Now I Got Worry

What on flat earth was all this

3-4 standouts, some ok stuff, filler, a reprehensible closer. Honestly, the album from this band is ORANGE and then Extra Width. Just google the video for "Bellbottoms" - Orange is fun. This. Notsomuch fun.

Just No

Tries too hard.

Took a couple of listens on this one to really get into it. Pretty great rock album. I won't say every song hit, but overall a great album!

#577. This is pretty annoying from start to finish. I'm pretty sure I can see what he was trying do do, but fuck man, the execution is lacking 2/5: no

Always found them interesting.

Not as bad as I would think. There’s some good stuff here, but it’s a bit too much noise for my tastes. I don’t think I’ll go back to this one.

Out the gate : I have a soft spot for Jon Spencer BE as I bought ‘Orange’ on what I consider the best day of my music FfS discovery life : back in the early 90s, when you had to make an actual cash transaction with money you could t really afford to spend, I was at Sam the Record Man on Barrington and picked up ‘Orange’, Ben Harper’s “Fight for your Mind” and Don Volt’s “Trace”! No disappointments in the lot. Now, JSBE is still pretty great - one foot in the old blues, one foot in NYC punk, one for in pop music, one foot in performance art (not sure how he plays guitar with all four feet on the ground…). While the music can veer from grooving’ blues to noise (like a man yelling and banging on your garbage can lids, making you late for work because you’re a little bit scared to go outside with him there…), overall I’m in for the ride.

Been a casual listener for years. Always like it when it’s on and then forget about them for long stretches. This album is solid.

Crappy noise

## In-Depth Review: *Now I Got Worry* by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion *Now I Got Worry*, released in 1996, is the fifth studio album by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (JSBX). It stands as a raw, electrifying testament to the band's unique blend of punk blues, alternative rock, and unfiltered energy[3]. This review examines the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, concluding with a balanced assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. --- ## Lyrics **Raw, Scatological, and Incantatory** The lyrics on *Now I Got Worry* are a wild ride-part primal scream, part surreal incantation. Jon Spencer delivers lines that oscillate between classic blues tropes (“You-you-you got to help me”) and modern, almost dadaist fragments (“You know why?/It sounds real good/Quit my cause baby/Quit our fallin'/Who the hell works?”)[2]. The words often feel secondary to the delivery, serving more as rhythmic and emotional punctuation than narrative storytelling. Spencer’s vocal approach is unrestrained: he shrieks, bellows, croons, and howls, sometimes within the same song. This unpredictability keeps listeners on edge, unsure whether they’ll be “mauled or soothed” from one moment to the next[2]. The lyrics, while not traditionally poetic, are packed with attitude and urgency, channeling the spirit of blues through a punk lens. --- ## Music **A Scuzzy, Blazing Sonic Assault** Musically, *Now I Got Worry* is a relentless barrage of distorted guitars, pounding drums, and frenetic energy. The album opens with “Skunk,” a track that “doesn’t just kick the doors open...it rends them clean off the hinges”[2]. The trio-Spencer, guitarist Judah Bauer, and drummer Russell Simins-sound as if they’ve steeped their instruments in the “most fetid gutter in Memphis,” delivering performances that are both tight and chaotic. The sound is a fusion of punk, blues, garage rock, and funk. While previous albums like *Orange* leaned into quirky soul influences, *Now I Got Worry* returns to a dirtier, more visceral aesthetic. The arrangements are incendiary, with Simins’ drums “tenderizing guts” and Bauer’s guitar lines slashing through the mix. The album’s cover of Dub Narcotic’s “Fuck Shit Up” epitomizes its reckless abandon, while tracks like “Wail” (with a video directed by “Weird Al” Yankovic) showcase the band’s willingness to embrace both humor and chaos[3]. --- ## Production **Eccentric, Live, and Purposefully Unpolished** Produced by Jon Spencer and Jim Waters, the album captures the “taut, blazing, live sound” of the band while maintaining an “eccentric studio approach”[1][3]. The production is intentionally scuzzy and raw, emphasizing immediacy over polish. Each instrument is given its own space, but the overall mix is dense and aggressive, immersing the listener in a sonic swamp. The remixed and remastered editions of the album have subtly improved clarity, allowing listeners to “pick out every edge and corner” without losing the essential grime that defines the record[2]. The studio work is less about technical perfection and more about channeling the energy of a live performance, making the album feel urgent and unpredictable. --- ## Themes **Rebellion, Catharsis, and Postmodern Blues** Thematically, *Now I Got Worry* is a postmodern take on blues and rock traditions. The album is steeped in rebellion-against genre conventions, against musical refinement, and even against the band’s own previous trajectory. There’s a sense of catharsis in the unfiltered performances, as if the band is exorcising demons through volume and distortion. The lyrics and music together evoke themes of struggle, release, and defiance. The album’s title itself suggests anxiety and unrest, which is mirrored in the frenetic pacing and volatile dynamics of the songs. Yet, beneath the chaos, there’s a deep reverence for the roots of American music, filtered through a lens of irony and self-awareness. --- ## Influence **A Cult Classic and a Touchstone for Punk Blues** *Now I Got Worry* has been recognized as an essential listen, included in the book *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die*[3]. While it may not have achieved mainstream commercial success, its impact on the punk blues and garage rock scenes is significant. The album’s willingness to embrace noise, imperfection, and genre-blurring experimentation paved the way for later acts to explore similar territory. The band’s approach-melding blues structures with punk aggression and avant-garde sensibilities-has influenced a generation of musicians seeking to break free from traditional genre boundaries. The album’s inclusion of bonus tracks in later editions also reveals the depth of the band’s creative process, highlighting their commitment to crafting a cohesive aesthetic even as they experimented with different sounds[2]. --- ## Pros and Cons | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | Captures the band’s live energy and raw power[1][3] | May be too abrasive or chaotic for some listeners[4] | | Inventive fusion of punk, blues, and garage rock | Lyrics can be opaque or feel secondary to delivery | | Eccentric, unpolished production enhances authenticity | Lack of traditional song structure may alienate some | | Unpredictable, cathartic vocal performances | Not as quirky or playful as earlier album *Orange*[4] | | Influential within punk blues and alternative rock scenes | Occasional self-indulgence in noise and chaos | | Included in *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die*[3] | Divisive critical reception (ranging from 5/5 to 5/10)[3] | --- ## Conclusion *Now I Got Worry* is a bold, uncompromising record that distills the essence of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: wild, inventive, and defiantly unrefined. Its lyrics are more about attitude and delivery than narrative; its music is a scuzzy, kinetic blend of punk and blues; its production is raw and immediate; and its themes revolve around rebellion and catharsis. The album’s influence is felt in the way it pushed genre boundaries and inspired others to embrace imperfection as a virtue. For fans of noisy, energetic, and unconventional rock, *Now I Got Worry* is a vital listen. For others, its abrasive sound and chaotic structure may prove challenging. Either way, it remains a landmark in 1990s alternative music, capturing a band at the height of its creative powers and willingness to take risks.

