about structure and control, even on an album as seemingly free as this.

According to the liner notes, there was very little in-studio preparation for this session. Much of the material is improvised. Ra's tendency at the time was to "improvise with the Arkestra", to select soloists by a system of hand signs and to greatly limit how they blew and the textures they used. As a result, there is very little wild soloing on this album, though the solos that exist are mind bending. Mostly, this album is "chamber jazz", dominated by deep sonorities, such as the bass clainet, Ra on bass marimba, various Arkestra members on tympani and the marvelous strong bass of Ronnie Boykins, who, next to Ra himself, is the strongest presence on the CD. Ra also appears on several cuts on the electronic celeste, sometimes sounding ethereal and dissonant, and sometime, as in Nebulae, sounding like Mr. Roger's Trolley on acid!

Sometimes it is said that Ra stopped swinging in the mid 60's. Just listen to Of Heavenly Things and you will know that's a lie. Boykins morphs the piece into a wonderful avant-blues groove, with acidic comping by Ra and a fiery solo by Gilmore. And the final Dancing in the Sun has an almost Ellingtonian feel.

This is Ra at his most controlled and creative. Later 60's recordings started to wander too far along the spaceways. (Listen to the live set from Donaueshingen. Moments of brilliance and moments of meandering.) In the 70s Ra seemed to regain his equilibrium, with this sort of controlled group improvisation mixing with traditionally composed tunes and even Ellington standards. But this album doesn't wander. It is focused brilliantly, and reminds you that Ra was from Chicago and perhaps a greater influence on the musicians of the AACM than has been previously ackowledged. The structural control and use of "small percussion instruments" along with the motivic control exhibited by the soloists is much closer to the AACM goal than the music of Ayler, late Coltrane, and other members of the New York energy jazz school. Energy jazz couldn't keep up the pace and burnt out in a few years (except for Cecil Taylor, and he is all about structure too), but the path Ra paved hear has been taken up fruitfully by countless subsequent musicians.

Pick this one up quick. Who knows when it'll be in print again! ... Read more

Asin: B00000JNA2
Sales Rank: 153224
Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Avant-Garde Jazz    3. Big Band    4. Experimental Big Band    5. Free Jazz    6. Jazz    7. Pop   

The Siket Disc
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 November, 2000)
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Reviews (39)

Good stuff
This CD is an ambitious step for Phish, and for me it represents the prime of Funk '97, their peak year in my opinion.I think Siket Disc is one of their most cohesive pieces, and it breaks all of the boundaries set by the conventional studio album.It is also worth noting the introduction of Page's synthesizer.It adds more to the album than it would seem, and in my opinion, makes the album much better; it gives the album a spacy, relaxed mood, unlike the generally up-tempo feeling and pace that is present in their other albums.The only other album that comes close to this space-like mood is Story of the Ghost, not surprisingly recorded in around the same time.Phish extend their jams much to much further and better ground.On this album, I think they got closer to the musical style and feel of Pink Floyd than they did at any other point.If only they hadn't gone in the direction of the Siket Disc!

Phish's best material
As you can read from these other reviews, this album is close to a hit or a miss.Let me start off by saying that I used to be really into Phish. I attended a bunch of their shows, collected tapes of thiers, etc.In the past 3 years, my musical taste has changed and I'm am not into the "jam-band" scene anymore.I guess you could say I'm more into the "indie" rock scene.Anyways, I don't really listen to any of Phish's material anymore, execept, for this album.Its a fantastic experimental album that I think could appeal to even non-phish fans who are into art rock/indie.If art rock nerds could handle listening to an album by a "stoner hippie rock group" and not be so critical all the time, they would find something very rewarding here.

