Artist: Death
Album: Death III
Source: http://www.npr.org/2014/04/
Pre-listening Notes: This is a compilation from the band Death. Not the death metal band, Death, but the proto-punk band, Death, from the 70's. I, like most of the world, had probably never heard of this band before the documentary, A Band Called Death. They were three brothers from Detroit, who started out playing R&B and moved towards a more rock approach after becoming acquainted with The Who, and other more energetic bands. They never really were recognized during their time, but have been gaining some attention now (some 40 years later) and have even played some shows over the last few years.
Initial Reaction: The first track starts off with some guitar and bass sounds kind of jumbled up, before rolling together into the opening song, which is an instrumental and has a very raw feel to it. It has a very demoish feel to it.
Random Thoughts: The second song, North Street, sounds more polished. This has a very similar vibe to late 60's, early 70's Detroit rock to it. The comparisions to the MC5 are easily made. Though they don't sound like a rip off. I like the vocals, a lot. There is the raw, soon to be punkish vibe, but there are the more melodic parts too, with cool harmonies. It was a nice mix. The third song, Open Road, showcases even more melody. The song ends a little abruptly on this one, which almost leads me to believe this song may not have been completely finished. We Are Only People is a bit of a ballad and lyrically seems to try to be a little more philosophical, but then kicks in and rocks a little more towards the end. I like this half of the song better. I do like how it was sort of a like a sneak attack in the tempo change. Restlessness was one of my favorites on this, it had a nice driving drum beat and the guitar and bass fit nicely over it. The vocals were good and the lyrics had a nice bookended theme to it. His voice reminds me of Jimi at times. Free had another demoish feel to it, like it was almost unfinished.
Final Reaction: I know that this compilation spans some different time periods and this is the third release for the band, with previous albums probably holding the bulk of the best songs they record. But, there is some pretty good stuff in here too. I enjoyed this and this band got overlooked hard when they were around. The idea of what they could have put out with a little bit of assistance from labels and maybe some quality production work kind of interests me. I will now go back and listen to the other stuff that has been released, that I have been sleeping on.
Final Grade: 7.0/10
Album: Death III
Source: http://www.npr.org/2014/04/
Pre-listening Notes: This is a compilation from the band Death. Not the death metal band, Death, but the proto-punk band, Death, from the 70's. I, like most of the world, had probably never heard of this band before the documentary, A Band Called Death. They were three brothers from Detroit, who started out playing R&B and moved towards a more rock approach after becoming acquainted with The Who, and other more energetic bands. They never really were recognized during their time, but have been gaining some attention now (some 40 years later) and have even played some shows over the last few years.
Initial Reaction: The first track starts off with some guitar and bass sounds kind of jumbled up, before rolling together into the opening song, which is an instrumental and has a very raw feel to it. It has a very demoish feel to it.
Random Thoughts: The second song, North Street, sounds more polished. This has a very similar vibe to late 60's, early 70's Detroit rock to it. The comparisions to the MC5 are easily made. Though they don't sound like a rip off. I like the vocals, a lot. There is the raw, soon to be punkish vibe, but there are the more melodic parts too, with cool harmonies. It was a nice mix. The third song, Open Road, showcases even more melody. The song ends a little abruptly on this one, which almost leads me to believe this song may not have been completely finished. We Are Only People is a bit of a ballad and lyrically seems to try to be a little more philosophical, but then kicks in and rocks a little more towards the end. I like this half of the song better. I do like how it was sort of a like a sneak attack in the tempo change. Restlessness was one of my favorites on this, it had a nice driving drum beat and the guitar and bass fit nicely over it. The vocals were good and the lyrics had a nice bookended theme to it. His voice reminds me of Jimi at times. Free had another demoish feel to it, like it was almost unfinished.
Final Reaction: I know that this compilation spans some different time periods and this is the third release for the band, with previous albums probably holding the bulk of the best songs they record. But, there is some pretty good stuff in here too. I enjoyed this and this band got overlooked hard when they were around. The idea of what they could have put out with a little bit of assistance from labels and maybe some quality production work kind of interests me. I will now go back and listen to the other stuff that has been released, that I have been sleeping on.
Final Grade: 7.0/10
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