Bad

Not my thing but not unlistenable either.

definitely experimental but amongst the slog of noise there were some real highlights that sounded like SOAD meets Elvis

Sounds like amateur night at the local dive. Except it’s bad. First song was exceptionally horrible.

I would have picked "Orange" as the JSBX album for this list. Still, this is a solid album packed with fun Garage-Boogie-Blues. For further enjoyment, check out R.L. Burnside's "Ass Pocket of Whiskey", a collab with JSBX that takes the genre-bending even further. Or JSBX's "Experimental Remises" (available on streaming as the second disc of "Orange (Deluxe)", featuring fresh takes by members of Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang Clan, and Moby.

Love me some Jon Spencer, but I think Orange should be on this list over this album. Also he is coming to the Beachland on May 21.

The shtick grows old pretty quick.

Now I Got a Headache

Never listened to these guys before. I like it. It’s kind of unhinged and energetic.

It's not bad but for 1996 I'd expect better mixing, it sounds like it was recorded on a blender.

This is the greatest, most irritating album I've heard. It definitely belongs on this list, for the sole fact I can hear Jack White in it a few years earlier. The screeching is worth it on the first listen, but I worry about the next ones. Plus, the album's pretty long for what it represents.

4 seconds in and I already want to turn this shit off. Maybe it’ll get better. Update: it wasn’t that bad!

Uniquely affronting, and musically arresting, without being gross or shock jockying

Happy for the noise music community. Not for me. I don’t want to get on a pedestal and say it’s bad, but it’s certainly lacking something I like when I listen to music - and I listen to some unconventional stuff. I listened to this album all the way through though!

Never heard of this one, no clue what to expect - especially given there's a song called Fuck Shit Up on a "blues" (will it really be blues?) album and they did a video with Weird Al. This should be fun. --- Yeah, it is fun. Dirty, fuzzy, nasty, rough, raw, loud and weird. Very garagey. Until the electronic bits come in. And then the rockabilly. And the stompy southern stuff. And the psychedelic rock. This album feels like a twisted carnival ride through the underside of the USA. Very Captain Spaulding with a bit of Captain Beefheart. Me gusta. Favourite tracks: Wail, 2Kindsa Love, Love All Of Me, Get Over Here

Truly awful at parts. Smells like old beer cans and onion breath. The only album out of 400 so far that I have skipped and had to return to much later to finish.

