Stale Music Review #11: Bad Religion

Recipe For Hate by Bad Religion

Cost: $5.99US

Song Count: 14

Recipe For Hate is not a perfect record.  But, I feel like it doesn't get the respect that it should.  Bad Religion's Suffer, Against the Grain, and Generator get more love...and maybe those albums should get more love but don't hate on Recipe, yo.

Now, for me this was before some major players in the Bad Religion lineup (that I think is the greatest) arrived...this was before Brooks Wackerman and Brian Baker arrived on scene.  So, there is a reason that this particular album is a little iffy for most fans.  It seems that this album was recorded during a very strange time in Bad Religion history.  Remember, this album was released during the time where grunge was at it's nexus (1993) so there was stiff competition for listeners at that time.  

But, as with any other musical form, the amount of love for an album rests within the mind of each individual listener.  For me, Recipe for Hate brings back some extremely fond memories and when I'm a little down I let Dr. Graffin and the gang scream in my ear for 30+ minutes.  So, in my eyes Recipe for Hate is a great album.  For others, it might be a little bit...meh.  But, we can all agree to disagree.  If you don't like what I'm saying...well, fuck off.

Here's the track run-down and some notes:

1.  Recipe for Hate:  The title track.  In my opinion, they could've opened the album a little bit stronger.

2.  Kerosene:  Great track.  I really like this song.  "Kerosene...keeps me warm...I'm alone to watch it burn".  Good stuff, man.

3.  American Jesus:  I have seen Bad Religion a couple of times in concert and American Jesus always gets one of the biggest responses of the night.  It's a great track and possibly one of their greatest tunes.  Funny, because it's creation was a collaboration between Graffin/Gurewitz which is rare as each normally writes their own songs.

4.  Portrait of Authority

5.  Man With a Mission:  On this track, the band was experimenting with mixing in some folk elements (which has become a regular thing on recent albums).  It works.

6.  All Good Soldiers:  There is something absolutely off-kilter and slightly just off-center about this song.  But...it's my favorite song on the record.  Because the president believes in god...like all good soldiers should.

7.  Watch it Die

8.  Struck A Nerve:  A slower, more dirge-ish tune.  It's a good song, lyrically.  Just speed it up a little dudes!

9.  My Poor Friend Me

10.  Lookin' In:  Short.  To the point.  Good.

11.  Don't Pray on Me:  Twisting wordplay on the word pray within the lyrics.  Sometimes done deftly; other times done ham-fisted.  I dig this tune, though.

12.  Modern Day Catastrophists:  Just like any other Graffin-penned tune, you may need to consult the thesaurus once or twice.  Fuckin' vocabulary.

13.  Skyscraper:  I fucking love this song.  There are just songs that really bring a person back to a specific time and place.  This one does it for me...the playing, the harmonies...fuck, I just love it.

14.  Stealth

Overall, I would have to give Recipe for Hate a solid B...if I were teaching Punk Rock 101.  It's a really good album that just happens to resonate with this author more than it would with some of you all.  But, that's the power of music, right?

Side note:  I did not realize that Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder sang back up on American Jesus and Watch it Die.  Interesting.

Stale Music Review #10: Lagwagon

Hoss by Lagwagon

Cost: $4.99US

Song Count: 14

Yes, there are other Lagwagon records.  There may even be better Lagwagon records.  But, Hoss was my first and therefore in my eyes reigns supreme.

Where to start with Lagwagon?  They are a SoCal punk rock band that has, at this time, put out ten records on NOFX's Fat Mike's Fat Wreck Chords.  They've turned down offers in the past to join major labels, which often leads to mainstream success, but something within the band had resisted and they've stayed with Fat forever.  

The music itself:  tight, fast, melodic...jeebus they sound like it would feel skateboarding along the ocean in San Diego or something.  They just feel very SoCal.  

On a side note:  Lead singer Joey Cape is an interesting dude.  He has Lagwagon and also takes part in Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (which is a punk rock supergroup that parodies/covers old classic tunes).  He also has put out a couple of folk albums which are very good.  Excellent even.

Here's the track list and the standouts:

1.  Kid's Don't Like to Share

2.  Violins:  Other than E Dagger (on Blaze) and Alien 8 (on Double Plaidinum) this could be in my top 3 Lagwagon tunes.  No, it is in the top 3.  It's good.

3.  Name Dropping

4.  Bombs Away:  Another standout tune on this album.  Tight, fast playing.  Yet, still remains melodic.  I'll tell you...these guys have the melodic punk rock thing down to a motherfucking science.

5.  Move the Car

6.  Sleep:  Great song.  

7.  Sick

8.  Rifle:  I really like this song.  I used to argue with a buddy (when we were both highly inebriated) back in the day about the song Rifle.  He hated it, just despised it.  I, on the other hand, just love the song.  Maybe I like it so much to be contrary...I'm an asshole like that.

9.  Weak

10.  Black Eye:  Yes.  I am not a drummer.  Never claimed to be.  I just cannot coordinate my hands and feet in such a manner.  But, on Black Eye...the drumming is absolutely incredible.  That was drummer Derrick Plourde playing his ass off on this track.  He passed away in 1997 (RIP).

11.  Bro Dependent:  These guys were using the word 'Bro' before it became cool.  Remember, this was 1995.

12.  Razor Burn

13.  Shaving Your Head

14.  Ride the Snake:  A slowish, dirgish track right at the end of the disc.  It's weird and it kind of 'throbs' (if that is a good word).  I think it's a good ending.

Anyway, as far as Lagwagon records go...Hoss is by far my favorite.  As far as punk rock goes, Lagwagon is certainly one of my favorite bands.