Fromohio
fIREHOSE
1989
Album Summary
Fromohio (stylized as fROMOHIO) is the third album by the American alternative rock band Firehose, released in 1989. The album maintained the acoustic and folky sound of If'n.
WikipediafIREHOSE 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?
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
Disco ameno y ligero, con un rock alternativo con reminiscencias de punk en el que se pueden notar la influencia del folk/country americano en algunos temas.
Never heard of the album or the band but I really enjoyed this. Short and Sweet. Would listen to again.
A really interesting move from Watt's Minutemen output. Sounds like they're creating the college-rock blueprint.
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”
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.
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
Surprisingly a great rock album that blends many different sounds from country to punk, and sounds very modern considering the number of bands in the 2010s in the indie and garage territory doing the same thing.
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.
Strange music based on cover, but I overall enjoyed the folksy and punky elements here.
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.
The ryhtmsection is great. The songs are fun. Don't really have something to complain about. Good album.
I thought this was an interesting album, though I feel like I'm going to have to listen to it a few more times before I give an informed opinion. It kept my interest, though (which is good because it's a short album). The sound quality could be better, but apart from that it's an album that feels ahead of its time based on when it was released
I love listening to these slightly more indie bands, it feels like "your favourite band's favourite band." This was a delight to listen to, with its postpunk/early alt sound.
Inventive Indie rock. short, quickfire with some crazy guitar riffs. Liked it alot. 4/5
Cool alt rock. Most of the songs are awesome, some are a bit harsh but overall enjoyed it!
I'm sure my devotion to Minutemen is biasing my rating a bit, but this is a pretty fun listen.
Loved that - a cracking rock album with lots of fun diversions, all tied up in 30 mins.
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
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.
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).
Interesting album. I like the instrumentation (lead, bass, drums), and the melodies are cool. Nothing in here appealed to me dramatically, but I would listen to it again. 3 stars.
Some of the songs have a really good sound - some of them I had to skip (If'n; Some Things)
The album gets better the more you listen to it. Definitely tuned in to it’s uniqueness by the end of the album. Nothing that gives me a huge sargasso but maybe I have too high of experience for music.
This isn't my favorite type of music but I liked it for what it was. I think other bands are similar that I like more but there are also ones that I like less.
Fromohio, czyli rokowanie klasyczne z lat 90 w ktorym czuc punkowego ducha lat 90 hameryki, skladem gitarka, basik, drumy, skromnie ale qualitnie, zwlaszcza pan na basie wyczynia rzeczy ktore niewielu basiorowych mistrzow potrafi wyczyniac, minimalistyczna strona instrumentalna wplywa takze na to jak lirycznie wyglada plyta, bo jest przepelniona solowkami instrumentali i zdarzaja sie traki bez zadego wokalu po ktorych sa takie w ktorych chopaki spiewaja jednym glosem caly kawalek, 14 trackow przy 31 minutach w ktorych sie zawiera calosc vynylowa to dosc malo, ale jednoczesnie wystarczajaco zeby zaprezentowac skille jakimi wladaja grajkowie, dodatkowo jest to dosc standardowy czas albumiku lpka kasetowego, najbardziej popularnego nosnika wsrod punkarskiego rokowania tamtego okresu
Decent. Can tell its from the same era as all the old west coast punk that I like, but with the basslines it's a bit more like Fugazi etc, and it kinda has folk music influences at times. Definitely also tool inspiration from The Doors. 3/5
This is a challenging one for me. I was really into a lot of this record, especially the first few tracks. It reminded me of a math-rock Athens, Georgia group. They could have fit right in with early R.E.M. and the Flat Duo Jets, maybe with a little Television. But the bass playing was not my cup of tea, although I'm sure Flea would have loved it. I'll still give it a positive rating though! Fav Tracks: In My Mind, Riddle of the Eighties and Vastopol (Elizabeth Cotton?). Ratin 2.5/5
I had never heard of this band before, and none of the songs sounded familiar. There were some tracks that I found interesting and enjoyable, and others that I would not listen to again.