Ok

Cool album. Seems like a bit of metal influence in here. Don’t think I like it enough to re-listen though.

“Wail” is a banger. Also liked “can’t stop”. Everything else was just fine. Didn’t like the overall sound.

"Wail" is good, but overall I'm just not too sure how to feel about this album.

I like these guys - another album I might give like a 3.5 if I could. Good raw sounds.

Got myself addicted to the rush of this one

Ah, the raw, rebellious 90's. This one's pretty fun. It'll get your ass on the move. I imagine this would be a fun act to see live.

Hideous

Some things are best kept inside your head.

Cr*p.

While this is probably an "artistic choice", but making your music (album?) sound like it was recorded in the 1940s is a weird one. Especially when the distortions are then very apparent which just makes it sound cacophonous. Not my thing...

Erikoinen mutta hyvällä tavalla! Raju jopa! 3/5

Hyvällä asenteella tehtyä räminää, mutta vähän meinasi mennä kikkailun puolelle. 3/5

Aptly named blues band Burst forth with boisterous sound And heavy weight jams

Wow I actually love this album. I was about to rate it like 1 -2 stars based on the review and the first song but it turns out to be quite a blast!

Heavily distorted crap.

Some good stuff in here (chicken dog comes to mind) but I can't justify the length, it's an avalanche of improv and rambling

Album is half an hour longer than it should be so the good stuff gets lost in itself. Cool music though, can hear some Zappa/Beefheart mixed in with more standard blues rock. One of the few albums I haven't heard before that led me to seek out more of their stuff.

Fun for the first few songs, gets a bit tiring after that

2 seconds in and I already knew I would hate this.

Nothing I could call a masterpiece here, but... Cool band, noisy and chaotic as we love it. 45 minutes of fun and energy!

Is it over yet? As I listened I really just wanted it to be over. Sweet Jesus please tell me it's over! I hated every second of this one.

This wasn’t great. There was some nice guitar work in the there but the vocals didn’t work at all.

This oscillated between absolutely terrible and not awful. The floor is very far below ground, and the ceiling on it is of an average single story home. They could have been pretty decent in an alternate dimension.

Oh wow, this is an album I'd put on if I had to explain what Gen X was like back in the nineties to modern kids. I'm an elder Millennial with a Gen X husband, I've got a definite soft spot for a portion of that cohort, but I feel like I'm just a bit too young to truly appreciate this... drunken jam session? That's what it sounds like, anyway.

The first 15 seconds of this album is funny as shit. I've never heard of this band before and I definitely wasn't missing out. It's mostly annoying. I can't think of any reason why I would need to hear this before dying. The chicken song was certainly a choice.. Favorite track: Rocketship

No

This was fine. Nothing terrible, some interesting stuff, but nothing to write home about

The band's name is kind of misleading, there was very little blues. I would have done less damage to my ears listening to 45 minutes of real-life explosions than this "music"

Some bits I kind of liked but it was too incoherent

Fav: Firefly Child Least Fav: Identity That scream at the beginning is a litmus test to see who can handle the pure punk emitting from the tracks, the blues explosion if you will

A lot of that was annoying. It was decent at best.

No!

Now that's an opening line. Cover art brazenly sucks. I don't really like the fake Elvis stuff on songs like Wail. This music would feel more authentic if the lead singer wasn't doing that impression, it just feels like a shitty high school cover band that's trying too hard. I do love grungy and gross slimy distorted jarring guitar and synth tones, so all my stars in this rating come from my enjoyment of those dirty sounds. Shout out to the guitar distortion on 2Kindsalove. Same with the wah wah sounds on Chicken Dog (and the clogged-drain sounding clucks and cock-a-doodle-doos make this prob my fave song on the album, very Zappa, very Melvins). But the second half of the album totally lost me. The song Fuck Shit Up makes me want to go to sleep. Why did they have high energy on every song but this one?? More Gen X grunge-adjacent Ameri-Brit white boy stuff from the 80s-90s that won't move an audience outside of that small demographic. I've decided whenever I get yet another one of those 80s-90s angst repeat albums on this list that I'm going to look up "albums that should have been on the 1001 list" and listen to one of those instead. Because this guy wants to sound so much like Elvis, I decided to go with a recommendation of Elvis' first album. Absolutely beautiful album, emotional, talented, unique, cultural zeitgeist. Shout out to the black musicians around Elvis for creating the beautiful and timeless sound that he stole. 4 stars to Elvis. Final rating of Jon Spencer: Jack White, Injury Reserve, Elvis, King Woman, JPEGMAFIA, Melvins do it better. Why did I need to hear this before I die?

