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Finally got my cd this morning. Almost 3 weeks wait, but seeing as you can't get it in this country it's worth waiting for.
Clutch - "Slow Hole to China". A collection of rare, unreleased songs that have been floating around as demos and live versions only.
Got it this morning and have written as I listen:
Slow Hole to China
Starts with Slayer speed intro before rolling into the usual Clutch rolling, slinking groove. Not the best thing they’ve done, seems to be a chorus in search of a song. Ends quickly, and not a moment too soon.
Nickel Dime
Much more impressive.
Jean-Paul Gaster driving the song with his shuffle-kick beats and Sult’s wah-wah riffs complimenting. Chorus picks up pace and Fallon bellowing “It’s such a long road that we travel, nickel-dime nickel-dime nickel-dime”. Middle-eight is fantastic, cowbell keeping it locked as they go off into jams, easing back into chorus. Excellent stuff.
Sea of Destruction
Very strangely produced, Gaster’s drums sound like they’re next door and are coming through an empty hall…hmmm…. Fallon screaming about “Build your ship and sail across a sea of flame” whilst a monstrous riff stomps along, wah-wah line fighting for space amongst a rumbling bass. Sounds like exactly what it is, a demo that’s been produced for a rarities album. Lots of energy and a killer hook.
Oregon
Strange intro, sounds like somebody using reverb on an amp and phasers.
Drums through phaser. Very processed and flanged blues riff, bass echoing lead-line.
Vocals are two-stepped overdub (low talking underneath Fallon’s normal gravel singing, strange effect). Very open sounding song and doesn’t really kick into top-gear for the chorus, seems strangely sedated.
Easy Breeze
Oh yes. I’ve heard the demo version of this and knew what was coming.
Pushing, driving drums helped by a rolling bass. Sult spraying wah-wah riffs with gaps (think Helmet meets Dr John), “You got an easy-breezy wind at your back most of the time…if you do not understand, very few do so don’t feel bad”.
This is the sort of thing that Clutch does well and the reason I love them, it’s blues soaked riffs with a rhythm section that wouldn’t go amiss in a funk outfit. A throbbing, pulsating bottom section that makes you move. Think “Sinkemlow” and then some.
Four Lords (and one more)
Now this is typical of Clutch and why they rule.
Singular, driving and metronomic riff that allows the drums to lay down a backbeat with serious rolling rhythm and the bass to accentuate every other bar.
“I said do-do-do-do-dooo…nah-nah-nah-nah-naaah…”
Seriously foot-tapping and makes me want to strut down the street like a white pimp with no “ho’s”.
“I have a kickass harpsichord…that’s right…saw you dancing with the devil, I tell ya kid you're better off playing leap-frog with a unicorn…that's right.”
And now a harmonica…superb and completely out of left-field.
Rising Sun
Power-chord riff held for two bars, shuffle kick drums help to push this along towards the chorus whilst Fallon growls something about:
“You look so good while your riding on your pterodactyl, storming castles with abandon and rainbows by fistfuls”
It reminds me of “Red Horse Rainbow” from “Pure Rock Fury”, a story told whilst the band provides a furiously groove-laden canvas for the lyrics to float upon.
Oh yes indeedy, middle-eight solo kicks in and everything steps up a gear. Wah-wah solo, stop and silence for a beat with “Yeah!” barely audible before they boot back into the last verse, “On the hills of charming dragons, there is snow falling everywhere…sorceress you bring a new sun and we will soon be there….as we go carelessly careening quickly screaming all the way…gravity is such a drag and we will not obey”
Definitely feels like this was left off “Pure Rock Fury”, in between “Sinkemlow” and “Red Horse Rainbow”. Fantastic.
Guild of Mute Assassins
Thumping kick drum and bass standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a massive, thick undertow. Sparse riff, just the occasional wah-wah accent.
“The swinging of it’s censers, the silence of it’s members…oh the Guild of Mute Assassins…from the places in-between that are so seldom seen…the Guild of Mute Assassins”
This is a slow-paced, thudding monster of a song through the verses until it hits the chorus – and then it takes off into a rolling, off-beat King-Kong sized brute of a song.
The closest thing I can compare to is the bruising power of the “Cochise” riff from Audioslave, but with none of the chest-thumping alpha-male cheese, that’s been replaced by blues-flavoured funk.