Wacky, but possibly important
Others have explained its origin and structure. But what matters if your experience with it. If you can handle the looseness, the meanderings, the arguable missteps, etc., there's something here, something possibly important. It's worth exploring. ... Read more

Asin: B000051XSB
Sales Rank: 70641
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. American Trad Rock    3. Jam Bands    4. Pop    5. Rock   

Unsupervised
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 June, 1996)
list price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

They Might Be Giants member John Flansburgh is a bit less smart-alecky than usual on this side-project, but other than that it isn't a huge departure from his usual approach. Unsupervised is an enjoyably scattershot hodgepodge of styles, encompassing a biker instrumental ("Guitar Was the Case"), space-pop esoterica ("Distant Antenna"), loping balladry ("So Long, Mockingbird"), reckless novelty ("Careless Santa") and reconfigured glam ("Hello Hello"), plus tongue-in-cheek tributes to Boston Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee ("What Bothers the Spaceman" and a dead president ("Nixon's the One"). Flansburgh also demonstrates his song-plugging savvy by putting a power-pop spin on Amy Rigby's torch-country classic-to-be "Don't Break the Heart." --Scott Schinder ... Read more

Reviews (9)

"It was totally rockin'!"
For the most part, Mono Puff is a groovier, funkier They Might Be Giants. This album is a lot of fun- definitely something to take on a car trip with you. The only downside of the whole thing is that sometimes the album just sounds like rehashed TMBG- which, at least, isn't plagarism considering the band is led by one-half of TMBG. Still, you feel like it could have been more than this with pointless tracks like "Distant Antenna" and "Nixon's the One". Flansburgh quickly redeems himself with fantastic songs like "Unsupervised", "Hello, Hello" and the touching "Don't I Have the Right?". This is a really fun album and I think you ought to pick it up- it's totally worth it.

1. Guitar Was the Case- 4/5
2. Unsupervised, I Hit My Head- 5/5 (#1 song of the album)
3. Don't Break the Heart- 4/5
4. Distant Antenna- 2/5
5. Devil Went Down to Newport (Totally Rocking)- 3/5
6. What Bothers the Spaceman- 3/5
7. Hello, Hello- 5/5
8. Dr. Kildare- 4/5
9. So Long, Mockingbird- 3/5
10. Careless Santa- 4/5
11. Don't I Have the Right?- 5/5
12. To Serve Mankind- 4/5
13. Nixon's the One- 3/5

Great stuff, lots of fun...
Well, I must say, that until about 5 minutes ago I did not know this CD was TMBG related. I had purchased this CD from a sale because I liked the sound of it, aand as I am wont to do, bought it because generally you can get a good CD if you buy 3 for $10. And you get to expand your musical tastes.
Anyway, I bought this Cd and took it home. I then proceeded to put it on (as is generally the case). Immediately I noticed the TMGB-ishness of the album. It was staring out at me... saying
"Hey, i know i sound a little second rate, but don't I sound like They Might Be Giants? Just a little?"
"Guitar was the case" was a bit of quirky instrumental fun... which should have been my first clue.
And the title track "Unsupervised (I hit my head)" became, and has long been, a song I constantly sing or hum and often get inexplicably stuck in my head. It is, far and above, a great song.
Sure... the mix is odd. A couple of the tracks possibly miss the mark. In retrospect, this should have been another clue. Most notably for me in this category would be "Don't Break the Heart". Despite the hundred-fold protestations I can hear coming from the peanut gallery of TMBG fans that have also reviewed this album, I just felt that although musically competent, John Flansburgh's voice didn't help the track at all.
"Hello, Hello" is a brilliant cover.. and manages to be almost more of a good song than the original. 'GOODNESS GRACIOUS!'
And "Dr Kildare" is oddly fulfilling, especially given its lyrics. I can't help but find this album appealling (another blatantly obviou clue that this is a TMBG related release!)
Well. In closing... I am appalled to have just found out that all ths time, an album I thought was simply a patchy homage to TMBG is actually by one of the Johns.
It shows bad music-nerdry on my part, and I was dealing an unintentional moral wrong on Mono Puff.... For some years.
In short: Bad Reviewer, but Good Album.

