Fromohio

4.0 - This is a surprisingly tidy record with some excellent guitar work. There aren't any standout tracks but it all flows together surprisingly well. I hear elements of reggae via Clash, Talking Heads, REM, and a solid dose of the Minutemen. And Mike Watt sounds incredible on bass! Plus, it's obscure and midwest-American, so citing it as a favorite record will give you instant credibility amongst hipsters.

fIREHOSE s'est visiblement trompé au moment d'écrire son nom d'artiste en ne s'apercevant pas que la touche "verr. MAJ" était activée. Cette erreur en a entraîné d'autres parmi lesquelles on trouve cet album.

Damn what the fuck? I thought this would be some grunge/punk screaming band from the name, but it is exactly in my taste of music and is really really good. How'd I not know about them before?

It might not be an all-time classic, but THIS, ladies and gents, is why I signed up for the 1001 Albums journey! "Fromohio" was an album I'd never heard of by a band I didn't know, with no clue what to expect. The cover made me brace myself for some alternative metal, but then the first two songs had me absolutely reeling. "Riddle of the Eighties" kicks in with a breathtaking drum intro (one of many on the album, a flurry of cymbals and hi-hats) before a bright, jangly verse and vocal recalling early R.E.M. "In My Mind" follows up with an irresistible calypso-tinged rhythm, evoking Paul Simon's "Graceland" in the "white guys doing world music" vain. There's an amazing momentum and energy to it and I couldn't not bop along... Admittedly, the quality slowly thins out after these stellar first two tracks. There are snatches of great music across the rest of the record, particularly in the stomping "Time With You" (check out the squawking funk-style guitar), the restless punky energy of "Some Things", and the left-field barroom singalong "Liberty For Our Friend." There's also a lovely pastoral acoustic guitar solo and TWO short drum solos, as though we've moved into an early 70s prog album. On the other hand, there are some tracks that never quite seem to get going, or never land on a strong enough foot of inspiration. "Whisperin' While Hollerin'" and "What Gets Heard" are both led by meaty basslines but suffer from mumbled vocals and stop-start rhythms which break a lot of the momentum. "If'n" begins excellently but then drifts around all over the place, diluting each section's impact every time it takes off again. "The Softest Hammer" is a damp squib of an ending. I realised the drummer and bassist originally played in Minutemen- I've heard some of their tracks and looking forward to revisiting because they put in stellar performances here. As it is, very glad I got the chance to hear this one today. I don't know whether I'll stick with "Fromohio", but it's been such a fun discovery that I don't want to put it anywhere below a 4.

I haven't listened to this in years and wasn't crazy about it at the time because it felt less aggro and heavy than their previous 2 records. Older and wiser I'm hearing influences I missed the first time — Grateful Dead, John Fahey, XTC — and am royally digging the way it all comes together

Very fun album. Unique mix of prog, post-punk, indie rock. Always a big fan of a drum track.

not bad at all yet completely forgettable at the same time.

+1 stars for indomitable midwestern charm

J'ai apprécié cet album mais n'ai pas grand chose à en dire, par conséquent je vais ici vous dévoiler la discussion étrange que j'ai eu avec un homme bedonnant sonnant à ma porte ce matin: Homme bedonnant: *suisse allemand incomprehensible* moi: "sorry ich spreche nicht sehr gut deutsch" (désolé je n'avais pas entendu la sonnette) HB: *suisse allemand incomprehensible* moi: "Nein ich habe kein Auto" (oui exactement, mon album de fIREHOSE était un peu trop fort) HB: *imite le chimpanzé* LL: "Sorry, schöne tag" (vous imitez fort bien le chimpanzé)

A lot of this album has the energy of a group of friends messing around with their instruments in a garage. There are singalongs, jams and silly in-jokes. It’s low-key and charming. There's some good guitar rock with a lot of bright melodies. It sounds to me somewhere between The Kinks, Violent Femmes and your friend's band from high school (and I don't mean that as an insult at all).

This brings a whole new meaning to the word underwhelmed. I've been reading really shithouse student writing while listening to this and the palookas masquerading as students won out in the interesting stakes. I had to rewind the YouTube tape about three times as I was lost in a lost world of musical heads slowly disappearing up backsides. At least the students were creative in their mediocrity. Wow, a little bit of diddley dee twiddly dee guitar riffing, a bit of B grade Pixies bass mixed up front, some slightly off key warbling and hey presto here's a record that is...well I don't really know what it is. In My Mind is ok...sort of. Is this the late 80's version of prog rock, is this twee fiddling about what brought on grunge? These guys should have gonged it after The Minutemen and opened a nice bar where they could twiddly dee to their hearts content.

