Rollins Band
Discography
Hot Animal Machine/Drive By Shooting
Thought not
“technically” a Rollins Band release, this is more of a Rollins Band release
than anything else. Also, I review CDs
and notable vinyl…these came out separately originally but the standard format
is both on one disc, so I review it like that.
If you don’t like it, get your own site. Anyway, this is the first Rollins music
release after Black Flag and it’s a doozy. Many people claim that Rollins ruined Black Flag, that the only reason the band got so strange is due to
Rollins. Well, my friend listen to the
first few Rollins albums…they sound more like the “good” Black Flag stuff than
anything post-Damaged. Well maybe “My
War”…eh, whatever. The songs are faster,
harder, and more rockin’ than you’re probably used
to. Sure there’s an occasional slow,
strange, scary song like “No One” but it’s Rollins,
Mr. Intensity. The songs have a punky feel and this is one of the few positively essential
albums out there.
Drive By Shooting on the other hand is an odd lot of songs. It’s not Rollins Band, it’s not even Henry
Rollins, it is in fact Henrietta Collins and her band
The Wifebeating Childhaters. Mr. Rollins does show up and do a duet with
Henrietta on the song “Hey Henrietta.”
The songs on here include a surf rock song about drive by shootings,
appropriately entitled “Drive By Shooting,”
a take off of Queen’s song “We Will Rock You” entitled “I Have Come To
Kill You” and some artistically sound tracks like “Can You Speak This?” Let’s not forget the M. Night Shaymalan influence in the song “Men Are Pigs.” If Henry put this out as Rollins Band, people
would go batty as it’s far more fun and I suppose, peculiar, than anything the
real band did. The songs are excellent,
hilarious, and offensive. Go for it,
fool.
Life Time
If I had to
tell you my favorite Rollins Band album this would be one of the ten I
mention. Positively
essential listening. The songs
are a bit more crazy, a bit more intense, a bit more
frantic, a bit more Rollins. He doesn’t
yell, he screams on this one, like a crazy man.
The band is actually formed in this one and I find it’s a more solid
offering than the previous release. This
is sheer intensity, Rollins is a heartbroken man who actually struggled at this
point in his life so the rage, depression, and power is completely
sincere. If he were to put this out, it
would be silly… could you imagine Rollins pulling up to a show in his BMW
yelling about being turned out? My ass. The youth,
the energy, the rage, this has it all.
If you were in a good mood before you put this on, you’ll want to beat
the crap out of someone. If you were
depressed, you’ll be on the brink of suicide.
If you were pissed, I fear for your pets. The original press of this came with
excellent live tracks from an early tour…mainly repeat songs from the album but
hey, it’s cool to hear different takes and an Iron Butterfly jam. The remaster
release has a few studio outtakes that earlier surfaced on…
Do It
Now out of
print this sucker has three outtakes (covers) from the Life Time sessions. This includes the live staple “Do It” as well
as “Next Time” and another live staple “Move Right In.” It’s interesting having proper, studio
versions of these tracks so that makes this a worthy purchase. Why wouldn’t I buy the remastered
just to get those songs? Well, you have
to be a completist like me! If you don’t buy this you’ll miss out on a
whole mess of live songs including Rollins explaining why he cut his lovely
locks. The live songs on all these early
releases are excellent, far better sounding than one would expect
honestly. If they are not completely
mixed multitrack recordings, then they’re definitely supoib soundboards.
There is energy, excitement, and some tight playing, so it makes for
good listening.
Hard Volume
This is
probably the only Rollins Band album that I would say, independent of
everything else, is not essential. Of
course since everything else is essential, this becomes essential as you need
everything…what, you’re going to own everything by Rollins Band except
one? You’ll be a laughingstock. Anyway, I think what kills this one is the
production. It’s the worst of everything
else, and the songs just aren’t up to par.
Yeah, there are some keepers “What Have I Got” but then there’s side
B…where the songs run together and just don’t stand out. This is the only Rollins album I don’t even
feel confident talking about because it’s so bad I haven’t been able to listen
to it enough to go into graphic detail.