Isolate the sound of Mono Puff from the static.
This is the first solo album by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, despite the "Mono Puff" group name.In many ways, it is similar to a They Might Be Giants album.Some of the songs sound similar to TMBG songs, and in fact, some of them were previously heard on They Might Be Giants dial-a-song phoneline.There are some other songs, though, that most likely would not be at home on a TMBG album.Such as the rocking guitar instrumental "Guitar Was the Case", the sweet ballad "Don't Break the Heart" and the female country song "Have I The Right?".It is good to hear Flansy having fun and stretching himself.If you are a TMBG fan, chances are you will enjoy this album, too. ... Read more

Asin: B0000009QQ
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock   

Contemplating the Engine Room
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 October, 1997)
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Editorial Review

On former Minutemen and Firehose bassist Mike Watt's second "solo" outing (he's joined by guitarist Nil Cline and drummer Stephen Hedges), the idea of a punk-rock opera (his words) or concept album (critic's term) doesn't seem so outrageous. Paying homage to his dad's life on the San Pedro, California, waterfront and to the late D. Boon, the now quasi-mythic Minutemen singer-guitarist, Watt covers as much musical ground as he does personal history. Solid tracks such as "Black Gang Coffee" and "The Blue Jackets Manual" are fine nods to the playful punk punch of the Minutemen, and chiming guitars with a sea-shanty feel permeate "In the Engine Room." A churning psychedelic energy drives "Liberty Calls," while "Breaking the Choke Hold" serves as a contemplative and sad farewell. A pleasant, intimate listening experience, all told. --Lorry Fleming ... Read more

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Reviews (10)

it still stands up...
I like Mike Watt (although I don't count myself a Minutemen fan). His first album, Ball Hog, was at best spotty. It was amusing at first, but wore very thin very quickly.

'Contemplating' is blessed with the amazing Nels Cline and actually works as a concept album about Watt's dad's time in the service. It's an exciting, raw album that keeps delivering, even years later.

Recommended if you like Wilco, Television, The Geraldine Fibbers, Scarnella, Pavement, etc.

Unexpectedly charming
This album caught me by surprise with its charm.The songs are short and interesting (Nels Cline is a surperbly original guitarist), and the personal nature of the songs is compelling.The album sounds quite a bit like a Minuteman album - the production is simple & effective, and the guitar playing is inventive.Some of the more experimental songs work very well, though I deduct one star because the last couple of songs are not compelling at all.

set the space for an explorative course
An album of shifting depths, not unlike the waters of this nautical-themed offering from Mike Watt--Contemplating the Engine Room. given as I've had more time than usual to whirl this disk, I've been given the allowance to hear its musical definition. Along with Watt's gruff yet emotive delivery there are personal (That's Watt's father on the cover) and instructive naval motifs. Songs like The Boiler Man, In The engine Room, Black Gang Coffee, No One Says Old Man (To the Old Man), Red Bluff, and Pedro Bound particularly set the space for an explorative course.
Watt handles thump staff and spiel as well, Nels Cline is on guitars and Stephen Hodges plays drums. They create a roving, discursive sound that achieves a definitive atmosphere. Like waves, their sound washes around you in different ways each time. A stellar album. ... Read more

Asin: B000002BY8
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock   

Revolver [UK]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Editorial Review

Revolver wouldn't remain the Beatles' most ambitious LP for long, but many fans--including this one--remember it as their best. An object lesson in fitting great songwriting into experimental production and genre play, this is also a record whose influence extends far beyond mere they-was-the-greatest cheerleading. Putting McCartney's more traditionally melodic "Here, There and Everywhere" and "For No One" alongside Lennon's direct-hit sneering ("Dr. Robert") and dreamscapes ("I'm Only Sleeping," "Tomorrow Never Knows") and Harrison's peaking wit ("Taxman") was as conceptually brilliant as anything Sgt. Pepper attempted, and more subtly fulfilling. A must. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (670)

The Beatles' true masterpiece
1966 was The Beatles' greatest year.True, this year they ended touring, almost got killed in the Phillippines, and were denounced in America with record-burnings after Lennon said, "We're bigger than Jesus."Yet, out of this chaos rose The Beatles masterpiece, REVOLVER.

