Rock Town Hall - Latest comments on Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php?disp=comments en-US http://backend.userland.com/rss 60 mockcarr [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:36:49 +0000 mockcarr [Member] c28199@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ Would a Jefferson Wheelchair album count? http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28199 mockcarr [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:33:48 +0000 mockcarr [Member] c28198@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ The majesty of loaf, the mystery of meat... http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28198 berlyant [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:30:33 +0000 berlyant [Member] c28197@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ <blockquote>Thog by Gray Matter is better than all of their albums from their original career. Broke up in mid 80's got back together in 90.</blockquote><br /> <br /> As a big fan of Gray Matter, I have to seriously disagree with you here. Thog, while a good record, is nowhere near as powerful as Food for Thought or Take It Back. Saturn, will you back me up on this one?<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Second is Dinosuar Jr.'s Beyond. Same thing as Mission of Burma. It's like they never stopped and they rock impressively.</blockquote><br /> <br /> GREAT call on this one, 2000Man. I can't wait to see them next month and to hear the new album as well.<br /> <br /> <blockquote>For a bonus I'll toss in The Lemonheads self titled album for a Boston Trifecta. It's a really solid album and sounds like Evan Dando benefitted a lot by having two guys from The Descendents working with him. It's a cool album, if you ask me.</blockquote><br /> <br /> I like that Lemonheads record, too, but I'd definitely rate it as solid or good rather than great. Plus, they never really broke up, did they? I know Dando did a few solo records, but he's basically the only constant member anyway, right?<br /> <br /> This also reminds me that the two Descendents albums released in the last dozen years or so (Everything Sucks from '96 and Cool to Be You from '04) are both solid and more consistent than their last 2 '80s albums (though the peaks aren't as high, if that makes sense).<br /> <br /> <blockquote>Play is not a Squeeze reunion disc. They had gotten back together, making albums again, about five years previous. Play is okay, but a lot of the latter-day albums I heard are incredibly dire. That band really wore out its welcome in my life.</blockquote><br /> <br /> Here's how I would rate them.<br /> <br /> Cosi: awful<br /> Babylon and On: side 1 is great, but most of side 2 is indeed dire; also hurt by overproduction, though nowhere near as bad as Cosi<br /> Frank: OK (some highlights)<br /> Play: An absolute stunner! I think it's one of their best albums, actually!<br /> Some Fantastic Place: Everyone loves this one but I've always thought it was merely good and far from great<br /> Ridiculous: a few great songs but mostly dire<br /> Domino: I never bothered with it<br /> <br /> <blockquote>The Go-Betweens three reunion albums are amongst their finest albums, particularly for me, Bright Yellow Bright Orange, which is my favorite album of theirs. A totally great comeback album.</blockquote><br /> <br /> I agree with you completely on The Friends of Rachel Worth and especially their last album Oceans Apart (which I thought was easily their best since 16 Lovers Lane and one of their best albums overall as well), but Bright Yellow Bright Orange is one I've just never been able to get into. "Too Much of One Thing" is a great song, though. I'll have to revisit that one at some point. Thog by Gray Matter is better than all of their albums from their original career. Broke up in mid 80's got back together in 90.

As a big fan of Gray Matter, I have to seriously disagree with you here. Thog, while a good record, is nowhere near as powerful as Food for Thought or Take It Back. Saturn, will you back me up on this one?

Second is Dinosuar Jr.'s Beyond. Same thing as Mission of Burma. It's like they never stopped and they rock impressively.


GREAT call on this one, 2000Man. I can't wait to see them next month and to hear the new album as well.

For a bonus I'll toss in The Lemonheads self titled album for a Boston Trifecta. It's a really solid album and sounds like Evan Dando benefitted a lot by having two guys from The Descendents working with him. It's a cool album, if you ask me.


I like that Lemonheads record, too, but I'd definitely rate it as solid or good rather than great. Plus, they never really broke up, did they? I know Dando did a few solo records, but he's basically the only constant member anyway, right?

This also reminds me that the two Descendents albums released in the last dozen years or so (Everything Sucks from '96 and Cool to Be You from '04) are both solid and more consistent than their last 2 '80s albums (though the peaks aren't as high, if that makes sense).