This is an 800lbs Gorilla of a song.
Willie Nelson
A throwaway song really. It’s amusing with a story about being beaten up by demons that surround and invade the singer’s home.
“Got me down and hog-tied, rifling through my drawers…Boss Demon tells me how he would like to kill me…save your bullets tough guy, my disease does that for free”
Has the shuffle-kick beat and bass punch of everything good about Clutch and bounces along quite happily. Has the swing and groove they always bring to the table, another foot-tapping song to add to the cannon.
Equinox
A cover of a jazz tune by John Coltrane. Instrumental. Meh, never been a big fan of Coltrane and this just does it’s muso-indulgent thing for 4 mins.
This will get skipped from now on.
Hoodoo Operator
Hmmmm….
I’ve heard a live version that absolutely is the best thing Clutch has ever done, but they’ve altered it for the studio version.
Instead of a minimalist kick-drum verse and chorus that EXPLODES for the middle-eight, giving it swing, attitude and excellence, they’ve let Gaster put a swing-beat all over it. It’s still an excellent song, but by putting just a bit too much on the verses, it almost removes the swaggering solo section’s power.
“Oh I seen him walking on down that road…he got a broken white man with a heavy load…oh Lord have mercy upon my foolish soul…it’s the Hoodoo Operator”
Ok, I’ve listened to it 4-5 times now and I’m getting more used to the overall difference between this and the live version recorded about a year ago. It’s not the violation I originally though, but still can’t help but feel if they had tied Gaster down to just his kicks and occasional snare-hit, then it would absolutely rocket out of the gate for the chorus sections when Fallon bellows “Operate!”
Day of The Jackalope
Best thing Clutch has done ever.
There’s pedal-steel guitar, a stop-start “Ba-da” riff, swinging/shuffle beat and bass that’s just standing there with hands-on-hips nodding along at the illegitimate Meters-children unleashed on this song.
Vocals remind me of Tom Waits thrown down a well.
It’s stupidly boogy-soaked, foot-tapping, funk-laden blues rock. This is every single thing that Clutch should be bigger for.
It has cowbells, steel-drums, tables and congas going to provide an absolutely mind-blowing rhythm that allows the guitar to just drop in through the skylight and blast tiny little wah-wah nuggets here and there before strutting out the door with king-sized funk flares on.
If Huggy-Bear ever created a rock-band, it would be Clutch.
----------------
Verdict?
9 of the 12 songs are absolutely fantastic and stand head and shoulders above most of the other “rock” crap out there (Good Charlotte? Effervescence?), and these are the songs they didn’t think were good enough for the albums.
Nobody will listen to it, and most people will never be aware of Clutch.
Which is a goddam shame because as they go on, with each new album, they plough a path that nobody else is taking and, consequently, are waiting for the rest of the rock-party to catch up to them.
And a new album “Blast Tyrant” on March 30th, with song titles like “Swollen Goat”, “Army of Bono” and “Goat Warfare”.
I’ll be there at the front of the queue and trying to get people interested in one of the most under appreciated, unlistened bands out there today.
http://www.pro-rock.com
Clutch - "Slow Hole to China". A collection of rare, unreleased songs that have been floating around as demos and live versions only.
Got it this morning and have written as I listen:
Slow Hole to China
Starts with Slayer speed intro before rolling into the usual Clutch rolling, slinking groove. Not the best thing they’ve done, seems to be a chorus in search of a song. Ends quickly, and not a moment too soon.
Nickel Dime
Much more impressive.
Jean-Paul Gaster driving the song with his shuffle-kick beats and Sult’s wah-wah riffs complimenting. Chorus picks up pace and Fallon bellowing “It’s such a long road that we travel, nickel-dime nickel-dime nickel-dime”. Middle-eight is fantastic, cowbell keeping it locked as they go off into jams, easing back into chorus. Excellent stuff.
Sea of Destruction
Very strangely produced, Gaster’s drums sound like they’re next door and are coming through an empty hall…hmmm…. Fallon screaming about “Build your ship and sail across a sea of flame” whilst a monstrous riff stomps along, wah-wah line fighting for space amongst a rumbling bass. Sounds like exactly what it is, a demo that’s been produced for a rarities album. Lots of energy and a killer hook.