Knew of fIREHOSE as a Minutemen fan but never really gave them a listen. Some typically solid playing from the rhythm section, and the singer/guitarist is different enough from Boon that they have their own identity. That said, it sounds like an average SST release, and it drags more than a 30-minute record should.
album art does this album dirty, kinda generic but some good ones on there too, I think if I had been doing more active listening I would've saved a couple of them
Yup these boys can ay. I do hear a lot of the Minutemen signature sound but with more of a singer/songwriter, almost folk sound. Liberty For Our Freind sounds like a Woody Guthrie song. A fine album. 3 🌟
Interesting mix of rockabilly, post-punk, a touch of reggae, new wave, folk, and hard rock. There's obvious influences from the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Police, and '70s commercial rock. I'm honestly not sure if I like it or if it's really boring. It's very proto college rock in a lot of ways. There's nothing here that's terribly innovative. The bass work however, is truly outstanding.
Sounds like a compilation … doesn’t feel coherent as a whole piece … which kind of matters when thinking of these albums as an experience Some enjoyable songs … nice bass …
I like the folk influence here, but overall its nothing really that special. Still good though.
Sorry Ed, but your vocals really are not good enough for Fromohio to work like it should. Admittedly most tracks sound extremely catchy, but I find nothing worth listeneing too again except In My Mind because the instrumentals are honestly exceptional. 3/5.
Didn't realize they stemmed from the Minutemen. Hurley and Watt are dynamite. Solid album.
fIREHOSE was as good a crawling from the wreckage of the Minutemen as one could expect. 3.5
Short jagged country funk post punk? Whatever it is - I like it. Best Tracks: What Gets Heard; Time With You; Some Things
It sounded like proto-Primus, in a way. I liked it, and thought it was interesting for sure. But I probably won’t be coming back to this project much.
This one was unfamiliar to me but had some songs I liked. The ones I liked best were Riddle of the Eighties, In My Mind, Time with You, and Understanding.
Correct. Pas mauvais, un mélange original de son mais pas tant groundbreaking ou impressionant
There was a period in 1992 when I was trying to get into fIREHOSE. I listened to one album or another and it just didn't do it. I think the issue is that Flea kept naming Mike Watt as a big influence so I was expecting wild funk-punk but fIREHOSE is not that. It's ok and I was happy to listen to the album. But it's just not captivating. Bonus points for the band name, capitalisation and album title connection.
Pos un disco de esos que ni idea de por qué está aquí: no es malo, no es aburrido, pero tampoco es algo que me abra nuevos horizontes ni nada así; simplemente es música bien hecha. Me suena un poco a Rush, pero con un toque más de adulto contemporáneo.
Angular post-punk, probably very influential but it felt a little slight to me. One track sounds like Seinfeld slap-bass made into a song.
Witziger außergewöhnlicher Mix von Classic/Blues Rock, Jazz und Funk. auf jeden Fall mal was anderes
ein paar sehr coole arrangements drin. in summe aber für mich nicht wie ein zusammenhängendes album, so unterschiedliche stile und kraut und rüben
A mix of folk and punk, with really good songs. (6/10) FT: Riddle of the Eighties, In My Mind
It wasn't bad, but it also didn't really make an impression on me. I'm not surprised that I've never heard of them. I imagine that most people forget about them as soon as they're done listening. Best track: The Softest Hammer
GREAT drums And some great riffs sprinkled throughout Worthwhile listen Spotify inexplicably flagged every song here as explicit..? Even the drum solo?
Not sure how I feel; some of it I like (Vastopol), but I think overall it just misses for me.
I liked the running joke with the drummer’s songs, but otherwise it’s pretty forgettable.