Play is not a Squeeze reunion disc. They had gotten back together, making albums again, about five years previous. Play is okay, but a lot of the latter-day albums I heard are incredibly dire. That band really wore out its welcome in my life.


Here's how I would rate them.

Cosi: awful
Babylon and On: side 1 is great, but most of side 2 is indeed dire; also hurt by overproduction, though nowhere near as bad as Cosi
Frank: OK (some highlights)
Play: An absolute stunner! I think it's one of their best albums, actually!
Some Fantastic Place: Everyone loves this one but I've always thought it was merely good and far from great
Ridiculous: a few great songs but mostly dire
Domino: I never bothered with it

The Go-Betweens three reunion albums are amongst their finest albums, particularly for me, Bright Yellow Bright Orange, which is my favorite album of theirs. A totally great comeback album.


I agree with you completely on The Friends of Rachel Worth and especially their last album Oceans Apart (which I thought was easily their best since 16 Lovers Lane and one of their best albums overall as well), but Bright Yellow Bright Orange is one I've just never been able to get into. "Too Much of One Thing" is a great song, though. I'll have to revisit that one at some point.]]> http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28197 bobbybittman [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:49:59 +0000 bobbybittman [Member] c28195@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ shawn, Well, there was the "Return of Spinal Tap" TV special/video release, which, in addition to a live performance, had some good non-musical comedy bits. Plus, hearing Mel Torme singing "Sex Farm" is nearly worth the price of admission, in &amp; of itself.<br /> <br /> Mr. Chicken, I think that 3rd Meatloaf album was called,"Bat Out of Hell III: Bat Out of Hell One Mo' Time Again". Or maybe it was, "Bat Out of Hell III: Rise of the Machines", I don't quite remember.
Mr. Chicken, I think that 3rd Meatloaf album was called,"Bat Out of Hell III: Bat Out of Hell One Mo' Time Again". Or maybe it was, "Bat Out of Hell III: Rise of the Machines", I don't quite remember.]]> http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28195 shawnkilroy [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:30:24 +0000 shawnkilroy [Member] c28183@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ Yes, Break Like The Wind is a worthy record. In and od itself it is not quite as good as the This is Spinal Tap sndtrk, and there was no movie to go with it, but there was a tour! http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28183 northvancoveman [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:51:39 +0000 northvancoveman [Member] c28165@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ What about Spinal Tap? http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28165 latelydavidband [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:56:27 +0000 latelydavidband [Member] c28158@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ Justus is okay. It's not great, but there are worse albums and there are certainly worse Monkees albums (Pool It, Changes, etc.).<br /> <br /> It's a little bittle heavy on the rockin' side and none of the numbers are going to blow your mind, but it's worth a spin or two. I'd give it 3 stars on a 5 star scale.<br /> <br /> TB
It's a little bittle heavy on the rockin' side and none of the numbers are going to blow your mind, but it's worth a spin or two. I'd give it 3 stars on a 5 star scale.

TB]]> http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28158 BigSteve [Member] in response to: Great Reunion Albums or Shortest Post Ever Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:52:51 +0000 BigSteve [Member] c28157@http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/ Pictures and Paintings is definitely a beautiful album, but it's a comeback not a reunion. I think it's much easier for a solo artist to get it together and do good work again than it is for a group of people to rekindle the magic.<br /> <br /> Regarding Little Village, I think Hiatt was actually the problem, a little case of frontmanitis. Plus the album didn't exactly set the charts on fire, as perhaps various managers had led them to expect, and the tour that followed went sour.<br /> <br /> Cooder, Lowe, and Keltner did a couple of benefit gigs towards the end of last year, and Cooder and Lowe will be doing a short European tour this summer, so there don't seem to be any problems there.
Regarding Little Village, I think Hiatt was actually the problem, a little case of frontmanitis. Plus the album didn't exactly set the charts on fire, as perhaps various managers had led them to expect, and the tour that followed went sour.

Cooder, Lowe, and Keltner did a couple of benefit gigs towards the end of last year, and Cooder and Lowe will be doing a short European tour this summer, so there don't seem to be any problems there.]]> http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/index.php/great-reunion-albums-or-shortest-post-ev#c28157