This LP by an ex-ADOLESCENT has all the pitfalls of the decaying rock scene of the early ’70s—overproduction, solo instrumentation, sappy love songs, and self-indulgence to the max. I hope this doesn’t bode ill for the future direction of the LA punk scene. The lyrics are either romantic, tragic, or suicidal—Leonard Cohen, move over. The weakest release on the normally strong Frontier label.
Blistering rough-arsed metal thrash! Untamed havoc of shimmering propensity, thrusting wild whines of alarming guitar wails into glass-shattering breakneck speed as chilling vocals by the storming crooner Mike Muir claw forth a devastating attack. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES are a screaming cyclone of sheer power and determination, and this LP shows why they have such a strong following.
This is the one that everyone (at least that I know) was waiting for, and it certainly wasn’t a disappointment. All the great ’60s riffs you want to see recycled, done up with enough modern sensibility to not render it dated. “Going Home” and “She Turns to Flowers” seem to be favorites, but it’s one of those records you have to experience for yourself.
Psychedelic pop without the acid flashbacks. While I prefer the guitar-heavy sound of earlier vintage SALVATION ARMY/THREE O’CLOCK, infectious songs like “With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend” and “I’m Wild” stand out as peaks on this EP of comparatively spare, vocal-oriented melodies. Some might find this record cloying, but it’s still recommendable.
A classic case of a band softening up with age. It’s too bad, ’cause it’s not like they can’t pull out the stops if they want (as in “Jet Fighter”). This isn’t psychedelic music, but that prettier ’60s paisley pop that degenerated into the “Up with People” movement. I’m certain that they won’t get that lame, but if they think their SALVATION ARMY period was kid stuff, then modern corporate rock has a new group to chew up and spit out.
