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Famous Monsters

Misfits - Famous Monsters Audio CD

A fair review of the Misfits "Famous Monsters" 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 Misfits reviews here, or go back to the Misfits tabs.

Band: Misfits
Title: Famous Monsters
Rating:

Release Date: 1999-10-05
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Kong at the Gates 2: Forbidden Zone 3: Lost in Space 4: Dust to Dust 5: Crawling Eye 6: Witch Hunt 7: Scream! 8: Saturday Night 9: Pumpkin Head 10: Scarecrow Man 11: Die Monster Die 12: Living Hell 13: Descending Angel 14: Them 15: Fiend Club 16: Hunting Humans 17: Helena 18: Kong Unleashed

THE MISFITS RULE

OK, lets get this stuff out of the Way:

- Danzig-Era Misfits were Awesome. . but if Danzig is going to be a pre-madonna about letting Jerry Only continue with the band that he helped form. . . . then Danzig should just shut up and cash his royalty checks

-Michale Graves is at LEAST as talented as Danzig. . . . (if not more. ) Proof positive, listen to Michale's solo material and compare that to Danzigs. If you can maintain your sanity after listening to the Danzig albums after the 3rd one, then you're a better man that I

I hate making this comparison, but the same way Dio replaced Ozzy in Sabbath - Graves did with the Misfits. Its a different era of the Misfits now (more camp, less true horror). . . lets put it this way; the Misfits of the 90's are of the same gene pool as Rob Zombie (Dragula, American Witch. . . ) Danzig was more like King Diamond (Abigal, Spiders Lullaby. ) You can't compare them as they're different.

So, what's to say about "Famous Monsters?" It's great punk, has some filler - but also has some true classics ("Scream," "Forbidden Zone," "Die Monster Die. ")If you dig The Ramones, the original Misfits or horror/camp - then give this album and the preceding one ("American Psycho") a chance.

Project 1950 isn't too bad either. . . but Jerry doesn't have the vocal chops to do another album. (Jerry, if you're reading this find a new singer. . . I hear Deep Purples' Ian Gillan has some spare time. . . hah ha ha)

If you dig this album, be sure to check out The Lords of the New Church here Killer Lords

And, if you're interested in hard rock/electro with a touch of camp (check out their cover of Oingo Boingos "Dead Man's Party" and their track "Virus") - check out The S1nd1cate here Reloaded

.

All about Graves
Everyone smack talks about Michael Graves and the new Misfits but really their is only a couple good tracks during the Danzig Age, so buy this album because the new Misfits are way better.

Awesome remake
We get to have Danzig and the Misfits. There will never be a replacement for Danzig but this new Misfits is great.

"Resurrected" Misfits find their own sound

"Famous Monsters" is among my top 5 albums of all time, it finally sheds the sound of the old days and creates a cohesive, creepy atmosphere of terror. On this album the resurrected Misfits create an entirely unique sound without losing the energy that makes them great.

This is a sonically perfect album, the production is just amazing.

Whereas some songs on "American Psycho" started to sound the same, every track on "Famous Monsters" is amazingly unique and really draws you into the story of the songs.

The standout tracks are: "Forbidden Zone", "Dust To Dust", "Scream",
"Saturday Night", "Descending Angel", "Them", "Fiend Club" & "Helena".

I wish this album had a secret track like "Hell Night" on American Psycho, because I really don't want the album to end. Although the discarded tracks "Devil Doll" and "1 Million Years B. C. " can be found on "Killer Cuts from the Crypt" and they are great.

This was definitely the best era of the Misfits. Buy this album!.

Evil All Of The Time
Graves thingee, God knows enough people do that. I certainly don't wanna delve too deeply into the whole Danzig vs. Whatever camp you fall into, there's certainly no review out there that will sway you. Folks tend to be pretty unmovable on this subject. I will only briefly say that A). I've been a fan of the Misfits for many years now, through all the lineups and phases. I just love what they stand for. And B). I have a respect and appreciation for Jerry Only because he's one guy that Danzig couldn't totally control(what a feat!). Plus, he seems to be one of the few musicians to work with Danzig that didn't fall off the face of the planet after Danzig chewed him up and spit him out. He soldiered on regardless of bad press and having to live in Danzig's shadow. I admire that kind of determination considering once you work for Danzig it must be hell working your way out.
In the mid nineties when news of a Misfits regrouping started, I was scratching my head like everyone else thinking, "How the hell is this going to work??" I got American Psycho and found a different sounding band(but why should it sound exactly the same? It can't), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. After getting Famous Monsters shortly after it's release, I came to the conclusion that it's definitely the best of the post Danzig period. Fast, catchy and oozing with campy B horror imagery. It is easy to see why folks gripe about this "not being the same band". Well, it isn't. It's similar in style and image, but I feel it would have been a very bad move to simply hire a Danzig impersonator and try to copy exactly what was done years earlier(people would really have whined about that!). Phase 2 of the Misfits keeps some of the trademarks of classic days, but does change a few things. The production now is much clearer and crisper. There's a much bigger metal influence(moreso here than on American Psycho), making the band almost seem like a punk/thrash metal hybrid. Doyle even throws in a bit of soloing! The lyrics and image have been camped up much more, making it even more Halloween-like. In a way, it's almost a parody, but a fun one coz if you're like me you can't have enough B movie influence. Of course Danzig isn't writing the lyrics anymore, but lets face it, Misfits lyrics were always juvenile and not exactly thought provoking. How long could it really have taken Danzig to write Return of the Fly or Rat Fink? Phase 2 Misfits is just as brainless, and in their own way just as fun. With songs like Pumpkinhead, The Crawling Eye and Lost In Space, it's fun to chuckle at the absurdity of it all. It's especially fun if you're familiar with the movies to which they're referring, and about 95% of the songs here are in fact based on films. I suppose that's why the album is called Famous Monsters because it's like an audio version of the old Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. Hell, even the cd artwork is done by Basil Gogos, who did the artwork for the magazine! I guess my only complaint about this era of the Misfits is the overabundance of merchandising. Jerry Only is quickly catching up to Gene Simmons in that department. Is there any item of clothing that you can purchase that can't be bought with the Misfits logo or skull? I also wish Doyle, CHUD and Graves had hung around for a little while longer. Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of Phase 3 of the Misfits, but then again they really haven't released an album of original material yet. But regardless of where you stand, The Misfits have left a very interesting and influential legacy(of Brutality!). Hell, they started a whole new subgenre of punk rock. I can only hope that Famous Monsters stands the test of time and is someday looked upon as a high mark in the band's career. I listen to it often and never tire of it. Perfect for when you want to make any day feel like Halloween.

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