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Fu Manchu - The Action Is Go Audio CD

A fair review of the Fu Manchu "The Action Is Go" 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 Fu Manchu reviews here, or go back to the Fu Manchu tabs.

Fu Manchu Band: Fu Manchu
Title: The Action Is Go
Rating:
Release Date: 2006-01-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Evil Eye 2: Urethane 3: Action Is Go 4: Burning Road 5: Guardrail 6: Anodizer 7: Trackside Hoax 8: Unknown World 9: Laserbl'ast! 10: Hogwash 11: Grendel, Snowman 12: Strolling Astronomer 13: Saturn III 14: Nothing Done

The Best
This album is rather different from their other ones, but still the same Fu Manchu that we've all come to love. This is definitely in my top 5, top 4, top 3, top 2 albums of all time! It has an awesome leaning back, adrenaline feel which sounds contradictory, but the Fu pulls it off. Awesome skating music, driving music, sleeping music, vacuuming your house music. A++.


Spark some incense and spray some Lysol...
It sounds like Mudhoney storming onto the set of That 70's Show in a racing-striped muscle car. Really cool album. Fuzzed out riffs, monotone vocals, more fuzzed out riffs, the occasional mind-warping solo over some fuzzed-out riffs, and there are some riffs in there too, I believe. Extra coolness points for the album-closing S. S. Decontrol cover. Perfect music for being in high school and getting stoned in the basement of your friend's parents' house, surrounded by blacklight posters, Playboys, and incense burners. .


Their Best Stoner CD
Gone is the frantic, solo fast and furiously approach, replaced by mood and groove and mining it for all it's worth. Slower, fuzzier, searing guitars and layered sustained solos, Fu Manchu take their time providing the anti-dote to "In Search Off". Brandt Bjork provides his last create drum performance, locking on to Bob Blach's restrained yet emotive guitar solos, creating instrumental passages that build momentum and power. Totally different than ISO, but equally essential, TAIG, is Fu Manchu's most "stoner" cd.


"UN-I-DENTI-FIED !!! UN-I-DENTI-FIED !!!"
If you read the entire Editorial Review (above) by Adem Tepedelen, you may come away thinking this CD pales in comparison to "In Search Of. . " Well, I say it blows it away, and here's why:

First of all, he states Fu Manchu's line-up change has brought about a blandness to their music when Eddie and Ruben split for good. Look at their replacements, though--Brant Bjork (drums) of Kyuss and Mondo Gen. , and Bob Balch (who I must admit, I've never heard of this guitar player) who, compared to Eddie Glass, is like comparing sticky krypto to skunky krypto: they're both REAL good. . . so do you really care? Then, he goes on to say that Fu cannot compete with Monster Magnet anymore. What? It's 2006, and I'm surely not going to put on a Monster Magnet CD anymore. . . but I listen to Fu nearly everyday. Their sound stands the test of time!

The music changed a little. The utter grunge and sludge was altered, incorporating a real 70's rock aspect. There's been a huge revival in our culture I believe--a renewed love affair with classic rock. You didn't see this in the late late 80's or the 90's. But now, you hear it everywhere, and I believe Fu Manchu is one of a handful of bands to help this process along in the mid to late 90's.

Every song on this CD is good. There are a few tracks which reak of the "In Search Of. . . " sound. The first song, "Evil Eye," reminds you of the past. The next track, "Urethane" (Fu's best song ever) introduces you to the new sound. It sounds like Fu Manchu, Black Sabbath and AC/DC all jamming together at once. It's musical perfection. Then, song 3 (title track) thrust you backward with a very Eddie Glass-esque, fast-paced, hard core style rock song. "Burning Road" then presents a mix of old and new--quiet, slow, rythmic; then, you're hit with a tidal wave of distorted guitars.

"Laserb'last," "Grendel, Snowman" and "Saturn III" are influenced greatly by Bjork's presence, and are very remniscent of Kyuss. Grendel sounds like a song from "Red Sun" while Saturn sounds and feels like it belongs on "Sky Valley. " These songs are both THAT GOOD.

"Anodizer" is awesome. Sounds just like what they hit us with on "In search Of" (think Strato-Streak). It has a low, grungy, dark riff and tone to it.

"Guardrail" and "Unkown World" are so Eddie Glass-heavy, you'd pleasantly think they were NEBULA songs. . . really. They both sound like something from "To The Center" or "Charged. "

The other songs are all good as well. But for me, Evil Eye, Urethane, Anodizer and Grendel are the reasons I think this CD is the best of it's kind. They blow away many of their contemporaries, and even much of their own music with these four legendary tracks.

In my opinion, "The Action is Go" tops all of Fu Manchu's other recordings. They never put anything together again that was quite this perfectly good from start to finish. I believe they made their very best music between '96 and '99, where we got "In Search," this CD, "(Godzilla's) Eatin' Dust" and "King of the Road. " This was 'Chu at their very best.


It grew on me and now im loving it !!!!
Bjork on drums a good thing can occur but I didnt saw that at first so now I apologize and I say " I loooooove this guys"

PS Now im actually thinking about getting "Godzillas eating dust" we all change right ?

HM. After all I tought "why cant density meet happines?" this guys are so Californian and they love sabbath, if we put togheter the happines in their voices but also distortion on guitars and bass and also in this release Mr.


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

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