The intros to the first three tracks tease talking heads level post punk then descend into something very weird. It then kind of blooms in the last third
How was I not listening to this in '89? These songs are crisp, short and sweet, and just an all around fun listen. A little jangle, a little burn, a little funk, a little twang. Somehow fIREHOSE figured out how to make an album that feels improvisational and jammy in the best way, without actually being jammy at all. I enjoyed it. Fave Songs: What Gets Heard, Más Cojones, Some Things, The Softest Hammer, Time With You, In My Mind
Had never heard of this band or record before. Didn't mind it at all, but not sure I'd bother to go back. Slightly rough, ragged texture appealed to me, In My mind was pretty good
I knew nothing about fIREHOSE other than this was what messrs Watt and Hurley did after the Minutemen ended, so I had no real idea what to expect from this... but I still don't think I would've expected what I got, which is... roots punk, if that's a thing? Minutemen with a bit of early REM overlaid on them? Whatever it is, it seemed good.
I thoroughly enjoyed Minutemen, so was looking forward to this post D Boon incarnation. Nice short songs, nimble bass playing and some funky guitar work in places. This is much more Americana than Minutemen's funky jazzy punk.
Surprenant comme album, sa s'écoute super bien et j'aime le style. Je ne m'attendais pas vraiment à ca compte tenu que je ne connaissais pas du tout le band. 3.5
Thank you 1,001 for this nice new find. The lead guitarist is featured prominently and he’s pretty darned good. Interesting mix of indie, garage blues and prog.
I was not familiar with this band going into yesterday's listening session, but let me tell you this album was pretty good. I am giving it 3 stars but I will definitely have to go back and give it a more focused listen.
3rd August 2022 Started on the train in to work from Saville’s but finished the morning after having driven back from London. Not quite what I expected but not bad either. Quite unique, indie / punk vibes.
Wen't from loving this ... to thinking it was rubbish ... back to loving it. A real yo-yo of a record.
Quick album, short songs, decent music, not something I would have sought out by myself
Punk, 1989. On this album the songs are good and the energy is amazing, but the project is not so powerful even though it is really enjoyable. After all this is a solid record but nothing more.
Jamais entendu parler de ce band. Très agréablement surpris à partir de Whisperin' While Hollerin'. J'ai regardé souvent mon téléphone pour voir la pièce qui jouait et constater que j'étais toujours dans le même disque, un très bon signe. Belle découverte, le reste de la discographie m'intrigue. Les pièces les plus intéressantes: Whisperin' While Hollerin', What Gets Heard, Time With You, If'n (un petit quelque chose de Primus ici par moment), Some Things
J’aime ça quand ça tire vers Talking heads. J’aime moins quand ça tire vers le pop générique.
This is cool. Good indie jam post punk folky sound. Bass on What Gets Heard is insane. Sounds a bit like the Heads and Grateful Dead mixed. David Byrne like vocal delivery and lyrics. Time with You is my favorite track on here.
I was sad to here that they were from Ohio but I researched it and thankfully only the guitarist is. My deepest condolences go out to Ed Crawford for the place he was born 🙏
The intro is a little jarring. The drums and guitar start with a very different sound than the band delivers. This is seems like a folk singer who was given a rock band. This is a good band. The music is enjoyable. However, I also understand why I have never heard them on the radio. There isn't a standout single in here. It also seems to fall apart as you get into it. Not uncommon for an album, but rough considering they don't start amazing.
65/100: Pretty bland album. No songs really stuck out except for the aptly named “Let The Drummer Have Some,” which was a pretty decent drum solo track. Probably won’t revisit this album, mainly because I’ll likely forget about it.
This was ok. I flipped the light the tracks and gave a quick listen. Again, not really my jam, but ok music.
It's no Double Nickels On The Dime is it? And they've got their capitalisation all wrong there.
Thought it was going to be really good, sadly it didn’t quite match the expectation. Shame.