REVOLVER was considered Just Another Beatles Record when it was released in August 1966 and to some was considered their swan song in the dying days of Beatlemania.However, REVOLVER has stood the test of time and today outshines SGT. PEPPER.The reason is that the 1987 CD release ignored the inferior 11-track U.S. version of REVOVLER (omitting John's I'm Only Sleeping, And Your Bird Can Sing, Dr. Robert) and belatedly presented to North Americans the complete British 14-song album.

REVOLVER represents The Beatles at the top of their game.The level of composition is at its highest, outshining PEPPER and everything that followed.There is not a weak song here, lyrically or musically.The instrumentation by all four Beatles reaches its peak.Ringo, especially, earns top markssongs like She Said She Said and Tomorrow Never Knows.Lastly, the level of experimentation and breath of style is staggering.There are so many styles of music on REVOLVER, from classical to Indian raga to ballad to hard rock to soul and sampling (then called "tape loops") that the album almost bursts at the seams.Above all, this is a group effort which is lacking in later records such as the The White Album.

George takes a quantum leap forward on REVOLVER.He kicks off an album for the first time with Taxman, which features some of the sharpest lyrics ever to appear in a Beatles' song.Taxman signals that this is no Beatles album like any other.The lyrics are not cute, but bitter and biting, backed by one of Paul's best-ever bass lines (copped by Beck in The New Pollution).George's anger is also heard in the Raga-ish Love You Too, a rocking song that left many fans puzzled in 1966, but which has aged better than Within You Without You.His I Want To Tell You is a fine contribution to side two.

Paul displays his melodic, gentle side with two of his finest love songs, Here There and Everywhere and For No One, which feature exquisite vocals in the former, and a sparse but mournful arrangement in the latter.Unlike Michelle, Paul here avoids sentimentality and achieves beauty.Got To Get You Into My Life is a driving number featuring towering horns a la Stax, and actually describes an early pot experience (not acid as widely believed).Yellow Submarine (sung by Ringo) is a fun children's song, and Good Day Sunshine is also lighthearted and catchy without being shallow.

Most of all Eleanor Rigby stands as Paul's masterpiece, more mature in lyric and arrangement than Yesterday and not melodramatic and overproduced like the later She's Leaving Home.Rigby remains one of the Beatles' best lyrics and perhaps their most haunting tune.It never ages.

John too reaches a peak with REVOLVER.I'm Only Sleeping is an introspective song featuring backward guitars and confessional lyrics.She Said She Said recounts an acid trip in L.A. with Peter Fonda, and features some of Lennon's most harrowing imagery and stunning guitars-and-drums.And Your Bird Can Sing and Dr. Robert are fine rock songs.

Tomorrow Never Knows is the stunning conclusion to the album, full of tape loops, Ringo's hypnotic drumming and otherworldly lyrics inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead.Nothing ever sounded like this before and arguably not since.

REVOLVER is the culmination of four talents peaking at the same time.Others will insist on PEPPER as the definitive Beatles statement, but PEPPER has weaker songs, is self-consciously psychedelic, and is lopsided, favouring McCartney.REVOLVER sounds as fresh today as in 1966, and stands at the pinnacle of the Beatles' recording career.This is my favourite Beatles album and I never tire of playing it.Few albums by any band continue to sound fresh.

All Beatles albums have their qualities, but if there is one Beatles record you must pick up, this is the one.

Revolver is The Beatles' masterpiece
How do you begin to describe perfection? You look for a synergy of several different elements, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. With this, the Beatles' greatest achievement, we find a combination of the best songwriting, the best sonic texture, a complete lack of pretension (compared to their next album) while at the same time exploring where complete artistic freedom of expression will lead you-- with the help of your mates, various "stimulants", and a superb producer in George Martin.

