fIREHOSE & Son of Bargain Cassettes

[ebm@ernie.Berkeley.EDU (Grady Toss)]

One more vote to change the name of this group to mod.music.ied.

Saw fIREHOSE at the I-Beam (in San Francisco).  I'd never seen them
before -- nor unfortunately, the Minutemen -- but this is SOME FUCKING
INCREDIBLE BAND.  As much as I like(d) the Minutemen, and was con-
stantly amazed that 3 people could develop the ensemble playing that
they did, what's even MORE amazing is that George Hurley and Mike
Watt could ever find another 3rd.  d. boon will never be replaced,
and fIREHOSE aren't the Minutemen... but they're JUST as impressive
in their own way.  ED fROM OHIO (or however you capitalize it) is
quite the guitarist -- with very little time playing I understand --
and a good singer too.  I haven't seen a band this happy looking in
a long time.  When eD did a long guitar solo piece, Watt & Hurley
stood off at the side of the stage and just watched him and grinned.
Similarly when Ed came out for an encore he said "Mike and George
sent me out here to do a ballad..." and then did one.  M&G were
again, standing just offstage, watching ed play.

As for sound, they seem to me to be a real extension of the Minutemen...
which is not hard to understand since the entire rhythm section, and a
good part of the melody section (bass) came from there.  They do more
ballady numbers, but snap right into thrashier jazz-funk stuff much in
the Minutemen mold.  They don't do any Minutemen stuff -- for which you
can't really blame them (though you still wish they'd play "If Reagan
Played Disco" or something), but they do a few covers which I forget
at the moment.  They're one of those bands that does covers, and you
kind of know they're covers, but they sound so much like fIREHOSE that
you can't quite place where you heard it in the first place.

Give this band 4 1/2 stars.  With the missing half star in memory
of d. boon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

As to bargain Italian history of rock cassettes... it's turning out
that about 50% of the tracks are remakes.  Some of them are really
interesting though.  ie. (d) alternate versions of the Kingsmen's
"Louie Louie" and "The Jolly Green Giant."  I have so many copies
of the originals, it's nice to hear a different take (or remake).
Some of them though, like the tepid remake of the Cowsills "The
Rain, The Park & Other Things" suck donkey balls.

The big discovery for me was the String-A-Longs (who had the big
instrumental hit "Wheels"... later destroyed by The Shaggs).  They
turn out to be an interestingly wimpy surf band, who do an AOK cover
of "Torquay".  (Hey--anyone know any more versions of "Torquay"?  I
think the Surfaries' version, with the Big Bad Bass is the best I've
heard).

Anyway... at $1.99 apiece, these are okay... but would be more okay
if you could just edit the shit remakes out.  Oh well.

... g r ady   t os s
-- 

		Most Metaphysical Bazooka Comic Fortune To Date:

		"You will get the present that you want."