Not overly optimistic on my chances of liking this album, but I will listen nonetheless. -not the screaming… -not a huge fan of the vocals, but I do like the music -love all of me and chicken dog aren’t so bad -the vocals are either improving or growing on me - they’re losing me again -Why is this thing so long?? I thought i was nearing the end and i’m only halfway through? -it would seem i was listening to bonus tracks? Idk. This wasn’t great. 1.5 stars

All the negative reviews for this album are somewhat surprising. There's a bit of filler on here, but it's still pretty fantastic. JSBE laid the groundwork for a lot of the stripped down white boy punk/blues that followed, most notably The White Stripes. JSBE put on one of the most incredible live performances I ever witnessed at The Ogden in Denver in 1996. This isn't my favorite JSBE album (that would be Extra Width), but this is a damn good one. 4/5 Album 20/1001

Feeling a bit attacked after this. I don't normally like un-exploded blues that much, so this was a bit of a slog in places. There are a few interesting songs on it, but at it's worst it sounds like a band being deliberately obtuse. Still though, at least they made me feel something, which is more than can be said for a lot of these albums.

No.

I guess there’s blues in there. Plus experimental screaming and other oddities.

Track 1 is a jump scare

Why o why…incredible this album made the list…gives me hope in making a living as a musician

Never has a band delivered on what their name promised more than this band. Chaotic blues rock better than I think other reviews here would indicate 3.5*

I would like fewer long songs please. If I saw them live I bet it would be a bop and I did like the moody distortion

starts with a scream, punk meets blues, it was interesting.

Glad I read the reviews, interesting album and sounds but not something I gravitate to

The ingredients are there, I like the messy production, the barely audible vocals and the screeching guitar. However, it never really amounts to a proper song here. There's a lot of creative ideas but they all exist in a vacuum, they don't interact with each other and as a result its not very cohesive and the songs feel more like throw away demos.

Now I don't have worry about this album!

curioso, mas...2...3 estrelas, vai

It's not terrible but it's not for me, Clive

Standouts: • Chicken Dog

It’s like a band got up onstage at someone’s leaving party, and instead of playing song played the musical equivalent of a roast while everyone got really really high

I was surprisingly super into this. I can't really place my finger on why, but I was really vibing with the chaos.

This was bad, I made it half way and gave up.

YES! Just saw Jon Spencer a few weeks ago and he was amazing. Love him, love his music.

Nasty Noise

"Не суди книгу по обложке" - говорили они. Но тут смотришь на обложку и понимаешь содержимое. Включаешь это самое содержимое и с первых секунд первого трека в уши течет "искусство". Я прекрасно понимаю низкие оценки этого альбома, я бы и сам такую поставил, но концепция книги "1001 альбомов которые вы должны послушать перед смертью" и соответственно концепция сайта не подразумевает того что тут будут исключительно хорошие или влиятельные альбомы и это замечательно, замечательно расширять свой кругозор вот такими экспресиями, да и к тому же со второй половины альбом становится еще более удобоваримый. Но людям с проблемами с сердцем не советую такое слушать, особенно трек - Fuck shit up

Наверное в этом что то есть, но я не люблю постоянные перегрузы на гитаре

Gets a little rickety at times, but that's part of the charm

What an unappealing start to an album with someone screaming for 10 seconds, which is a shame because its a good song Firefly Child is excellent Eyeballin has some really interesting percussion

Day433 - maybe the jon spencer punk explosion would be more fitting. chicken dog with rufus thomas was my favorite song on the album

I am clearly capable of making music that people would enjoy. Should I like, halfway do that, but then also halfway fill every song with abrasive noise that sounds terrible that any reasonable person would hate? https://tenor.com/Jz5X.gif

There are definitely some interesting moments here, but the singer's voice was just a letdown throughout. Better singing/lyrics could have made this one.