An overlooked and underappreciated aspect of this album is the strength of George Harrison's songs: "Taxman", "Love You To", and "I Want to Tell You". He had help from John and Paul with some of the words to "Taxman", and Paul contributed that incredible guitar solo and thumping bass line. "Love You To" (to what?) is all Indian musicians George had befriended, and there are some wonderful little touches on "I Want to Tell You", such as that little dissonant piano part and the great fade-in on that circular guitar riff. The sonic quality is unparalleled and beautifully recorded.

"Yellow Submarine" has a simple structure of course, but the snippets of "ship sounds" and Paul's wonderful echoing on the final verse give the song greater complexity, not to mention that the words of the song itself are quite impressionistic even in their simplicity. Finally, there is a harmony during the chorus on the word 'submarine' where the middle syllable goes down and goes down again on the final syllable of the final 'submarine'. Little things like this are the sonic equivalent of looking at the brushstokes of Rembrandt. They go almost unnoticed but add something ineffable even to the album's most "throwaway" song.

The remaining 10 songs are equally divided between John and Paul. These are the best five songs Paul ever had together on one album. Are there better songs that he wrote before and after? Perhaps, but on no other album does he have as many great songs all together. "Eleanor Rigby" and "For No One" are poignant and serious, which we never quite heard often enough from him. Interesting that he employed a string quartet for one and makes the second a piano-centered piece. It is as though he needs to move away from guitar/bass to be a more serious composer.

"Good Day Sunshine" and "Got to Get You Into My Life" form another natural pair and are songs that are sunny (the horn charts create this mood) and romantic without being cloying. The lyrics are superb and the arrangements are utterly sympathetic.

"Here, There, and Everywhere" is as perfect a romantic pop song as has ever been written, and might well have inspired George to write "Something" a few years later. The harmonies are tight, creating a lush aural texture that mimics the hazy eroticism we experience when we fall in love. Probably Paul's best song, along with "Hey Jude".

Finally we come to John's contributions. His five songs are not collectively his best, but in terms of his willingness to experiment with sonic textures, they are The Beatles' best and actually leave the most lasting impression over the decades. The sneering "Doctor Robert" is the weakest of the five, but has a catchy melody and is expertly woven into the sonic fabric of the rest of his songs on the album. "I'm Only Sleeping" showcases a sound and vocal quality that is very evocative of that dreamy "I'm calling in sick today" deliciousness.

Even though John hated the words to "And Your Bird Can Sing" it is the dual guitar lines, the strong harmonies, and the melody which make the song great in spite of John's misgivings.

But the two songs that cement John's place on this album (and which closed each side of the LP) are "She Said She Said" and"Tomorrow Never Knows". They are serious explorations sonically and psychically, mesmerizing and undoubtedly enormously influential. With help from Ringo on the latter and once again great guitars on the former, we have reached perfection.

This, friends, is the apotheosis of The Beatles' recording career, and the greatest recording in the rock and pop genres, while transcending both because it is also a great work of art.

Got To Get This Into Your LIfe
Lets get right to it, shall we? Revolver is a pretty good Cd, and although there were really only two hits on this album, most, if not all, of these songs are quite amazing. This is the official transition from the early, touring, ed sullivan appearing, drug-free beatles, to the drug-addled, beautifully lyrics, and innovative sounds.

Taxman- A good opener. George Harrison was my fave Beatle, but still, a good song. I especially like the intro, and the song takes a lot of influence from the old Batman theme song. 8/10

Eleanor Rigby- A great song, classic. Love the string selection, extremely sad, yet very thougt-provoking, and McCartney is awesome in this song. Great vocals. 9/10

I'm Only Sleeping- In my opinion, the best song on the album. Incredibly underrated, amazing lyrics, catchy tune, awesome chorus and verses, and classic Lennon vocals. Crazy how awesome this song is. I really, really love it! 10