This record seemed like a lot of fun to make, and a little less to listen to. I can appreciate that energy, but there wasn't a lot here that inspired another listen from me. It kind of oscillated between half-decent, folk-inspired tunes like "Riddle of the Eighties" to irritating drivel like "What Gets Heard" or "Mas Cajones," which suddenly takes a turn for the better when it predicts Pavement from 1:10 to 1:25. I feel like it was a 50/50 shot of whether I'd like something or be intensely annoyed. It didn't help that I mostly hated the bass playing. I can imagine someone really digging this, but this record doesn't exactly seem essential to me. 1.5/5 Favourite song: "Riddle of the Eighties" or "Vastopol"
Giving it a 2 since Charles Mingus set the baseline for a 1 star review, but not for me. Just not very interesting.
Nothing really compelled me on this album. I enjoyed the loud rhythm guitar and bass, but just couldn't get into this one. 2.0
Might be cool if you're really into music theory and that type of thing but not for me
Only listened twice, but just not exciting to me at all. Favorite song was a 40 sec instrumental only because the name of it was funny
A album that could have been decent, if they decided to make proper songs and not try to be innovative with weird sounds and noises
Firehose's third album released in 1989 and was recorded in the lead singer/guitarist's home state of Ohio. The music is alternative rock, but with a hint of acoustic and folksy flair. Most consider this album the band's most accessible one and an American record, rich in tradition and innovation. None of the songs on the album really stuck out to me though.
I'm not so sure about this one. It's a wild and only partially folded amalgam of genres. The musicians (singer aside) clearly have a mastery of their instruments, but at the same time they seem unconcerned about anything sounding cohesive or finished. Like, literally, some of the songs just sort of stop. As for the engergy of the music, I bet they had a good time putting the music together and playing it. I suspect they'd also be a good band to hear live. Alas this isn't "1001 bands you should hear live" so it all comes down to the album. For that, this one didn't really do it for me and I'm not really clear on why its included in this list.
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.
2.5 | Un rock alternativo bastante agradable, un disco que se escucha muy a gusto con sus breaks poco comunes, sus pistas de solos, los cambios ligeros de estilo, una influencia medio country alternativo en algunos lados. Podría entender que suena un poquito adelantado en algunos aspectos como si fuera del 93 a pesar de ser del 89.... Me gusta la evolución de un post punk con ese country y lo fresco y crudo; sin embargo, no es mi máximo, quizá por ese punto de escucharse pionero también para mí se escucha hoy en día un poco genérico en esa bola de rock alternativo. Agradable, bastante, pero nada que te haga pararte del asiento.
Meh. Did not enjoy. Didn't hate it, its not offensively bad or anything. More of an elevator music vibe. What a terrible album cover, though. Not sure if I have seen one worse.
Lots of ambition on this album, but the shorter song lengths prevent many of the tracks from developing. Feels like something a band would make a couple years before their big break
okay the first couple of seconds of the first track had me SO hyped for what was about to come, but then the…like how does…hard 180 gotta say. ohgeez
Los chicos enrollados de la clase se han comprado unos instrumentos y han hecho un disco. Tienen talento y se les ve inquietos pero, por alguna razón, no acaban de dotar de entidad a este álbum a pesar de las filigranas y la experimentación. Aun así, la escucha no se hace pesada debido a la corta duración del disco y a su frescura. Pero la menta también es fresca y no me voy llevando a la boca hojas de menta porque sí. Parece que le falta algo. ¿Elaboración? ¿Madurez? Nunca lo sabremos.
Was hopeful with this - backstory read like a 'alt-folk-rock band' i'd like. But it's just so utterly forgettable. I should have guessed when that much effort goes into the band name.
Best Song: In My Mind. Nice rolling guitar and drums. Worst Song: Time With You. Sounds like a high school band. Overall: Likeable high tempo music made uninteresting with boring vocals. Would have preferred an instrumental version.
This didn't stand out to me at all, really. I couldn't work out how it had earned its place on this list.