Oregon
Strange intro, sounds like somebody using reverb on an amp and phasers.
Drums through phaser. Very processed and flanged blues riff, bass echoing lead-line.
Vocals are two-stepped overdub (low talking underneath Fallon’s normal gravel singing, strange effect). Very open sounding song and doesn’t really kick into top-gear for the chorus, seems strangely sedated.
Easy Breeze
Oh yes. I’ve heard the demo version of this and knew what was coming.
Pushing, driving drums helped by a rolling bass. Sult spraying wah-wah riffs with gaps (think Helmet meets Dr John), “You got an easy-breezy wind at your back most of the time…if you do not understand, very few do so don’t feel bad”.
This is the sort of thing that Clutch does well and the reason I love them, it’s blues soaked riffs with a rhythm section that wouldn’t go amiss in a funk outfit. A throbbing, pulsating bottom section that makes you move. Think “Sinkemlow” and then some.
Four Lords (and one more)
Now this is typical of Clutch and why they rule.
Singular, driving and metronomic riff that allows the drums to lay down a backbeat with serious rolling rhythm and the bass to accentuate every other bar.
“I said do-do-do-do-dooo…nah-nah-nah-nah-naaah…”
Seriously foot-tapping and makes me want to strut down the street like a white pimp with no “ho’s”.
“I have a kickass harpsichord…that’s right…saw you dancing with the devil, I tell ya kid you're better off playing leap-frog with a unicorn…that's right.”
And now a harmonica…superb and completely out of left-field.
Rising Sun
Power-chord riff held for two bars, shuffle kick drums help to push this along towards the chorus whilst Fallon growls something about:
“You look so good while your riding on your pterodactyl, storming castles with abandon and rainbows by fistfuls”
It reminds me of “Red Horse Rainbow” from “Pure Rock Fury”, a story told whilst the band provides a furiously groove-laden canvas for the lyrics to float upon.
Oh yes indeedy, middle-eight solo kicks in and everything steps up a gear. Wah-wah solo, stop and silence for a beat with “Yeah!” barely audible before they boot back into the last verse, “On the hills of charming dragons, there is snow falling everywhere…sorceress you bring a new sun and we will soon be there….as we go carelessly careening quickly screaming all the way…gravity is such a drag and we will not obey”
Definitely feels like this was left off “Pure Rock Fury”, in between “Sinkemlow” and “Red Horse Rainbow”. Fantastic.
Guild of Mute Assassins
Thumping kick drum and bass standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a massive, thick undertow. Sparse riff, just the occasional wah-wah accent.
“The swinging of it’s censers, the silence of it’s members…oh the Guild of Mute Assassins…from the places in-between that are so seldom seen…the Guild of Mute Assassins”
This is a slow-paced, thudding monster of a song through the verses until it hits the chorus – and then it takes off into a rolling, off-beat King-Kong sized brute of a song.
The closest thing I can compare to is the bruising power of the “Cochise” riff from Audioslave, but with none of the chest-thumping alpha-male cheese, that’s been replaced by blues-flavoured funk.
This is an 800lbs Gorilla of a song.
Willie Nelson
A throwaway song really. It’s amusing with a story about being beaten up by demons that surround and invade the singer’s home.
“Got me down and hog-tied, rifling through my drawers…Boss Demon tells me how he would like to kill me…save your bullets tough guy, my disease does that for free”
Has the shuffle-kick beat and bass punch of everything good about Clutch and bounces along quite happily. Has the swing and groove they always bring to the table, another foot-tapping song to add to the cannon.
Equinox
A cover of a jazz tune by John Coltrane. Instrumental. Meh, never been a big fan of Coltrane and this just does it’s muso-indulgent thing for 4 mins.
This will get skipped from now on.
Hoodoo Operator
Hmmmm….
I’ve heard a live version that absolutely is the best thing Clutch has ever done, but they’ve altered it for the studio version.
Instead of a minimalist kick-drum verse and chorus that EXPLODES for the middle-eight, giving it swing, attitude and excellence, they’ve let Gaster put a swing-beat all over it. It’s still an excellent song, but by putting just a bit too much on the verses, it almost removes the swaggering solo section’s power.