I think I really would have preferred a 501 albums project, and then I don't think this would have made the cut. I was bored, I didn't enjoy the music or the singer's voice, and I just couldn't get hooked in by any of it. Two drum solo tracks? Not even if the second one is appropriately called, "'Nuf that Shit, George." Bleah. Next!

It's no Double Nickels On The Dime is it? And they've got their capitalisation all wrong there.

I'm just going to give this a 5 because I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't. It's a surprise, I've never heard of these guys before but I absolutely loved it. Not usually massive on instrumental heavy music over lyrics but it just sounded brilliant. The guitar and base on each track was just so catchy. The album flowed so well and I loved the little drum and guitar solos to break it up. I'm definitely going to dive into this bands discography

Absolutely brilliant, from a band I had not really heard of. If it was out now, I'd say it sounds like Biffy and Razorlight, with hints of Pearl Jam and Incubus. However, this was before all of those bands! Always good to hear a wee drum solo too, as long as it's not too long. Couldn't be less than 5 🌟

Never heard of this band, but I am here for this! Cracking album with some great musicianship, enjoyable drums, bass and guitar at various points. Love it!

I started off listening to fROMOHIO curious about what I was hearing, but not initially sold on the first two songs. It seemed a little unpolished and I wasn’t sure I was ‘getting it’. Where is this coming from?! Where was it going?! Then as the album progressed I started to recognize some real genius happening. Two drum solo tracks?! I thought I hated drum solos? “Let The Drummer Have Some” and “‘Nuf That Shit, George” dispelled that myth. The music is very well played. The lead singer sounds a lot like Tommy Shaw, which is great. Little lyrical and musical surprises pop up everywhere. At times the album has touches of punk, jazz, beat poetry, pop, rock, folk…. Once I stopped trying to figure this all out and just sat back I found myself totally enjoying the ride. Immediately after the album finished I started it over again and had no doubt this album is a 5. A welcome addition to my library that makes me happier with each listen. So glad to have been introduced to fIREHOSE. Fantastic, unique, awesome!

Good album. Definitely not what i expected from an album titled "Fromohio" from 1989. Wasn't a big fan of "Liberty for our friend", only real song on the album that wasnt great. The singer was good, but god damn the guitar and drums really brought it here.

Funky, reminds me of chili peps. Thumbs up

Workin' out them simple things day by day Words and dreams just cross through my mind I been sympathizing, compromising things to say But everything's been going my way Well should I stay, should I leave How can I be here Words and dreams all pass through my mind, and I still Spend some time with you Never heard of this band or album before. Not bad. Bluesy guitar, good vocals, pretty good. 4/5

Never heard this before, liked it

One of the things I'm discovering I love about this album generator thingy, is that it's helping to fill in some holes in my music listening history. I've listened to some fIREHOSE, mainly If'n (the album) which I love but other than that covers EP and a other songs here and there, I don't know much else so I'm glad this one popped up.

Mostly below average - except they slipped in a beautiful acoustic blues piece (VStapol) amongst the dross. I had to check it wasn't Spotify playing up. Complete personality shift for 2 minutes, then back to more dross. 2 stars just for the that track.

This is very bad.

If you ever needed a definition for ear rape, this is it. This "music" makes me physically angry. If I didn't stop this album halfway I would've gone out to the nearest school and punched a toddler. 1/5.

Like Captain Beefheart and post punk with all the interest, energy and innovation removed

The first album in this 1001 series that I really didn't enjoy at all.

Nice Acoustic Punk with great great bass

I was NOT expecting to like this album this much. Every song was solid and I love the sound of the whole thing. Even the two songs where it’s just a drum solo are good.