The original press has a live track called “Joy Riding With Frank”…not to be confused with the GG Allin song “Hanging Out With Jim.” That song is another completely unessential
jam that goes on forever and ever and ever…32 minutes. A 32 minute jam…not
a song, not a medley, not a live set…a jam.
Booooooring. The remaster has six outtakes that which are far more
“interesting” though I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say “good.” “Thin Air” is a song that never made it past
the demo stage, so you gotta get this for that, and
the songs that made it onto “The End of Silence” sound quite different so you
get an old interpretation. If “The End
of Silence” turned you off, there’s a shot you’ll enjoy these demos.
Audio Airstrike
Consultants
Not sure if
there are more than one version of this thing out there, but the one I have has
the remastered versions of “Hot Animal Machine,”
“Life Time,” “Hard Volume,” and “Live 87-88” in it. The packaging is shoddy as the discs just
come in slipcases but it’s an inexpensive set.
The Live 87-88 disc is nothing to get excited about—it’s got the live
stuff from “Do It” and “Life Time” but not all of it, oh no. If you want everything the band put out, you
need to get all of the originals and all of the remasters
(except Hot Animal Machine, no bonus tracks on that). And then if you’re extremely anal, if you
want the live stuff remastered, you need this box set
to get the remastered live disc. I picked it up because I wasn’t sure what the
live disc was and I think I paid twenty bucks, so hey…it looks cool on the
shelf.
Turned On
An
80 minute live CD
that is on one track. One. So let’s say you look at the disc and say
“what’s ‘The Dietmar Song’ about? Well, you can either listen to most of the
album or sit and fast forward. Another
option would be to rip this CD and then use an audio editing program to
separate it into different tracks. I
haven’t done this yet, though I probably will at some point…probably when my
wife leaves me. This is a solid live
set, and it’s a full disc so you’ll get your money’s worth. This ist he only
place to get “The Dietmar Song” and you get earlier
version of End of Silence stuff…this really isn’t as fast and furious as the
older stuff as the band was about to hit a major stylistic change. And
“The Dietmar Song” isn’t much of anything.
Insert Band Here: Live in
Sweet jebus,
more live Rollins. This is probably the
best sounding live recording out there and I think that may have something to
do with this being a radio or studio session than a “live album.” If there was an “audience” it was tiny. This is Rollins, live in the studio doing a
full set, no takes, no redos, no stopping. Unfortunately, there are no real rarities,
other than “Out There” which will make you want to cry at its length and
content, and the “Earache My Eye” which isn’t all that rare anymore. If you’re not a completist
but want to pick up something a bit different, this is THE disc to get.
The End of Silence Demos
You don’t
realize how much this bothers me…this thing came out in 2003, but I feel it
should go before the actual album, even though technically the next thing
reviewed come out over a decade earlier.
But I’ll be okay and so will you.
This is, believe it or not, a set of demos done for The End of
Silence. It’s true. You’ve got the whole album in demo form, and
these aren’t the demos that you heard before…completely new, somewhat similar
to the album versions, definitely the same style. There’s a bit of saxophone on here and some
differences but they’re not too huge overall.
They absolutely are different recordings and this album was Rollins’
finest moment, so you gotta get it…get the feel of
the band working on a masterpiece. It’s
like when you go to
The End of Silence
Seventy plus
minutes…not a fast song on here…slow, jammy, bluesy
music with Rollins wailing over it. I
think Rolling Stone called it the heaviest jazz album or the jazziest metal album
of all time…something stupid like that.
Stupid as that is, it’s actually a bit
accurate. The songs are long (10 tracks,
70 minutes, the shortest song is still about five minutes and two break the 10
minute barrier), the music is much slower than previous Rollins releases…a
straight mid-pace track opens the album and then you get some funkiness. Then there are mellow interludes, lots of
talking, some actual singing, frantic tempo changes from slow, dreary, depression
to pure violent rage (see “Almost Real” for more info). Some hate this one,
I love it, and put it in my top albums of all time. Essential.
