Saw them playing live once, which some say is supposed to be their forte, and they just didn't click for me. So, my crap is based on that... maybe they had a bad night? I'll check out an album or two and see if I come around.

John W. wrote:Saw them playing live once, which some say is supposed to be their forte, and they just didn't click for me. So, my crap is based on that... maybe they had a bad night? I'll check out an album or two and see if I come around.

Check out All The Nations Airports.

Tree wrote:

SecondEdition wrote:As EA'er Alex Maiolo showed me, Archers of Loaf's bassist Matt can do a mean Tracey Pew. So that's a plus. Never heard the band, though.

This "Alex Maiolo" character can also be found in the liner notes to All the Nations Airports.

I am not just a character, I'm the village idiot.

On the subject of this album, however, I think it is criminally under rated. There was nothing else like it when it came out, and it still holds up great today. From beginning to end, I think this record is perfect. I think it's by far their best, and that's saying a lot because I like nearly everything they did.

A loving smack on the ass the Brain Paulson for the production on this one. What a great job.
Considering how great Bob Weston did on two previous records, he had big shoes to fill.

-A

alex maiolo wrote:

Tree wrote:

SecondEdition wrote:As EA'er Alex Maiolo showed me, Archers of Loaf's bassist Matt can do a mean Tracey Pew. So that's a plus. Never heard the band, though.

This "Alex Maiolo" character can also be found in the liner notes to All the Nations Airports.

I am not just a character, I'm the village idiot.

On the subject of this album, however, I think it is criminally under rated. There was nothing else like it when it came out, and it still holds up great today. From beginning to end, I think this record is perfect. I think it's by far their best, and that's saying a lot because I like nearly everything they did.

A loving smack on the ass the Brain Paulson for the production on this one. What a great job.
Considering how great Bob Weston did on two previous records, he had big shoes to fill.

-A

Hmmm, I do love this album, but I don't feel quite the same. The run of Icky Mettle, Vee Vee, and Airports are one of those stretches where I can take any of them given what week it is.

I prefer Weston's sound. Airports sounds like an Arcwelder record (mostly the drums), and it's a little unsettling for me. One thing I love about it is how I don't really know which song is which; it just completely flows. "Bones of Her Hands" is incredible.

One more for vs. the Greatest of All-Time. "Lowest Part is Free!" is easily my favorite Archers song.

I hear Bachman lives in Denver now. Is this true?

Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:

oucheh wrote:I was lucky enough to see this band four times over the course of their career. Never once were they anything less than fucking awesome. When they would play Gabes, it was like an event. Packed to the walls. When they would break into "Harnessed In Slums" the place would go fucking berzerk. I am sure they did this at the many places they played.

oucheh, how did we never meet in Iowa City? We appear to have lived the same life.

Or perhaps I am posting your messages in some sort of "Sybil" scenario.

Anything's possible!

Bradley,

I don't think we ever met, but I saw .22 a couple of times "back in the day."

In fact, and I could be totally off, but I think I saw you guys open an Archers show once.....or maybe it was Chisel Drill Hammer......or Bottledog.

-Jeremy

Always been a fan, finally heard the song Audiowhore the other day. Phenomenal song.

Not Crap.

alex maiolo wrote:

Tree wrote:

SecondEdition wrote:As EA'er Alex Maiolo showed me, Archers of Loaf's bassist Matt can do a mean Tracey Pew. So that's a plus. Never heard the band, though.

This "Alex Maiolo" character can also be found in the liner notes to All the Nations Airports.

I am not just a character, I'm the village idiot.

On the subject of this album, however, I think it is criminally under rated. There was nothing else like it when it came out, and it still holds up great today. From beginning to end, I think this record is perfect. I think it's by far their best, and that's saying a lot because I like nearly everything they did.

A loving smack on the ass the Brain Paulson for the production on this one. What a great job.
Considering how great Bob Weston did on two previous records, he had big shoes to fill.

-A

Woah. reading this thread is like meeting my heroes or something!

I must go and check my copy!

But, I first heard AoL on the Mallrats sountrack I blieve and then I discovered my housemate at the time was big in to them so from that moment I was searching everywhere for Archers. No-one ever has it over here so I had to stop then a few years later began searching eBay. Oh yes. The collection is not complete yet but I will see about resuming!
NOT CRAP...wish I could have seen them live along with Polvo!

If asked who my favorite band was, there was probably a good 5 year stretch where I would have said, without hesitation: Archers of Loaf. They were the last of the great guitar junkballers and, for me, the last great "indie rock" band. All the Nations Airports (shouldn't there be an apostrophe in there?) is an unqualified masterpiece from start to finish. Consciously or unconsciously, they borrowed elements of many of the bands and styles of music of their time - and consitently beat those other bands at their own game, while always sounding unique and original. They seemed to be passionate and sincere yet mocking, frustrated, and sarcastic at the same time. The live shows I was lucky enough to see were thoroughly satisfying. I think Eric Bachmann is some sort of lyrical one-finger guitar playing genius. A friend of mine described them as sounding like a music box, a sort of prickly interplay of parts. That's about the best I could do to describe what they sounded like. I love that the drummer does the same fill almost every time on Vs. the Greatest of All Time to slingshot them from one explosive part of a song to the next.

After they broke up Lifter Puller became my favorite band by default, since they came close to recapturing what I loved about the Archers. But it wasn't the same.

100% NOT CRAP ZERO even for White Trash Heroes, a difficult but fine farewell record.

Bump.

Not Crap in any way.
One of my, we'll say, 5 favorite bands of the '90's.
Vee Vee is my favorite album. Don't know what a lot of the other forum members are thinking when they're listening to that great record that seemed to be so hated.
"Step Into the Light," "Fabricoh." Along with "White Trash Heroes,' I think these are their best songs.

So good.

Are the solo records any good? Never heard them.

Salut, Alex Maiolo, for your listing in the credits of All the Nations Airports.

Great, Great band.

rzs wrote:Salut, Alex Maiolo, for your listing in the credits of All the Nations Airports.

!!!

*gets up from desk, pulls out copy of ATNA, checks credits*

Dude!!