Forgotten Album of the Month: Soul Asylum

Forgotten Album of the Month: Soul Asylum

Everybody knows Soul Asylum now but back in 1988, they were just another struggling punk band out of the Midwest who had just stepped into the big time by signing with A&M. When they released their major-label debut and their fourth record overall, Hang Time, there were big hopes for the record and for the band and unfortunately, those hopes were dashed as the record fell into the deepest obscurity any rock record of the ‘80s could. Fortunately though, the record has been rediscovered over the years and people have realized how great they were before “Runaway Train.”
The record starts off with “Down on Up to Me” and one of the best opening riffs in recent rock history, with crunch and power behind it, the album begins and immediately one is taken with how catchy it is while being almost devoured by a wall of noise. One of the best songs the band has ever written, “Cartoon” almost stops the record cold with the power and feeling and emotion that has the power to take your breath away.
This record is also where the band began to diversify with different styles of music with their own touch. Songs like “Marionette,” “Twiddly Dee” and “Jack of All Trades” show the band flirting with hardcore punk and very impressively, folk. It also shows the band’s rarely seen humorous side with a full-on joke cover of Terry Jacks’ repulsively ludicrous “Put the Bone In” with all their friends joining in for an excellent close to an excellent album. Why “Cartoon” didn’t become the massive hit it was made for is still a question but it’s failure set the band up for real success when it came ‘round four years later. So take a listen and realize that there was always much more to this band than just “Runaway Train” and “Misery.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEKJTYRp26E (Cartoon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HRA_9MxO3k (Sometime to Return)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Interview with Too Much Joy

Image
Back in the late 80s, goof-pop was everywhere, thanks to the likes of the Dead Milkmen, early Ween and New York's own Too Much Joy. Songs like "If I Was a Mekon," "Making Fun of Bums," "Take a Lot of Drugs" and the immortal "Clowns." Bands like this did not come around that often and when they did, they usually didn't stick around long. Fortunately for TMJ, their songs and legacy have endured because of their website, http://www.toomuchjoy.com/ and through the work of frontman Tim Quirk, who now works for Rhapsody. The following are two interviews conducted in about 2008 with Mr. Quirk as well as drummer/former NYC cop Tommy Vinton. Tim's Interview: What was it like when you guys got started? Depends what you mean by “it.” The business was radically different – it was a lot more difficult (and expensive) to record quality-sounding material, but since that meant there were fewer other releases to compete with, it was much easier than ...
Read more

The Wondertruck Crashed: The Tale of Mary's Danish and David King

Image
             Mary’s Danish were one of those bands that never made it. They were popular in the L.A. scene in which they were spawned but through a variety of reasons they never hit it big like their friends in Jane’s Addiction or the Red Hot Chili Peppers. What follows is a sad tale of unfortunate errors and mistakes that doomed a really great band to the dustbin of obscurity.              The band formed in the mid-‘80s by a group of friends: singers Julie Ritter and Gretchen Seager, guitarists Matt Colleran and David King and bassist Chris ‘Wag’ Wagner. The band were a little bit of everything including indie rock, alt rock, some surf influences and loads of funk to go around. They blended all of these together in a tasty stew that soon began to attract attention. After working with a series of drummers, Nick Ziegler was drafted in and the band began to attract a heavy fanbase throughout California. The band eventu...
Read more

In Rapture: A Conversation with Chadwick Salls (Seed/Color)

Image
Seed Discography: ling  (Mechanic/Giant, 1994) Color Discography: Are You With Me? (Melisma/Arista, 2001) Following-up with notable musicians I've chatted with previously has become a new favorite thing to do. Up next is Chadwick Salls, best known as the bassist/singer in two different bands, Seed and Color. While neither band lasted very long, caught in the wheels of major label indifference, they managed to carve out their path and establish notable fanbases. Salls has gone on to establish his own career on his own terms and was happy to take a fuller look back with me at both of his bands and where he is now. Pete Crigler: When did you first become interested in music? Chadwick Salls: As far back as I can remember! I was under 5-years-old and I remember reaching up as high as I could to hit the keys because I couldn't get up on the bench. The verse of "It's Only Love" by The Beatles was the first thing I picked out by ear and after teaching for so many years,...
Read more