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Urge Overkill - Americruiser/Jesus Urge Superstar Audio CD

A fair review of the Urge Overkill "Americruiser/Jesus Urge Superstar" 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 Urge Overkill reviews here, or go back to the Urge Overkill tabs.

Urge Overkill Band: Urge Overkill
Title: Americruiser/Jesus Urge Superstar
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-03
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Ticket to L.A. 2: Blow Chopper 3: 76 Ball 4: Empire Builder 5: Faroutski 6: Viceroyce 7: Out on the Airstrip 8: Smokehouse 9: God Flintstone 10: Very Sad Trousers 11: Your Friend Is Insane 12: Dump Dump Dump 13: Last Train to Heaven 14: Polaroid Doll 15: Head On 16: Crown of Laffs 17: Dubbledead 18: Easter '88 19: Wichita Lineman 20: Eggs

Roachmine
Worth the price since you get 2. This CD'S ok. If you like them, there last 2 CD'S are better. Saturation is their best (my opinion).


Early UO is nothing essential
A. Those rough-around-the-edges riffs and smoky vocals of Nash Kato and Eddie "King" Roeser are endearing at first on tunes like "Ticket to L. ," "Blow Chopper" and "76 Ball. " Still, there's sparse evidence on "Americruiser/Jesus Urge Superstar" that Urge Overkill would grow into the more melodic yet still-rocking juggernaut it would become by 1993 on Saturation, and later yet on the even more impressive Exit the Dragon from 1995. Unfortunately, there's just a mere adequacy to these songs that makes Urge Overkill's semi-superstardom status in the early- to mid-1990s somewhat puzzling. Obviously, the band developed its musical skills, worked harder on songwriting and inserted melody into its songs in the succeeding three years after this double album and the lacking The Supersonic Storybook were put out. The good news is, most of these songs are relatively short and to the point, though after 20 tunes everything feels like a drag.

So what songs stand out a little? "Faroutski," sung by Kato, contains good guitar work, rocks out and isn't bad. Same could be said for "Out on the Airstrip," one of the better songs on the CD. The best tune might be "God Flintstone," which does contain the aforementioned missing melody and a more atmospheric sound than the rest of the songs. In fairness, things do slightly improve by the middle of the CD, but not enough to make it essential listening. If you can make it through the entire disc without getting bored, congratulations. Surprisingly, famed producer and Garbage member Butch Vig produced these messy tunes. Jack "The Jaguar" Watt contributed drums (before the days of future UO drummer Blackie O).

What's interesting about these songs is how an in-your-face rock `n' roll roadhouse sound and vibe pervades instead of melody and professional song structure, unlike UO's future work. "Viceroyce," the large-and-in-charge "Smokehouse" and "Last Train to Heaven" are perfect examples of how the slugfest of guitars and roughshod vocals don't make for innovative or even fun rock music. This stuff is just too one-dimensional, lo-fi and dull for my taste, but don't forget, UO got better by leaps and bounds on following CDs. Even the six-song Stull EP is worth checking out.
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You have to get used to Urge Overkill's angle on things
These are very smart and creative and capable guys. Well, I bought this as a tape used, on a whim, and I have been a fan now ever since 1990, and of course have "all of their albums". Americruiser, included on this CD, is by far their most totally rocked out offering album-wise, and the engineering rivals the Butcher Bros on their later releases. They tend to rock out in spots on other albums, including the stranger Jesus Urge Superstar--also here, and yes, kind of varied and amateurish and strange and hard--but none as consistently as on Americruiser as a whole. That's my opinion. But why do I like UO? Because, they really want to rock, in many senses of the word and in many different ways, but they have too many brains to be critically dismissable, and just enough to be irritating. I mean, every groove on Americruiser rocks, but their approach, the structures, the simple playing and joining of dischordant chords and strange times, it gets your attention because they project it with a rocking vibe, as though all music were meant to be played through their perspective, but at first listen it is decidedly quite skewed. You have to kind of latch on to it, after a while, which isn't hard to do, because they have so much energy, and everything is loud and bombastic. It's all just coming at you in a strange arrangement,and that's where their brains came in. I think they broke up because ultimately they were just too damn smart to put up with the irritation of fame, the tunnelvision expectations of the common man and record producer. I love every album they do, because if nothing else, they do it with passion. It may sound strange, or reflect their general mood at that time only, but there is always a lot of heart in each song, and it shows. I suggest that EVERYONE goes out and at least buys Nash Kato's solo album. We need to support him so that at least his voice will not disappear. Like I said, I think these guys are very talented and creative, and in a world where everyone tries to immitate the now sound, you need these kinds of voices to slip up between the planks and suprise you every once in a while, inject a little notion of what can be done with music into the mainstream. Remember "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon?" How could the whole world go gaga over only one song from these guys? They are too frustrating to the music industry, because they stubbornly continue to do as they please, all the while showing their influences just enough to get people's attention. Well, anyways, I am obviously hooked.
Go buy Nash Kato's album.


Come on if you don't have it.....
R. This CD was almost the starting point for the popular college band U. G. E. When no-one dressed for concerts UR attracted a following with their matching stage gear, clothes, hair, ect. And the great Neo-Retro group backed it up with the most diverce offerings anyone can buy.


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

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