The initial
press was just the album. Then some wiseguy decided to rerelease it
as a double disc. A
double disc. What’s that
about? The album itself has one bonus
track, a slow version of “Next Time” that you may not even recognize unless you
look at the track listing…the older Rollins version we got was a fun, uptempo song. This
is sloooooowed down.
The second disc includes a long version of “Ghost Rider” which is from
the soundtrack to “The Crow.” A ten plus
minute version compared to the extremely short six minute version on The
Crow. Basically another verse is thrown
on. After that, tons of live stuff…a jam
with the Butthole Surfers, a cover of “Earache My
Eye” and some other random live bits. My gripe? “Lie Lie Lie” was a b-side on the “Low
Self Opinion” single…why not put that on here?
So the only place to get that song is the single or the Japanese
import. Sure it’s fun having random
things out there for nerds like me, but do we really need more live versions of
“Do It”? Well, yeah we do. If I had enough I wouldn’t go collecting
bootlegs. As far as the “remastering” job…personally I think it sounds weird so I
kept my original. Yep, I kept my
original. Wooo.
Hammer of the Rok
Godz
Ah yes, the
rare promo EP that you have been longing for but couldn’t get your hands
on. At the height of the band’s
popularity I think I paid six bucks for this.
Ain’t I cool?
I had the rarest stuff out there.
Of course, all the music has made its way onto rereleases
as bonus tracks so who really cares.
“Earache My Eye” is on dis, as well as the
long “Ghost Rider” and some other live tracks.
The only real rarity is a spoken word track that’s a different take on
Rollins’ Dio schtick. You’ve heard the bit before and you’ve heard
it done better (on “Talking From The Box”) so for
nerds only.
Being Obscene
On
This is a live
set from
Weight
The
breakthrough album I suppose because it had that completely ridiculous song
“Liar” on it. If you think that’s the
band’s best song, you’re an idiot. In
fact, that song nearly ruins a perfectly good album. The plus is that it took some money from
moronic frat guys’ pocket and transferred it to the pocket of old Hank. The problem is everyone remember
“Liar.” What about “Alien
Blueprint”? What about “Icon”? These gems are forgotten. This is a solid album with some excellent
songs that are doomed thanks to MTV. So,
go back and revisit this classic. Sure
it’s not as frantic as the old stuff, it’s not as rocking as the new stuff,
it’s not as depressing as “The End of Silence” but it’s certainly better than
say, The Smiths. It’s also another album
that’s been pointlessly re-released and remastered
album with four live tracks that would work better as a live album but hey,
I’ll take it anyway.
Weighting
Ah the
cleverness…”Weighting” is outtakes from “Weight.” I’ve been weighting for this to come out for
a long time. Ha! The album begins with some b-sides that are
welcome in a collection…this way you can sell your copy of the “Demon Knight”
soundtrack because you got “Fall Guy.”
And then the poseur types who converted to uber-fans
can sell their “Liar” single because we’ve got “Right Here, Too Much.” Alright, I’ll take that. Then, we have some tracks the band recorded
with legendary sax player Charles Gayle.
Want to hear a gripe? According
to Rollins they jammed with Gayle over the course of a few days. A few days means several hours which means
BOX SET a la “The Complete Funhouse.”
They recorded with Charles Gayle and we get four songs? As John Stossel
said in his review of this—GIVE ME A BREAK!
The album closes with some live tracks which are fine. Live tracks make good b-sides, but I’m not a
fan when they’re used as filler.
Especially when there’s a non-Gayle version of “Nightsweat”
out there and other versions of “Miles Jam.”
But I get the impression that Rollins is a collector himself and while
compiling things like this make it fun and convenient,
he’s also appeasing the hunters like me by giving us a few gems to still seek
out.
