Melvins--Salad of a Thousand Delights
MVD 2003
While Nirvana may have been the most successful band of the grunge era, the Melvins were perhaps the most influential from that crop of acts. Having defined this sound years before it rocketed into the pop culture stratosphere, that fact can hardly be disputed. Salad of a Thousand Delights captures the band onstage during their prime and serves as visual testament to the power of the Melvins.
Taken from a live show in May of '91, the main program of Salad of a Thousand Delights captures the classic lineup of Buzzo/Crover/Preston leveling a rabid audience. That's no overexaggeration, either--from the opening strains of "Antioxidote" to the final rush of "Hog Leg," the Melvins absolutely destroy on this outing. No fancy props or whacky costumes, here--this footage succeeds solely on the grating metallic abrasiveness only the Melvins could muster. That said, the crowd themselves do provide a very fitting backdrop to the proceedings. The pit is a constant swirl and it looks like every attendee was losing their mind--with good reason, too.
Salad of a Thousand Delights also boasts quite a bit of bonus footage. The most substantial of this is a big chunk from another Bullhead-era Melvins show. Musically, this outing is as sharp as what's on the main program. However, visually, the picture is much less stable on this particular show, making it a bit challenging to view--not a big deal for the fanatic Melvins devotee. The real gem of these DVD add ons is a clip of the Melvins from '84, lip synching a cut very badly on what looks like some public access show. The guys all look so young here, it's a total hoot. Surprisingly, the Melvins come off powerful as ever, even during this earlier stage.
Needless to say, Melvins diehards will love every second of Salad of a Thousand Delights. It should also be noted that folks who "just didn't get" the Melvins after listening to their studio albums might be well served to check this out, too. In the live setting, this music can't get any more immediate. If it still isn't clicking after this view, that's your loss. Awesome and powerful, all the way.
Score this DVD directly from MVD
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