“Oh I seen him walking on down that road…he got a broken white man with a heavy load…oh Lord have mercy upon my foolish soul…it’s the Hoodoo Operator”
Ok, I’ve listened to it 4-5 times now and I’m getting more used to the overall difference between this and the live version recorded about a year ago. It’s not the violation I originally though, but still can’t help but feel if they had tied Gaster down to just his kicks and occasional snare-hit, then it would absolutely rocket out of the gate for the chorus sections when Fallon bellows “Operate!”
Day of The Jackalope
Best thing Clutch has done ever.
There’s pedal-steel guitar, a stop-start “Ba-da” riff, swinging/shuffle beat and bass that’s just standing there with hands-on-hips nodding along at the illegitimate Meters-children unleashed on this song.
Vocals remind me of Tom Waits thrown down a well.
It’s stupidly boogy-soaked, foot-tapping, funk-laden blues rock. This is every single thing that Clutch should be bigger for.
It has cowbells, steel-drums, tables and congas going to provide an absolutely mind-blowing rhythm that allows the guitar to just drop in through the skylight and blast tiny little wah-wah nuggets here and there before strutting out the door with king-sized funk flares on.
If Huggy-Bear ever created a rock-band, it would be Clutch.
----------------
Verdict?
9 of the 12 songs are absolutely fantastic and stand head and shoulders above most of the other “rock” crap out there (Good Charlotte? Effervescence?), and these are the songs they didn’t think were good enough for the albums.
Nobody will listen to it, and most people will never be aware of Clutch.
Which is a goddam shame because as they go on, with each new album, they plough a path that nobody else is taking and, consequently, are waiting for the rest of the rock-party to catch up to them.
And a new album “Blast Tyrant” on March 30th, with song titles like “Swollen Goat”, “Army of Bono” and “Goat Warfare”.
I’ll be there at the front of the queue and trying to get people interested in one of the most under appreciated, unlistened bands out there today.
http://www.pro-rock.com
I can do ya one if you likes, with the best tunes from this and a compilation of the others...although I think I already did that?
Try and download "Day of The Jackalope" to see if you'd like this CD. It's not quite the same as their others, being unreleased, polished demos and cuts left off albums for some reason.
And Blast Tyrant out March 30th.
Try and download "Day of The Jackalope" to see if you'd like this CD. It's not quite the same as their others, being unreleased, polished demos and cuts left off albums for some reason.
And Blast Tyrant out March 30th.
Helmet meets Dr John, eh? Tom Waits stuck down a well? Excellent. I shall be requiring a copy of this I think.
Finally got my cd this morning. Almost 3 weeks wait, but seeing as you can't get it in this country it's worth waiting for.
Clutch - "Slow Hole to China". A collection of rare, unreleased songs that have been floating around as demos and live versions only.
Got it this morning and have written as I listen:
Slow Hole to China
Starts with Slayer speed intro before rolling into the usual Clutch rolling, slinking groove. Not the best thing they’ve done, seems to be a chorus in search of a song. Ends quickly, and not a moment too soon.
Nickel Dime
Much more impressive.
Jean-Paul Gaster driving the song with his shuffle-kick beats and Sult’s wah-wah riffs complimenting. Chorus picks up pace and Fallon bellowing “It’s such a long road that we travel, nickel-dime nickel-dime nickel-dime”. Middle-eight is fantastic, cowbell keeping it locked as they go off into jams, easing back into chorus. Excellent stuff.
Sea of Destruction
Very strangely produced, Gaster’s drums sound like they’re next door and are coming through an empty hall…hmmm…. Fallon screaming about “Build your ship and sail across a sea of flame” whilst a monstrous riff stomps along, wah-wah line fighting for space amongst a rumbling bass. Sounds like exactly what it is, a demo that’s been produced for a rarities album. Lots of energy and a killer hook.
Oregon
Strange intro, sounds like somebody using reverb on an amp and phasers.
Drums through phaser. Very processed and flanged blues riff, bass echoing lead-line.
Vocals are two-stepped overdub (low talking underneath Fallon’s normal gravel singing, strange effect). Very open sounding song and doesn’t really kick into top-gear for the chorus, seems strangely sedated.
Easy Breeze
Oh yes. I’ve heard the demo version of this and knew what was coming.
Pushing, driving drums helped by a rolling bass. Sult spraying wah-wah riffs with gaps (think Helmet meets Dr John), “You got an easy-breezy wind at your back most of the time…if you do not understand, very few do so don’t feel bad”.