Amazing

I remember these guys!

cool

10/10 awesome indie, good vibes

trzeci album zespołu Firehose wydany w 1989, rock alternatywny

Lovely alternative stuff. On the first listen I knew I really enjoyed it, but had to go back to remind myself. The kind of thing that can be really interesting to focus on or equally nice background listening. Great riffs every time. Makes me wanna see a live show

pretty good!! fun fun guitars

Great stuff, early 90s Indie rock

I love this. And I had no idea it existed. Enjoyed the Minutemen's Nickel on the Dime record, and here we've got that rhythm section and writers. Love that bass. It's just low key epic. Really nice and tight 30 minutes too. Listened to it a few times today. Look not every track is a classic, but oh my god that bass and crisp drumming is such consistently high quality. Guitar ain't half bad either. Faves - Some Things, Understanding, In My Mind, Mas Cojones

what a beautiful album..

very surprising. Some kind of farm punk.

punk influenced folk with a jazz form? Have never listened to Firehose before. First listen -- pulled in. Gave the album my phone number. It called back for a second listen. Excellent the second time through as well. Beautifully ushering the listener into a world where pop jingles and verse chorus verse are sent to rehabilitation to be something more interesting. A gateway album to better sound.

4.95

Another great finding...

This album is so cool! I love the funky bass and the weird vocals, this is definitely unique in the best way. I'll definitely be returning to some of these jams, particularly In My Mind and Time With You.

Love this record! Very eclectic mix of sounds across the different tracks -- mostly with a punk backbone but mixed in with funk, folk, jazz, etc. Very creative and high energy vibe that I could listen to for a long time without getting bored.

Ooooo this is FABULOUS! Incredible drumming, wide variety of styles, interesting lyrics...I'd be thrilled to see these guys in concert. Didn't take notes on specific tracks since I listened while moving but I loved it and can't wait to listen again!

5 stars for the band. I wasn't into this album at all, so I tried out whatever the top songs were on Spotify. The first two albums are superior in every way, but maybe this is the one that put them on the map? Regardless, I am thrilled I just discovered this band

I liked this quite a lot— lot of cool guitar work & I thought it flowed well from one song to the next. Had never heard of this band. “In My Mind” is really cool. I also kind of strangely liked “Liberty for our Friend”

This reaaaally impressed me

Ésta es la razón por la que decidí empezar con este proyecto. Encontrar grupos o discos que no conocía de antes. En este caso, no sabía de la existencia de fIREHOSE y no puede ser más lo mío. Qué maravilla. El disco creo que es bastante mejor en la primera mitad que en la segunda, pero estupendo de cualquier manera.

Very great proggy HC 4.2

This album is funkier than you'd expect from a 'forefather of grunge' type of album. The mix of funk, folk and punk is really a joy throughout most of the album. It's really only the final track that lets it down, a sort of precursor to the bland dirges of Pearl Jam and their ilk. For the rest of the album it skitters about in lovely ways. It's so close to five starts - I will definitely add this to my collection

I guess I had mixed up Minutemen with some other band, because looking back I really enjoyed the earlier band's output as well. Good, short songs with enough instrumental goodness to whet my appetite, but not long enough to wear. Post-punky bass passages were certainly the highlight. I look forward to listening to the rest of the discography, which I hear is a bit different.

My partner didn't like this album very much, but I think it's quite alright. Definitely has an interesting style to it. Nice and short too. I will say, the first twenty seconds of the album are probably the best part of the whole thing. My favourite song was Time With You.

- Great guitar and bass work - Folky but not too folky; blends different genres well - Short and very enjoyable listen - Favorite songs: If'n, In My Mind

June 9th, 2021 1.RIDDLE OF THE EIGHTIES- Awesome opener that let's me know that this will be my kind of album. 2.IN MY MIND- Sort of "island" vibes with the guitar. 3.WHISPERIN' WHILE HOLLERIN'- Heavier than the previous songs. Good stuff. 4.VASTOPOL- Instrumental interlude, overall a very quiet track. 5.MAS COJONES- Kind of an unusual track, but that's what makes this album so versatile. 6.WHAT GETS HEARD- Reminds me of something from DEVO's 1978 debut. Pretty awesome stuff. 7.LET THE DRUMMER HAVE SOME- Oh, he got some alright. 8.LIBERTY FOR OUR FRIEND- The whole damn band sings "all together now..." 9.TIME WITH YOU- Good drum and bass in this track. 10.IF'N- Real mellow stuff at both ends but a rocker in the middle. 11.SOME THINGS- Another one of the more rocking tracks on this album. Good stuff. 12.UNDERSTANDING- Overall, my favorite track. 13.'NUF THAT S*** GEORGE- Once again, the drummer had some. 14.THE SOFTEST HAMMER- Great slower-paced closing song >In Review: Overall, a great album. I had never heard of fIREHOSE before being recommended this, but I really enjoy their UNIQUE sound and I look forward to checking out more of their material. Even for the country/folk fans like myself, it's real solid stuff