Divine Object of Hatred
This is
basically the album Weight performed live as well a bunch of b-sides from the
album…absolutely no old material is done in this show from May 2, 1994. The sound is excellent and if it’s not from
the board it’s an excellent sounding audience recording. The length of this one actually registers
80:00 on some of my players at 79:57 on others…a full disc, that’s impressive
my man. The performances are
excellent…this is the bootleg of this era to pick up.
Hard As Nails
This one is
from
Are You Civilized?
This show from
Human Pit Bull (also released as Alien
Blueprint).
The first half
of this is the incomplete
Come In and Burn
I remember
seeing the tour for this one and being excited as it was the 10 year
anniversary, they were gonna do “Life Time” era songs
to celebrate. They did “Burned Beyond Recognition” and Rollins didn’t yell, he talked. They then did a 25 minute jam called “Destroy
the World” which to my knowledge has never come out…anyway about the
album. Like
Get Some Go Again
Yowza! Rollins was at one time a screaming maniac,
then he a barking sad sack, then a talking liar, and now he’s trying to be
Muscular Lizzy…get it? He covers Thin Lizzy
but he’s more muscular than thin? I’m
not using my “A” material on a discography review, thank you. Anyway, this is a whole new “Rollins Band”
which is really nothing more than Mother Superior with Rollins singing. They’re a solid rock band and they write some
pretty tight material. Rollins seems
reenergized as his voice, while a bit strained, is certainly filled with
power…and the fact that its flawed almost makes it
more powerful. At times you listen and
it’s like “yikes, he missed that” but that gives it charm. Possibly worth your money
for “I Go Day Glo” alone. Anyway, this is a huge departure from
anything he’s done before…this is straight forward hard rock, some would call
it generic, some would call it lame, I think it works. And I say that, even when I force myself to
step back and think “if this wasn’t Rollins, would I like it?” And ultimately I would. It’s not the deepest thing, it’s not
depressing or angry or anything of the sort…it’s just rock. Who wants to rock? I wouldn’t mind.
Yellow Blues
I believe this
was the first Rollins internet only album.
The plan was for “Get Some Go Again” to not just be a mindless rock album, it was to have songs from this mixed in with the
rock. It definitely would’ve made for a
more interesting listen. I gotta say some of the songs on here are a bit too strange
and when you’ve got an album of a bunch of strange songs it’s not very
listenable. Yeah there are keepers like
“Summer Nights” but then there are some oddballs. Like “Hard Volume,” I can’t say I listen to
this one much at all…the songs aren’t bad, I’d definitely appreciate them more
mixed in with themore straightforward
material…perhaps now that Dreamworks dropped “Get
Some Go Again” we can get the album the way it was supposed to be heard? Let’s hope so.
A Clockwork
Of all the
Rollins live discs, this is the worst.
The energy isn’t really there and the performance just isn’t that
great. When a band puts out a ton of
live material, the stuff that’s just “okay” really sounds like crap because
you’ve heard so much good stuff. It’s
like the Maiden album(s) “A Real Live/Dead One.” They’re not “bad” but since I only have
thirty six other Maiden live albums they sound like crap. The redeeming value on this one is the covers
you can’t get elsewhere…bastards… “Bad Reputation” and “Rocker” can’t be found
elsewhere so if you dig Thin Lizzy and you dig
Muscular Lizzy (aka Rollins
Band), then pick it up. It’s cheap
anyway.
Nice
It’s been years
since this came out and I’m still on the fence.
Backup singers?
Huh? Yikes. There are some absolutely incredible songs on
here… The shareef definteily
doesn’t like “One Shot” or “Gone Inside the Zero”…
“Let That Devil Out” flat out kicks it, and “Hello” is tremendous. But then there’s the song that everyone loves
but I’ll be damned if I know why, “Your Number Is One.” To those that love that song so much…have you
listened to the rest of the album? I
feel like “that guy” writing these as I hate “Liar” and I hate the popular one
on here but they’re bad songs…I like the backup singer songs more than
that. And that leads us to that…what to
think of that? “Up For It” is funky,
it’s very James Brown actually, and it’s fun…I think it’s something Rollins has
been wanting to do but he felt too caught up in being “Henry Rollins” to
actually have some fun again…could it be the first actual fun he’s had with
music since Drive By Shooting? You know,
it may just be. Poor
bastard. This is on the same
level as “Get Some Go Again.” It’s rock, it’s pretty mindless, but it’s done with such
precision and the songs are so tight that you have to respect it.
