I understand they had a significant impact in the Minneapolis scene, and are now considered some kind of quintessential something.
I appreciate the DIY ethos they championed. I suppose if you were there, I get it, but half the people I know never head them until 1999.

I have just never managed to care for their music. Don't hate them, but really don't care.
They came up in another thread about album production, which lead me to re-evaluate - still don't get it.

Bad(terrible) production alone, isn't enough to turn me off, but their songs are awkward.
Despite an obviously very high level of energy in their recorded performances, the songs just sound wimpy and incoherent.

New Day Rising sounds like listening to an alarm clock.

Change my mind.
Or don't.

You only get to hear "I'll Never Forget You" for the first time one time.

Not Crap

Was just thinking of that very song, how it's one of the most hilariously angry things anyone's ever tracked. He was so angry he couldn't even wait till the chorus to start singing it.

If someone asks what's my favorite record of all time, more often than not Zen Arcade would be the first thing to come to mind. If it's not for you, it's not for you, I don't know what else to say.

I remember getting a cassette (I think from our public library?) and thinking there was something wrong with my walkman because of how trebly it was. Later when I was studying sound recording in college I kind of realized it ruined my ears, cause I wanted everything to have that sharpness (or maybe it just did permanent damage to my upper audible range.)

There are some undeniable songs from Metal Circus to Flip Your Wig of course, but at a certain point turned into the same open folk chords and drum beat over and over. I dunno.. as a whole something I don't get very excited about anymore, but Not Crap.

Your 3 gay uncles leading you thru the most brain-splitting hardcore and then into the promised land.

Dunno, crank it louder if it's too thin for you. Bob got tinnitus quite young, I guess the band was a blitzkrieg of white noise - y'know, like the albums.

Absolutely Not Crap, haven't heard another band like them

WF - Warehouse, rock operas

NC, and I even like Warehouse a lot (was my intro to them when I was 12 or 13).

That said, every record has some clunkers (even Metal Circus!), after New Day Rising they kinda all sound like shit, but fuck, they sure did a whole hell of a lot in a short amount of time.

Few other bands of that era could use a full remaster/reissue cycle. Really wish Numero had been able to get the SST catalog and not just the earlier stuff.

wot wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 3:32 pm Your 3 gay uncles leading you thru the most brain-splitting hardcore and then into the promised land.

wot mate? since you brought up their sexuality, bob is gay, grant was bi and greg is straight.

Easy NC, just like the 'Mats are an easy C.

AdamN wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 6:32 pm wot mate? since you brought up their sexuality, bob is gay, grant was bi and greg is straight.

I actually used to work at the same place as Greg's wife (when I was a flour miller), but he and I never crossed paths (my seniority was low, so I was never able to attend the events where people used to run into him). I've heard he's a pretty cool guy.

Greg Norton's incredible mustache/short-shorts combo makes him an Honorary Gay. These are not my rules, just the ones laid out by the academy.