This is the sort of thing that Clutch does well and the reason I love them, it’s blues soaked riffs with a rhythm section that wouldn’t go amiss in a funk outfit. A throbbing, pulsating bottom section that makes you move. Think “Sinkemlow” and then some.
Four Lords (and one more)
Now this is typical of Clutch and why they rule.
Singular, driving and metronomic riff that allows the drums to lay down a backbeat with serious rolling rhythm and the bass to accentuate every other bar.
“I said do-do-do-do-dooo…nah-nah-nah-nah-naaah…”
Seriously foot-tapping and makes me want to strut down the street like a white pimp with no “ho’s”.
“I have a kickass harpsichord…that’s right…saw you dancing with the devil, I tell ya kid you're better off playing leap-frog with a unicorn…that's right.”
And now a harmonica…superb and completely out of left-field.
Rising Sun
Power-chord riff held for two bars, shuffle kick drums help to push this along towards the chorus whilst Fallon growls something about:
“You look so good while your riding on your pterodactyl, storming castles with abandon and rainbows by fistfuls”
It reminds me of “Red Horse Rainbow” from “Pure Rock Fury”, a story told whilst the band provides a furiously groove-laden canvas for the lyrics to float upon.
Oh yes indeedy, middle-eight solo kicks in and everything steps up a gear. Wah-wah solo, stop and silence for a beat with “Yeah!” barely audible before they boot back into the last verse, “On the hills of charming dragons, there is snow falling everywhere…sorceress you bring a new sun and we will soon be there….as we go carelessly careening quickly screaming all the way…gravity is such a drag and we will not obey”
Definitely feels like this was left off “Pure Rock Fury”, in between “Sinkemlow” and “Red Horse Rainbow”. Fantastic.
Guild of Mute Assassins
Thumping kick drum and bass standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a massive, thick undertow. Sparse riff, just the occasional wah-wah accent.
“The swinging of it’s censers, the silence of it’s members…oh the Guild of Mute Assassins…from the places in-between that are so seldom seen…the Guild of Mute Assassins”
This is a slow-paced, thudding monster of a song through the verses until it hits the chorus – and then it takes off into a rolling, off-beat King-Kong sized brute of a song.
The closest thing I can compare to is the bruising power of the “Cochise” riff from Audioslave, but with none of the chest-thumping alpha-male cheese, that’s been replaced by blues-flavoured funk.
This is an 800lbs Gorilla of a song.
Willie Nelson
A throwaway song really. It’s amusing with a story about being beaten up by demons that surround and invade the singer’s home.
“Got me down and hog-tied, rifling through my drawers…Boss Demon tells me how he would like to kill me…save your bullets tough guy, my disease does that for free”
Has the shuffle-kick beat and bass punch of everything good about Clutch and bounces along quite happily. Has the swing and groove they always bring to the table, another foot-tapping song to add to the cannon.
Equinox
A cover of a jazz tune by John Coltrane. Instrumental. Meh, never been a big fan of Coltrane and this just does it’s muso-indulgent thing for 4 mins.
This will get skipped from now on.
Hoodoo Operator
Hmmmm….
I’ve heard a live version that absolutely is the best thing Clutch has ever done, but they’ve altered it for the studio version.
Instead of a minimalist kick-drum verse and chorus that EXPLODES for the middle-eight, giving it swing, attitude and excellence, they’ve let Gaster put a swing-beat all over it. It’s still an excellent song, but by putting just a bit too much on the verses, it almost removes the swaggering solo section’s power.
“Oh I seen him walking on down that road…he got a broken white man with a heavy load…oh Lord have mercy upon my foolish soul…it’s the Hoodoo Operator”
Ok, I’ve listened to it 4-5 times now and I’m getting more used to the overall difference between this and the live version recorded about a year ago. It’s not the violation I originally though, but still can’t help but feel if they had tied Gaster down to just his kicks and occasional snare-hit, then it would absolutely rocket out of the gate for the chorus sections when Fallon bellows “Operate!”
Day of The Jackalope
Best thing Clutch has done ever.
There’s pedal-steel guitar, a stop-start “Ba-da” riff, swinging/shuffle beat and bass that’s just standing there with hands-on-hips nodding along at the illegitimate Meters-children unleashed on this song.