A Nicer Shade of Red
Another
internet only release…sticking with the color theme (yellow, orange, and now
red) here’s some outtakes from the “Nice” album. Some have said this is actually better than
“Nice”…it’s certainly close. This is
definitely a solid album, and far more enjoyable than “Yellow Blues.” “Too Much Rock and Roll” the first song on
the album should’ve been on “Nice” and it should’ve been the single, as it’s
about as rocking as rock gets. Even
writing about it makes me want to flip over a table and yell “TOO MUCH ROCK AND
ROLL” at the young woman studying next to me, but I won’t as it’s not actually playing. The downside is the extended version “Your
Number Is One”…a longer version? The
original is five minutes too long as it is.
“Raped” is a strange song indeed…Rollins is perhaps trying to show that
a simple word still carries a lot of power but I don’t really care for it. But for the bad songs, you get some
excellent ones like “10x” which is better than anything Rollins has done since,
dare I say, “Bullet” with the Misfits on April 17, 1982 at Al’s Bar in Los
Angeles, California…I believe that was a Saturday.
The Only Way To
Know For Sure
How much do I
love thee oh Henry? It was two miserable
days…freezing cold, snow, horrible conditions, and I worked eight hour days…but
I still managed to arrive four hours before the doors opened BOTH nights so I
could get a spot up front. I was there
at the recording of the double live album, up front, and Rollins shook my hand
not once but twice. Oh yeah, I’m badass
and if this was 1984 I’d have around two hundred million punk points. But alas, it’s 2004 and it means
nothing. Reviewing a live album of a
show you’ve been to isn’t easy. I was there--listening to this brings back
memories of two brilliant shows and I had a tremendous time at both. I think it’s good, the performances are
excellent and the song selection is nice and varied. The first half of the set was pretty much the
same, then they did a few different songs each night, and then they closed the
same on the last few…so I’m not sure disc 1 is a solid live show, it may be
cropped “good versions” but I think they sound pretty damn good and it flows
nicely. Rollins Band is one of those
bands that is excellent live and really tapes well…a lot of times live
recordings just sound bad, but the band went all out and multitracked
this and they’re just tight all around as it is so you get a quality disc. What can I say? If the songs on “Nice” sound good but the
backup singers throw you off, this can help your situation as he didn’t bring
out backups like GNR did in 1991, oh no…they played it straight like GNR in
1988.
Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the
Well, this
really isn’t a Rollins Band album, but it sort of is. The entire disc has Rollins’s backing band
doing the music, seven of the songs have Henry Rollins singing, and the rest
have guest stars. 7 out of 24 means 29.16666666666666666666666666666%, or let’s just say
29% of the album Rollins Band which qualifies it for me. Plain and simple, this
whole album rocks. Except, why
the hell did they put Ryan Adams at the end?
I’d love to know. I doubt it sold any extra copies but if it
did, more power to them. The fact that
it’s the same back band means this flows like an album, and they really don’t
venture into “interpretation land”…the covers are straight, sure the guitars
are actually in tune, but what can you do?
A lot of the guests sound alike—Dean Ween,
Hank III, and Casey Chaos all pretty much sound alike…and the guy from Poison
the Well sounds like the guy from Slipknot.
So if you don’t like this whole hoarse screaming style, oh boy are you in the wrong place. The Rollins songs sound pretty good…good
enough that I wish the whole damn thing was Rollins but I’ll take it…Ice-T
doing “Police Story”...I’ll have that is one delicious irony sandwich.
Reviewed by Chris