Love You To- Another Harrison song. Pretty awesome intro, cool lyrics, and his voice is pretty awesome to boot. George is the only one playing on this track, and uses his beloved sitar, first used on Norwegian Wood (Rubber Soul). This track ends the energy-filled start of the album temporarily, but the energy will come back quite soon. 8/10

Here, There, And Everywhere- A great ballad by McCartney, with a very catchy tune, and awesome guitar in the background. Very realxing, a great love song. Continues the pause of the uptempo songs in the beggining of the album. 8/10

Yellow Submarine- Pretty good song for the kiddies, good lyrics, Ring does a pretty good job, but the song soon gets incredibly annoying. 6/10

She Said She Said- Written by Lennon during an acid trip w/ George and Peter Gonda. Apparently, George had such a horrible trip that he saw visions of his own death, and was totally "freaking out, man." But, Peter Fonda, who almost killed himself when he was a little boy, calmed George down. He kept saying, "I know what it's like to be dead," thus leading to that line in the song. Good sound, even better story. Also resets the album with a heavy chorus.7/10

Good Day SUnshine-Written by Paul, a nice little diddy with great sound. 7/10

And Your Bird Can Sing-John, who wrote this awesome song, hated it and even went as far as to say, "That song was a piece of trash, a piece of Sh*t," in an interview. A little harsh, considering that the guitar here is pretty awesome and strong for a beatles tune. 9/10

For No One- Pretty boring...sounds sorta cool..yeeah...(cough)..6/10

Doctor Robert- About Robert Freymann, adoctor who supplied celebs with drugs and stuff. Awesome song, will grow on you, especially the "Well. well, well, you're feeling down.." part. 8/10

I Want To Tell You-Another Harrison song, with a pretty cool intro. natch. 8/10

Tommorow Never Knows- Tied for the best song along with "I'm Only Sleeping," throughout the whole song is a c-pedal playing, and Lennon again is uncanny on this drug-influenced track. 10

Basically, it goes like this; 4th-rubber soul, 3rd-Revolver,2nd-Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band, and the best ever is Abbey Road. ... Read more

Asin: B000002UAR
Subjects:  1. Lo-Fi    2. Pop    3. Rock   

A Yo I Killed Your God
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 May, 1999)
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Editorial Review

When guitarist Marc Ribot debuted Shrek, the band's eponymous debut stood out for its scouring, threshing-floor look at Albert Ayler's ecstatic free jazz and a panoply of sounds more popularly associated with someone like Tom Waits. Again here you'll find assorted trips into the unknown, but few if any of them have the loose feel of Ribot's Shrek debut. Instead, you get one uptempo Cuban-flavored piece that smacks of the guitarist's major-label CD, Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos, a bunch of scrappy, punked-up No Wave roughshods, and even some abstract immersions. It's totally understandable that a CD with a guitarist who's made his way into Waits's bands, John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, and multiple John Zorn projects would sound a bit uneven. In fact, the unevenness is really just a manifestation of the constant skewerings Ribot applies to everything. So dig in if you've got the will. --Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (2)

THANK YOU GOD , FOR ART-PUNK
This is really a cleaver&dangereous music . Marc Ribot like to

play in studios for another people , but he's very good in his

works. What can i say , thank you god for Marc Ribot ! Art-Punk

find The gitar-warrior!!!

Explosive Ribot
If you have ever seen Ribot live, you know how lacking the digital compact disc is at capturing his truly ecstatic sound.But this album comes as close as possible to evoking the zeitgeist of Shrek's live performances of'92 and '94.The sound is one part Rootless Cosmopolitans ("The WindCries Mary"), one part Los Cubanos Postizos ("Softly as in aMorning Sunrise," "Jamon Con Yuca"), and six or seven partsAvant-Punk--a strange combination of the most absurd cartoon music of JohnZorn and the most serious anti-pop anthems of the Minutemen.This CD isnot just another live one; it is an aural collage of Ribot's manifoldstyles. ... Read more

Asin: B00000IWO2
Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde    2. Experimental    3. Experimental Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Punk    6. Rock   