Vocals remind me of Tom Waits thrown down a well.
It’s stupidly boogy-soaked, foot-tapping, funk-laden blues rock. This is every single thing that Clutch should be bigger for.
It has cowbells, steel-drums, tables and congas going to provide an absolutely mind-blowing rhythm that allows the guitar to just drop in through the skylight and blast tiny little wah-wah nuggets here and there before strutting out the door with king-sized funk flares on.
If Huggy-Bear ever created a rock-band, it would be Clutch.
----------------
Verdict?
9 of the 12 songs are absolutely fantastic and stand head and shoulders above most of the other “rock” crap out there (Good Charlotte? Effervescence?), and these are the songs they didn’t think were good enough for the albums.
Nobody will listen to it, and most people will never be aware of Clutch.
Which is a goddam shame because as they go on, with each new album, they plough a path that nobody else is taking and, consequently, are waiting for the rest of the rock-party to catch up to them.
And a new album “Blast Tyrant” on March 30th, with song titles like “Swollen Goat”, “Army of Bono” and “Goat Warfare”.
I’ll be there at the front of the queue and trying to get people interested in one of the most under appreciated, unlistened bands out there today.
http://www.pro-rock.com
Clutch - "Slow Hole to China". A collection of rare, unreleased songs that have been floating around as demos and live versions only.
Got it this morning and have written as I listen:
Slow Hole to China
Starts with Slayer speed intro before rolling into the usual Clutch rolling, slinking groove. Not the best thing they’ve done, seems to be a chorus in search of a song. Ends quickly, and not a moment too soon.
Nickel Dime
Much more impressive.
Jean-Paul Gaster driving the song with his shuffle-kick beats and Sult’s wah-wah riffs complimenting. Chorus picks up pace and Fallon bellowing “It’s such a long road that we travel, nickel-dime nickel-dime nickel-dime”. Middle-eight is fantastic, cowbell keeping it locked as they go off into jams, easing back into chorus. Excellent stuff.
Sea of Destruction
Very strangely produced, Gaster’s drums sound like they’re next door and are coming through an empty hall…hmmm…. Fallon screaming about “Build your ship and sail across a sea of flame” whilst a monstrous riff stomps along, wah-wah line fighting for space amongst a rumbling bass. Sounds like exactly what it is, a demo that’s been produced for a rarities album. Lots of energy and a killer hook.
Oregon
Strange intro, sounds like somebody using reverb on an amp and phasers.
Drums through phaser. Very processed and flanged blues riff, bass echoing lead-line.
Vocals are two-stepped overdub (low talking underneath Fallon’s normal gravel singing, strange effect). Very open sounding song and doesn’t really kick into top-gear for the chorus, seems strangely sedated.
Easy Breeze
Oh yes. I’ve heard the demo version of this and knew what was coming.
Pushing, driving drums helped by a rolling bass. Sult spraying wah-wah riffs with gaps (think Helmet meets Dr John), “You got an easy-breezy wind at your back most of the time…if you do not understand, very few do so don’t feel bad”.
This is the sort of thing that Clutch does well and the reason I love them, it’s blues soaked riffs with a rhythm section that wouldn’t go amiss in a funk outfit. A throbbing, pulsating bottom section that makes you move. Think “Sinkemlow” and then some.
Four Lords (and one more)
Now this is typical of Clutch and why they rule.
Singular, driving and metronomic riff that allows the drums to lay down a backbeat with serious rolling rhythm and the bass to accentuate every other bar.
“I said do-do-do-do-dooo…nah-nah-nah-nah-naaah…”
Seriously foot-tapping and makes me want to strut down the street like a white pimp with no “ho’s”.
“I have a kickass harpsichord…that’s right…saw you dancing with the devil, I tell ya kid you're better off playing leap-frog with a unicorn…that's right.”
And now a harmonica…superb and completely out of left-field.
Rising Sun
Power-chord riff held for two bars, shuffle kick drums help to push this along towards the chorus whilst Fallon growls something about:
“You look so good while your riding on your pterodactyl, storming castles with abandon and rainbows by fistfuls”
It reminds me of “Red Horse Rainbow” from “Pure Rock Fury”, a story told whilst the band provides a furiously groove-laden canvas for the lyrics to float upon.
