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Soul Rotation

The Dead Milkmen - Soul Rotation Audio CD

A fair review of the The Dead Milkmen "Soul Rotation" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Dead Milkmen reviews here, or go back to the The Dead Milkmen tabs.

Band: The Dead Milkmen
Title: Soul Rotation
Rating:

Release Date: 1992-04-14
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: At the Moment 2: Secret of Life 3: Big Scary Place 4: Belafonte's Inferno 5: Conspiracy Song 6: How It's Gonna Be 7: All Around the World 8: Silly Dreams 9: Wonderfully Colored Plastic War Toys 10: God's Kid Brother 11: If I Had a Gun 12: Here Comes Mr. X 13: Shaft in Greenland

Example A of evidence that they weren't just a joke band
It shows their growth as songwriters; these are expertly crafted, melodic pop songs. This is hands down my favorite DM album. But I recently heard someone call it "pathetic," presumably because they didn't rehash a "Bitchin' Camaro" or "Instant Club Hit. " You know what I think is pathetic? A band whose members are by now well into their thirties writing 30 second novelty songs about taking retards to the zoo. Those songs worked because they were kids when they wrote them, and thus have a certain charm. But you have to grow, and fifteen years later this record still sounds fresh when others, at times, seem really dated.

After all these years ... my favorite DM album
I didn't like it much at the time, being a huge fan of stuff like "Watching Scotty Die," "Going to Graceland" and "If You Love Somebody (Set Them on Fire). This came out when I was 14 years old, and I bought it new on cassette. " A few years later, 1996 or 1997 or so, after I read a few Robert Anton Wilson books, my then-boyfriend and I listened to this album in an, um, altered state, and it suddenly made a lot more sense, and I totally fell in love with it. It's a very thoughtful, thought-provoking, and in some cases, beautiful album, which treads into much "heavier" (i. e. "serious") territory than any other DM album, though it's still very smart and funny. I get the impression that Joe Jack Talcum had been delving deeply into mysticism/mythology/science fiction (and perhaps some LSD) prior to this album, as themes of God/Christ/aliens/how we got here/what's the meaning of it all pop up time and time again ("Belafonte's Inferno," about a Christ/alien/crucified messiah, "The Secret of Life," "God's Kid Brother"). The images conjured up in the lyrics are sometimes breathtaking as well ("We raced across the galaxy/away from all our ugliness/I felt beautiful and free/out where the devil can't exist/I felt a burst of energy/Hot white light poured from your eyes/We sped into infinity/I felt beautiful and free").

The reason this is my favorite DM album is b/c it's intricate, and there's more to it than the jokes on the surface -- It holds up wonderfully to repeated listens. It's hard to listen to a song like "I'm so bored I'm drinking bleach" (from Beelzebubba) over and over, when you're a little older yourself.

Listening to it today is also bittersweet, as I can't keep thinking of the terrible tragedy of bassist Dave Blood's 2003 suicide. I wish so badly he had just held on and waited for 80s punk nostalgia to hit, these boys could have definitely reunited and played to packed houses. I saw them in 1992, when they toured behind this album, and thought they put on a tremendous show. Maybe it's not too late? The Who kept going without Keith Moon, and later John Entwistle . . .

I wonder if there are any plans for this album to be reissued? It's not even on iTunes, and they have almost all of the other DM albums. .

New Fangled Milkmen
" It's true, these songs are more carefully constructed, stripped clean of their cracking, static coats, and filled with certain lyrics that actually border on (gulp) seriousness. I know what you late 20-somethings are saying--and it's totally understandable: "This isn't the same band I loved in the 80's. It's called maturity, folks. After so many years of making fun-loving, dog-eared albums, the DM wanted to take a stab at something larger. And truthfully, they earned the chance to do this. It's not like they sold out after one album and began pumping out boring, anti-everything music from some plush little studio off-shore somewhere.

If you still doubt the greatness of this album, I have 5 words for you:

Wonderfully
Colored
Plastic
War
Toys.

Give it a chance
That being said, I bought this the day it was released and I was quite disappointed. I've been a fan of these guys since Big Lizard way back when and have everyting they've ever put out. I listened to it 3 or 4 times through and it sat on a shelf until a few weeks ago when I found out Dave Blood (bassist) died. I pulled out all of the CDs as my own little tribute to him and rediscoverd this album. It really started to grow on me. Maybe it's because I'm older. Although I think Metaphysical Graffiti and Eat Your Paisley are my favorites, this one definitely has some solid stuff on it. At The Moment, God's Kid Brother, and If I Had a Gun are like classic DM songs and All Around the World adds a nice soft touch about paranoia.
All in all, I'm glad I gave this CD a second chance, albeit years after its release. Not as solid as the older stuff, but definitely worth it for a DM fan who's willing to give it time.

It's Actually Quite Good
This is a Dead Milkmen that seems very willing to let silly humor fall to the wayside and push forth with an entire album of almost all *serious* songs. This is not the Dead Milkmen of, say, Big Lizard in my Backyard or Eat Your Paisley. Well, as serious as those little moments of earnest songwriting on previous albums. A lot of the lyrics are still pretty out there, but any humor is more subtle and significantly buried in the pretty melodies. There are also lots of horns and keyboards. Kind of like They Might Be Giants JOHN HENRY album. Also like that TMBG album, it [upset]off a lot of longtime fans and kind of tanked. Oh, did I mention (heh, I can read back and know I didn't!) that they signed to a major label for this one? Part of a two-album stint on Hollywood Records, no less. But criminy, they seem to have made a very creatively-motivated career shift here and it's catchy as they've ever been. And it's totally out of print so snatch it up whenever you can!.

You can see a complete list of all The Dead Milkmen discography, or go back to the The Dead Milkmen tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.