As always, I was disappointed to receive another post punk 80s Brit-Pop album, but this one was very refreshing compared to others I've gotten. Experimental and original content that expanded the genre instead of just playing in it. In my opinion, the album was a little slow, but had a surprising amount of range I appreciate the effort and risk on some of these tracks. I enjoyed this album a lot more than others of the same genre on this list. 4/5

- Big fan of the funk elements - Mas Cajones was super funky - Jazz influenced for sure

The ryhtmsection is great. The songs are fun. Don't really have something to complain about. Good album.

7/10. Great Album

Solid alternative rock album. The bass lines were pretty nice throughout.

Great alt-rock carrying on the unique Minutemen flavour.

I expected to hate it but this was shockingly really cool! I love the free flowing nature of all the songs, and the variation of genres throughout. 8/10

Going to give it a light 4. Really enjoyed the post rock sound with the classic rock song writing and structure. Enjoyed the second half of the album way more than the first half. Will definitely be listening to it more in the coming days and weeks.

Never heard of these guys before - but I was intrigued right from the get go with the funky guitar riff intro. The instrumentation is great, a wonderful mix of acoustic and electric guitars, super funky bass and a variety of percussion that all come together into a playful treat for the ears. Having two entire tracks dedicate to just drum solos seems like a bit of a bold choice, but maybe that was the guy's requirement to feature. Fav Tracks: In My Mind, Liberty For Our Friend, Understanding

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I didn’t know that there was a post-Minutemen project and this took all the bits I really like about their sound and condensed it to a much more palatable project than the 80+ Double Nickels on the Dime (which is still a great record, it just loses my attention a bit towards the end). This on the other hand was a really exciting and enjoyable blend of punk stylings with those trademark killer grooves throughout

I thought I was going to like this more than I did

Enjoyed, 80s rhcp-esque

Really good stuff here.

Another album I had never heard. This is a fun, genre-bending, late 80s album that I probably would have really dug back then if I had been aware of it. I had no idea that members of the MINUTEMEN went on to do other things, including fIREHOSE, but that explains the cleverness and amazing musicanship on this album. An interesting and hard to pin down piece of work.

For the first two songs, I couldn't really tell what musical language these guys were speaking. Once the bass kicked in on the superbly titled Whisperin' While Hollerin', I started to understand what we were doing. And then came the spare and lovely acoustic guitar instrumental Vastopol which is completely unlike anything else on the album but doesn't feel out of place. There is more great bass, funky guitar, and playing with time signatures in Mas Cojones, What Gets Heard, Time with You, and If'n. There are a couple of drum solos, which are good if you like that kind of thing. Some Things is fast and catchy punk-lite (in a good way). I came away thinking that these guys are decent musicians who like having a good time and I had a good time listening though I don't know how often I'll come back to this.

Not bad, kind of Pearl Jam

"fROMOHIO" is the third album by American alternative band fIREHOSE. It was noted as a continuation of the acoustic and folky style of their previous album "IF'n" and a funk, jazz and Minutemen punk fusion. It sounds like a lot but it kind of makes sense after listening to this. I thought of a lot of other bands throughout. fIREHOSE was a band formed by bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley after the death of Minutemen guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, the dissolution of that band and combining with guitarist/ vocalist Ed Crawford. Drum cymbals and funky guitar highlight "Riddle of the Eighties." It's enjoyable. It's low-fi electric rock. I immediately think of the Meat Puppets. That's a good thing. Next, "In My Mind" changes things up with a idiosyncratic guitar, bass and guitar. "What Gets Heard" has a funky bass and drums. Angular guitar. A guy talking as vocals. OK, now I hear Primus. Oh no. Never worry, all of sudden we're going Irish folk in "Liberty for Our Friend." Actually 60's folk. Unbelievably, very nice harmonies. Where'd that come from? For me, this whole album really clicked with "Time with You." More straight-forward rock. Mike Watt really grooving with a funky R&B bass. A happy song. "Some Things" sounds so 80's indie. My favorite song on the album. More punk. Great melody. Hurley on drums killing it. Very heart-on-the sleeve and reminded me of The Replacements' "Buck Hill." Actually much better. The album ends with another good song in "The Softest Hammer." A classic rock guitar and the soft-loud-soft song dynamic. This album took awhile for me to warm up to but when it did. Wow! The second half of this album is fantastic....just classic 80's indie rock and that will get me every time. Well, most times. The rhythm section of Watt and Hurley is worth listening to this album alone.

