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.

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

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

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

+1 stars for indomitable midwestern charm

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).

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)

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.

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'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 🌟

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!

From the artwork, to the production and the guitar/bass/drums configuration of the band fROMOHIO is a simple, but extremely effective record. By keeping those things simple, fIREHOSE is able to spotlight the complexities in their songwriting without their arrangements coming off as too “showy” or self-centered. This a great, stripped back rock record and the Watt-Hurley rhythm section is one of the best to ever do it. fOURSTARS.

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.

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

Funky, reminds me of chili peps. Thumbs up

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.

i mean it does sound like they're from ohio

fROM-WHAATT!.. No... It can't be! No.. NOOOOOOOO!!.. 😭

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.

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.

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

This is very bad.

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

This album is one of my real "holy crap this is great" discoveries from the list - but my god is that cover art awful. I went into this expecting some kind of angry, grungy, punk nonsense and got bright jangly rock with epic basslines and a sense of humour about it all! Personal high points include 'In My Mind' and 'Mas Cojones', both of which play with a stripped-down version of standard rock themes (it took me a while to notice that there's basically no snare drum in most of the songs) while still being groove-laden enough to keep me actively listening - I'm not so much a fan of songs like 'Liberty For Our Friend', but that's just personal tastes more than anything. Definitely a recommend, definitely one I keep going back to, I'm giving it five stars because honestly I don't know why I wouldn't.

Well this pretty great, but seems the CD is hard to get hold of

very 80s/90s alt

I’ve been going through 80s alternative Athens bands so this comes at the perfect time. I’m not familiar with this group or Minutemen but I think I liked this enough to go down that rabbit hole. It’s very catchy and is growing on me more the second listen. Probably just because I’ve been listening to them but I hear similarities with Pylon/Gang Of Four with the seemingly endless riffs. Just finished my second listen and most of the songs I was neutral on clicked. Rating: 4.6

Mike Watt is a national treasure.

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

Great stuff, early 90s Indie rock

Nice Acoustic Punk with great great bass

pretty good!! fun fun guitars

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

Amazing

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.

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.

I remember these guys!

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!

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.

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 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.

cool

10/10 awesome indie, good vibes

4.95

Another great finding...

Weird concept album by an 80s alt rock band? Sign me up! So, this maybe isn't the best album out there. But it's actually pretty neat. Vocals are meh at best but instruments are pretty top notch.

What a surprise! This is like a rock and roll version of Vampire Weekend. The band just seems to be having fun and what they are creating. I am not sure about their greatness level longterm, but they intrigue me enough to make me smile... which means, I will probably listen again. Always a plus.

Don’t judge an album by its cover, I guess. Expected hardcore and got something more alternative, witty, political, and engaging. You sense the influences of the best post-punk and new wave here, and you can hear the talent. Short, engaging album. Favorite songs: In My Mind, What Gets Heard, Understanding, and all the others.

fIREHOSE always manages to be a band with songs that make me wonder why they aren’t a bigger deal, followed by songs that remind me exactly why they aren’t. This is probably their most consistent record though

Wow, I'm surprised this was never on my radar, because it's kind of right up my alley. Kinda finds the middle ground between something like Minutemen and REM. Looking them up after, I see why they remind me of Minutemen! Enjoyed this in general, but it's not exactly sticking with me. 7/10

Very surprised by this one. Going off the album cover, name of the band and album, I would have put money on it being a loud, fast, noisy, shouty garage rock album. To my surprise, from the first track all the way to the end, it was filled with nice little riffs, jangly guitar, really pleasant vocals. No one track in particular stands out as the best one after only one listen, but it all flows nicely together and it was such a nice surprise of an album which I enjoyed throughout its short half an hour run time, I can't give it less than a four.

So this was a first for me. I played the wrong album. I played If’n. Loved it so much I then went and played the right album. I really enjoyed my morning with fIREHOSE. I’ve often enjoyed Mike Watt’s various bands. I like the blend of band members on these records. Will give some more of their stuff a listen.

Criminal rating here. This is just 31min of fun interesting music that you will not find elsewhere.

This was a new one to me. Will definitely be listening again

Big surprise on this one. Never heard of them, but being Mike Watts band I am not shocked I enjoyed it as well as I did. 4/5

This is a fantastic album from a band i have never heard of. I enjoyed the eclectic sounds and guitar hooks. I also enjoy that it still sounds like the 80s. One of my new favorites.

A fun listen, and not the screamy post-hardcore I was expecting - much more new wave and prog in the mix. It does seem a bit front loaded. Or, hmmm, maybe there's just a lull in the middle. The drum solo tracks are very short, what are people complaining about! 😆 Fave tracks - "Riddle of the Eighties" -> "In My Mind" -> "Whisperin' While Hollerin'" was a solid kick off. Also, "If'n" was cool.

very pleasant surprise

3.5

I really dig the college rock groove on most of the track, and over all a great listen. My only real gripe is the lack of cohesiveness amongst some of the tracks that just seem way out of place. But it always seems like right after that song it would pop back into what I really enjoy about the album. I will give it a light but solid four. (8.3) ★★★★

Really good punk music without just being loud

Muy interesante todo, a ratos un tono jazz que me ha recordado al del videojuego Ape Out (esto es una nota mental mía). Viendo el año de lanzamiento veo muchas influencias no confesadas en los grupos de los noventa. Me guardo: "Riddle of the Eighties", "What Gets Heard", "Liberty for Our Friend", "Time With You", "If’n", "Some Things" y "Understanding". Muy bueno. Descubrimiento.

