I really have nothing creative to
add to this one. It fucking rocks, I used to think David Lee and Eddie were the
coolest things in the world when I was a tween. Only we didn’t call ourselves
tweens, cause EVERYTHING didn’t have a stupid fucking name back then. We didn’t
go on “playdates” either! That’s why today’s kids are all fucked in the head.
Regardless…
“Runnin’ With The Devil,” “Jaimie’s
Cryin'," and “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love!” are giants. God damn, did Van Halen hate the letter G, or
what?
Seven of the eleven tracks on this
1978 debut will be getting played on the radio, or whatever the radio
equivalent is until my generation is wiped off the face of the earth! Should be
at least another fifty years or so.
I missed this record! I think I
stayed away from it as long as I did, because all the hits on this album are
radio staples and Classic Rock radio beat them to a bloody pulp over the past
thirty years! Think about that... there are mindless dopes who have been listening to songs from this album almost everyday for the past thirty years!
Let’s do an experiment! I’m going
to pick Classic Rock radio stations in three cities, right off the top of my
head. Detroit (WRIF), Buffalo (WGRF) and Philadelphia (WMMR) (Coincidentally I
have lived in two of those towns. And technically MMR isn't a Classic Rock station.) I am now going to look at those station’s
playlists for the 6pm hour on Friday January 25 - cause it’s a good weekday
drive hour. Here we go!
1. WRIF/Detroit – Second song in the 6pm hour was “Jaimie’s
Cryin’.”
2. WGRF/Buffalo – Did NOT play VH in 6pm hour, BUT did play “Dancing In The Street” in the 5pm hour. (Do you think it killed VH to have to put the G at the end of Dancing, cause it’s not their song?)
3. WMMR/Philly – Did not play VH
any where near the 6pm hour. I should have picked WMGK in Philly… cause guess
what? They played “Runnin' With The Devil” in the 6pm hour on that day.
Point proven. I basically just
pinned the tail on the Classic Rock donkey. Keep playing the “sHITS” guys!
(If you want to see what any radio
station played in any hour, you can go to yes.com and put in the station’s call
letters.)
I have a confession to make. First, let me just say that Dinosaur Jr. is one of my all-time favorite bands! I love J. Mascis! I have met him twice and I own a bobblehead of him!
Here goes… I didn’t start liking Dino Jr. until their fourth album Green Mind came out! Don’t judge me!
I haven’t given much time to the
band’s Lou “Dickbowl” Barlow period. Dickbowl was in the band for the first three albums, then went on to form Sebadoh and then had his moment in the sun with "Natural One, from the Kids movie soundtrack. Then he came back, under strong protest! I know and like “Freak Scene,” from
Bug and “Little Fury Things,” from You’re Living All Over Me, but not much
else, other than The Cure cover of "Just Like Heaven," and "Whatever's Cool With Me," but I'm not sure what recording session that song came from.
Listening to this album
I could hear the band was pointed in the right direction and there’re some
standouts for sure. “Sludgefeast,” “Raisans,” and “Tarpit” were all just
missing a little something… a hook maybe? I’ll go back to this one and give it
more time. I think I remember one of my college buddies really liking “In A
Jar,” so it sounded very familiar to me. I dunno, maybe?
Then Dickbowl Barlow comes out and
shits out the last two tracks. Thanks Dickbowl.
Minimalist whispering boring bologna! Oh sure the production and musicianship is through the roof, but somebody draw me a warm bath and find a dull razor, or just grab the toaster from the kitchen and plug it in.
I met this band once at a radio station I worked
for. We recorded a twenty minute interview with them and I had the task of
trying to find a one or two minute clip to actually play on the air. We never aired
anything. Each one of them was a painfully shy little twit afraid of their own shadow and I wanted to throw them out of a window. Look at this picture and try not to think how cool it would be to just push them off that roof.
This is not an album for me. Seriously, what is up with those two? Are they a couple? And "ewwww!" Do they even listen to the bullshit lyrics they're singing? Pfffft!
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