Oh yes indeedy, middle-eight solo kicks in and everything steps up a gear. Wah-wah solo, stop and silence for a beat with “Yeah!” barely audible before they boot back into the last verse, “On the hills of charming dragons, there is snow falling everywhere…sorceress you bring a new sun and we will soon be there….as we go carelessly careening quickly screaming all the way…gravity is such a drag and we will not obey”
Definitely feels like this was left off “Pure Rock Fury”, in between “Sinkemlow” and “Red Horse Rainbow”. Fantastic.
Guild of Mute Assassins
Thumping kick drum and bass standing shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a massive, thick undertow. Sparse riff, just the occasional wah-wah accent.
“The swinging of it’s censers, the silence of it’s members…oh the Guild of Mute Assassins…from the places in-between that are so seldom seen…the Guild of Mute Assassins”
This is a slow-paced, thudding monster of a song through the verses until it hits the chorus – and then it takes off into a rolling, off-beat King-Kong sized brute of a song.
The closest thing I can compare to is the bruising power of the “Cochise” riff from Audioslave, but with none of the chest-thumping alpha-male cheese, that’s been replaced by blues-flavoured funk.
This is an 800lbs Gorilla of a song.
Willie Nelson
A throwaway song really. It’s amusing with a story about being beaten up by demons that surround and invade the singer’s home.
“Got me down and hog-tied, rifling through my drawers…Boss Demon tells me how he would like to kill me…save your bullets tough guy, my disease does that for free”
Has the shuffle-kick beat and bass punch of everything good about Clutch and bounces along quite happily. Has the swing and groove they always bring to the table, another foot-tapping song to add to the cannon.
Equinox
A cover of a jazz tune by John Coltrane. Instrumental. Meh, never been a big fan of Coltrane and this just does it’s muso-indulgent thing for 4 mins.
This will get skipped from now on.
Hoodoo Operator
Hmmmm….
I’ve heard a live version that absolutely is the best thing Clutch has ever done, but they’ve altered it for the studio version.
Instead of a minimalist kick-drum verse and chorus that EXPLODES for the middle-eight, giving it swing, attitude and excellence, they’ve let Gaster put a swing-beat all over it. It’s still an excellent song, but by putting just a bit too much on the verses, it almost removes the swaggering solo section’s power.
“Oh I seen him walking on down that road…he got a broken white man with a heavy load…oh Lord have mercy upon my foolish soul…it’s the Hoodoo Operator”
Ok, I’ve listened to it 4-5 times now and I’m getting more used to the overall difference between this and the live version recorded about a year ago. It’s not the violation I originally though, but still can’t help but feel if they had tied Gaster down to just his kicks and occasional snare-hit, then it would absolutely rocket out of the gate for the chorus sections when Fallon bellows “Operate!”
Day of The Jackalope
Best thing Clutch has done ever.
There’s pedal-steel guitar, a stop-start “Ba-da” riff, swinging/shuffle beat and bass that’s just standing there with hands-on-hips nodding along at the illegitimate Meters-children unleashed on this song.
Vocals remind me of Tom Waits thrown down a well.
It’s stupidly boogy-soaked, foot-tapping, funk-laden blues rock. This is every single thing that Clutch should be bigger for.
It has cowbells, steel-drums, tables and congas going to provide an absolutely mind-blowing rhythm that allows the guitar to just drop in through the skylight and blast tiny little wah-wah nuggets here and there before strutting out the door with king-sized funk flares on.
If Huggy-Bear ever created a rock-band, it would be Clutch.
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Verdict?
9 of the 12 songs are absolutely fantastic and stand head and shoulders above most of the other “rock” crap out there (Good Charlotte? Effervescence?), and these are the songs they didn’t think were good enough for the albums.
Nobody will listen to it, and most people will never be aware of Clutch.
Which is a goddam shame because as they go on, with each new album, they plough a path that nobody else is taking and, consequently, are waiting for the rest of the rock-party to catch up to them.
And a new album “Blast Tyrant” on March 30th, with song titles like “Swollen Goat”, “Army of Bono” and “Goat Warfare”.
I’ll be there at the front of the queue and trying to get people interested in one of the most under appreciated, unlistened bands out there today.
http://www.pro-rock.com