Groovy

War die perfekte Musik fürs auf Kopfhörer packen und putzen. Gerne wieder

3.8 - Interesting, didnt really know what it was trying to be. But quite liked that

Strange little album, I liked the back half more than the front. 3.7/5

I’m probably being a little more generous to this album than it deserves, because I’ve been dying for anything even remotely resembling punk on this list. This isn’t quite it, but it’ll do for today. 4/5 Highlights: Riddle of the Eighties Vastopol The Softest Hammer

Pretty fun, not what I expected

🎧This is good! Lead singer kinda sound like Paul Westerberg

Really good. Light punky folk

Why are all the tracks on Tidal (apart from the instrumentals/drum solos) marked with an “E”? I caught one shit and one fuck in the whole album.

Wow. Never even heard of Firehose! The name is off-putting…But I really enjoyed a lot of it.

Hard not to like the DIY spirit of this and its direct, stripped down sort of cleverness,. Best cuts are proabably the best known: "Riddle of the Eighties" "Liberty for Our Friend" and "Time with You" and "Understanding." One only half-liked this in real time of release (right in the heart of one's indie rock radio days), but it has aged surprisingly well, perhaps because of its organic instrumentation, authentic thrust and balance of hooky electric edges and folkie/melodic sweetness.

"Fromohio" is, for me, the culmination of the creative collaboration between ex-Minutemen members Mike Watt (bass) and George Hurley (drums), and long-time fan Ed Crawford on guitar and vocals. The loops, chords, accents, rhythms, interplay, crystal clear sound, and inventive compositions make this album a timeless and enjoyable listen. Even after 35 years, it still sounds fresh, and you can discover something new with each listen. While it may not be considered a classic, it's definitely a fun album.

It's moments like this that I love this list. Being presented with a band that I've never heard of and discovering something great. There's a wide array of influences meshed together here to create an enjoyable album.

Great album Very creative All songs diferent A lot of generes Pretty surprising Only thing I didnt like was the lead singers voice. Bit thos album rocks and its very well produced

Det är när sådana här album dyker upp som man uppskattar detta "arbete". Aldrig hört talas om men diggar omedelbart. Har tom lyssnat flera gånger. Det är piggt. Påminner lite om REM ibland. Men nästan varje låt är mycket bra, skön gitarr, sång och rytm. Man blir lite glad också. Definitivt en fyra!

Time with you - grrrrrreat song Good album. Really enjoyable, bounces from one thing to another in a really great way. Safe 4

Great. Hints of REM here as well as foreshadowing The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Funky with great lyrics, melodies and harmonies.

It's a good album, even if it doesn't have any really stand-out parts. I will probably return to this one in the future.

I enjoyed this more than I expected. I've heard of this band, and maybe listened to them at some point, but it's been a long, long time. Fun, energetic, interesting decisions here and there for sure.

sick

Albums like this are what this generator is really for, in my opinion. Gems hidden in the rubble of the greater rock canon. This is a fun, surprisingly tidy and tight, and concise album--and I never would have listened to it. For lack of something more specific and articulate to say, it sounds like this band loves music and loves making music. Perhaps a low bar to clear, but it's nice to hear something that isn't so labored be this good. Highlights: In My Mind, Vastopol, What Gets Heard, Time With You, Some Things, Understanding

Oh okay, I see what's happening here. I like it. Quite a lot. Yeah, this is good stuff. I'd never heard of this band before, but this is right up my alley. It's cool breezy alt rock with some playful lyricism. I've given it 5 back to back rotations now and it's just a cool album. I really do dig it!

On the surface, I hadn't heard of fIREHOSE before. But I ran a quick search and found out that this band was formed by bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley after their previous band Minutemen abruptly ended with the death of their frontman D. Boon. They ended up recruiting a Minutemen fan Ed Crawford as their new frontman and guitarist after he persistently wanted to join. I already heard Minutemen's well-known album "Double Nickels on the Dime" before this journey, so I figured we would get the instrumental precision of that group with a different vocalist. While we end up with touches of the styles they usually mix with like jazz and funk, this album is not in the ballpark of hardcore punk that Minutemen were. If anything, it's more in the vein of the early experimental alternative rock that was prevalent in the underground of the late 1980s. Not only do Watt and Hurley continue to shine in the rhythm section, with Hurley getting two excellent drum solo tracks, but I was impressed by Crawford's guitar work and vocal delivery on songs like "Time With You", "Some Things" and "Understanding" where he feels in tune with everyone else especially when he gets to solo off as well. The only drawbacks to be had here stem from the experimental nature of this album where not everything works. I enjoyed parts of "If'n" but the stop-and-go nature of that song prevented any meaningful buildup. Also, I don't feel I got much of a lasting impression from the closer "The Softest Hammer" even when they were trying for a more ethereal vibe. Still, I'm genuinely amazed by fROMOHIO as this niche experimental alternative album that maintained some accessibility. This was such a good find on this list, check it out!

just a quick, fun listen

Idgaf what they’re because the instrumentation is just that damn good

Solid if unspectacular. Felt like I was listening to a band playing a local bar, the kind of music you can semi tune out while talking to friends, but occasionally catches your attention in a good way. If they didn’t have such a silly name I might have picked this up a long time ago.

Having never heard of this band (yet somehow knowing Mike Watt?), I didn't know what to expect, but I generally liked it a lot. The parts with the more typically rock, less funk bass worked better for me, but the album clipped along and the singer sounded great.

I really really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Short, varied songs from a band I've never heard of. I loved the tone of the bass guitar. I'd for sure listen again.