I love going into an album having no idea at all what to expect. Luckily this album came out on the good side of me liking it. Each song sounded so scattered yet so organized at the same time. I love how every instrument is highlighted at some point with their own moment to shine. Time With You is my favorite song on this one Think im going to spell my name jAMES from now on

Alt-rock from before that was a thing

Nice band, happy to discover them.

Good rock, kick ass groovy basslines. Had not heard of them before.

didn't know this band at all, it was a good surprise

Super Album sehr überrascht

For every moment that I didn’t like, or that I thought was weird, there’s another that I really like. Gets Daley near the end but I’m looking forward to listening again. 3.5

first impressions : from ohio ?!???, 14 songs but only 32 mins so i guess the songs must be quite short which could be a good thing as some of the best ones are imo, band name looks cool and the cover is epic but i have absolutely no clue what im looking at in the first photo LMAO, the face looks very menacing tho >:) after listening : instant head bopping, very upbeat and head-boppy, cool drums and guitars, i liked that they gave each part of the band their moment with vastopol and let the drummer have some :DD favourite song(s) : riddle of the eighties, whisperin' while hollerin', vastopol (very nice guitar) !! BONUS !! : what gets heard (i like the ending part and the speak singing) rating : i liked it more than the last one style and sound-wise and think id be more likely to listen again so 4/5 i think :))

Perhaps there most even album by them.. What I do like is the great bass playing by Watt esp on songs like Mas Cojones and What Get's Heard. Some catchy tunes as well like In My Mind and Time with you. Good album and has a lot to offer.

Not a band or album I was familiar with, at all. But this was really interesting and I think I liked it a lot!

It’s a fun rock album…

First time I hear this band. Really good album! I was pleasantly surprised.

Pretty good. Short. Guitar riffs go crazy

Short, Sweet, Fun

Seems like an album i should have already listened to. With a band coming from the ashes of another, it's hard not to compare. Definitely more experimental then the Minutemen. Not sure if I'd listen to this over Double Nickels but a good listen regardless.

dAMN tHIS iS a gOOD aLBUM. Guitar, bass, and vocals are all great together. Short and sweet. Doesn't have the gravitas that a 5 star album would normally have, but everything else is there. I would give this a 4.5, but I'm rounding down because it's just hard to call this a 5 star. Really enjoyable listen though!

This one really surprised me. Never heard of this band, but the mix of 80s new wave, punk, and folk sometimes sounded like a sonic bridge to 90s grunge. No song sounded that same but it was a very cohesive album.

enjoyed that. sounded a hell of a lot more modern that it is. i listen to a fair amount of new crap that sounds like this album.

This album was new to me and required some repeated listening. Really liked it (it might not compare to the Minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime, but that album is perfect and would be hard to match anyway).

It’s folk punk, like violet femmes but cleaner sounding. I was actually quite surprised by this thing, fine there were no real stand out tracks but all throughout its half hour length I was kept interested! The only moment I would call weak is this really random track ( well there’s 2 of them actually) of just drumming for a minute, but eh wasn’t horrible. Overall it’s a 4/5 solid album very good in fact but no moments of much notoriety.

Very fun album. Unique mix of prog, post-punk, indie rock. Always a big fan of a drum track

Really digging this alternative gem

I saw them in concert back in the early 90s in a small club. They were awesome. I like Flyin' The Flannel better, but this is a solid album.

Loved that - a cracking rock album with lots of fun diversions, all tied up in 30 mins.

I'm sure my devotion to Minutemen is biasing my rating a bit, but this is a pretty fun listen.

Never heard of the album or the band but I really enjoyed this. Short and Sweet. Would listen to again.

tbh it made no real impression on me, and i already can't entirely remember what it sounded like. But I do remember being pleasantly surprised.