Bone Machine
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 September, 1992)
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Editorial Review

This is Waits's most harrowing album ever, thanks not only to such heartwarming sentiments as "What does it matter, a dream of love or a dream of lies / We're all going to be in the same place when we die" but also to the ravaged, shamanistic croak with which he delivers them. Death hangs like a bad suit on songs like "Jesus Gonna Be Here," "The Ocean Doesn't Want Me," and "Murder in the Red Barn." But the album is musically entrancing and richly poetic--"Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?" Waits asks a perennially unfaithful lover in "Who Are You." There's also room for some foolishness, as with "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," which has been memorably covered by the Ramones, and a boozy sing-along (with Keith Richards), "That Feel." --Daniel Durchholz ... Read more

Reviews (62)

One of his best
"Bone Machine" is one of Tom Waits's best recordings because it shows all sides of the man.The down-on-his-luck crooner that was his initial persona is represented by tunes such as "That Feel" and "Little Rain."Although the entire disk is definitely on the dark side, he gets especially spooky when he uses his harshest tone of voice to croak out numbers like "Murder in the Red Barn," "Dirt in the Ground," and "All Stripped Down" with their primitive drumming and startling turns of phrase.In fact, if Waits has a weakness as an artist, it's that his rough vocals often obscure his fine lyrics.We have to listen attentively so as not to miss such gems as "There's always some killing that needs to be done around the farm" and "There's nothing wrong with a woman drinking alone in her room" (both from "Red Barn").He shows his humorous side on one of the album's highlights, "I Don't Wanna Grow Up."Another winner is "Who Are You," one of his most plaintive tunes in a long time.I could go on and on.Tom Waits is one of the most consistently interesting singers that we have.

Fascinating, one of his best albums not to be missed!
This album is so creative. Compare the concept and distinct sound of this CD to some of the popular junk on the radio that all sounds the same. Wow. What I love most about Waits is that he is never afraid to try new things - thus his music never gets boring. This CD is particularly groundbreaking. I think Bone Machine ranks among the finest of his albums. Note, however, that if you are a fan of early Waits material you might find this album peculiar, very different, and may even not like it.

Every tune on here has its own flavor - Waits loves to change his voice to fit the mood and it adds so much to the music. Tracks 2 and 7 feature his "gospel-like" raspy falsetto New Orleans style, tracks 1 and 9 feature his hoarse, growling yell, and track six is a brooding speak-song poem about suicide. The highlights of the album are the wonderful, soul-searching ballads in tracks 5, 8, and my favorite on the disc, # 13 "Whistle Down the Wind". The lyrics on these songs are wonderful, and reveal the more subdued, sad crooner that Waits does so well. "Goin Out West" and "Black Wings" have a catching rhythm and beat that is hard to resist, and "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" is a humorous, playful anthem about how one becomes more pessimistic about the world with age. Overall, this album is very dark and probably won't put you in a happy frame of mind. But the material here is so potent and needs to be heard.

One could say this is Waits' critical analysis of the modern world. Drummers would be fascinated by the several different tempos and uses of percussion on this CD (especially on track #3), yet one more reason to buy this release. It's very difficult, in my opinion, to not like or at least appreciate a few songs on this CD, because it's so wide-ranging and every song is completely different. Its well worth the money!

.........the cover shows it all
This is, of course, an excellent recording........ a 4 1/2 in my book.
Yet, much of Bone Machine feels just like another mask for Tom.... who is Tom?You always get the feeling with Tom Waits that he's putting on a show...... oh well, though.
Bone Machine is possibly one of the oddest things you'll ever hear, it's not the album I'd recommend to a new Tom Waits listener.
The album is saved, like Rain Dogs (possibly his finest, thereore one of the finest recordings ever), by the ballads.
Bone Machine has variation... and really, some quite lovely sentiments and instrumentation..... really a fine album... it deserves much more credit than it gets... as does Tom Waits. ... Read more

Asin: B000001DVZ
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Experimental Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Singer/Songwriter