Jon Spencer's previous "project", Pussy Galore recorded a song-by-song cover of the Stone's, Exile On Main Street in 1986. It was noisy, abrasive, the songs were barely recognizable and it was nearly unlistenable. If you need to clear the room of friends overstaying their welcome, play Pussy's Exile and it will immediately have people running for the exits. If you cranked up, "Now I Got Worry" from Spencer's "mature" band, The Blues Explosion instead, those same people will wreck your furniture, terrorize your pets and open the Christmas presents under the tree, but they won't leave! The music is raw, experimental, blues-based rock, but it's a much more cohesive and accessible sound than Pussy. It's still noisy and annoying at times, but after a repeated listening, it's starting to grow on me and could even listen again. I can't help but think of Beck when I hear this, similar in sound and varied randomness. Now, if I just had better friends, everything would be fine.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Cooler than I imagined!

first listen has energy but not what catches my attention

This was so fucking weird. I can't tell if I like it or dislike it. I guess the answer is both. At its best this kind of sounds like White Stripes or Red Hot Chili Peppers were on Amphetamine Reptile Records, and at those times it's honestly kind of cool genuinely, there's this effortless jazzy/bluesy meets unpretentious noisy rock vibe to it that kind of reminds me of Helmet but overall it still just feels corny and this is an abomination that could've only happened in the '90s. But I also love '90s schlock so this is so hard to rate. Idk if this makes sense but this album feels like jerking off when you're not turned on, and you could get yourself into it if you really tried to fantasize but like why bother? I respect that this seems to be intentionally doing something confrontational in a semi-commercial sounding way which is a respectable fuck-you to two opposing crowds at the same time but it's also not that good if I'm being honest with myself and I'm probably never gonna listen to this again to preserve my taste in music and protect my peace.

Not really my style of music but I did like Firefly Child.

There were some moments on here that I could get behind, but mostly the other reviewer is right saying that it sounds like your neighbors who are getting in fights. lol

2.5/5

More like Blues Implosion, amirite?

Förstår verkligen inte vad den här skivan har gjort för att förtjäna en plats på listan. Varken musikaliskt eller konstnärligt så tycker jag det är något att skriva hem om. 1 av 5

Nej. Tråkig blues rock

Not bad!

Had this in college, couldnt get into it... Maybe because i played my music on shuffle and never was ready for it... But holy crap this album has so much depth and would be so good for a sludgy bar in a swamp somewhere or a dirty college bar in a midwest town. I love it.

Weird, overly long, but funky and interesting

Ik vind het experimentele en het herrie-achtige deels wel leuk, maar uiteindelijk is het toch wel een beetje een kutalbum. En tegelijkertijd is het ook weer niet kut. Ik weet niet zo heel goed wat ik hier mee moet. Het fascineert me, maar ik word er ook moe van. Sommige gitaargeluiden zijn echt heel vet, maar het is me toch net iets te weinig muziek om er echt van te kunnen genieten. Het is heel raar om zo'n uitgesproken album een nietszeggende 3 toe te schuiven, maar ik kan gewoon niet kiezen welke kant het voor mij op valt. Ik hou het daarom op een vies neutrale 3.

Bro what

Idk who this is for but it sure as hell ain’t for me

Cool mashup of style on this record. Rocketship is a good song. So is Dynamite Lover. So is Hot Shot. Swampy, bluesy, punk, definitely the blues. Fuzzed out vibes on R.I. Got Soul.

Very interesting album. I like it! I never heard it before. Thanks. Some songs are perfect.

This was a lot better than I thought it would be. I have seen JSBX (and other Jon Spencer projects) live a decent number of times, and they have an appeal as a live act with a blazing force. However, I've never been interested in their recorded material because I'm not sure how it would translate. Turns out pretty well! And that is to say that I don't think many people will appreciate listening to this. It's as jarring as a recorded piece just as it is as a live performance which is awesome.

Not what I expected and hell yeah I liked it!! Not amazing but after listening to a lot of unoriginal well produced slick albums this is a total mish-mash and spur of the moment sounds.

this some experimental shit right hurr. The entirety was not bad, but a few songs were, hence the one star. Unplesant.

With "Now I Got Worry", I think Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is not the only one worried. Honestly, this was not a good experience. The sound is confusing and maybe that is the goal but it doesn't work for me. It seems to me that they took every possible rock genre thinking it would be a good idea, and maybe it could even be for their proposal, but not for me.

This album is super fun! Reminds me a bit of the White Stripes, even though i dont think they were necessarily influenced by this, but rather that the two are both influenced by the same things. Luckily for mister Jon over here i love the White Stripes, and i like this a lot as well!

Erm, okay

Ingen skiva ska börja sådär. Helvete vad jag inte vill lyssna på resten. Det var en dålig skiva.

Jaha nähä. Kaosig skiva. Innehåller ju delar som är grymma. Men det är fan omöjligt att greppa på denna skiva. Kill your darlings. Men detta var väl hela poängen. Och det funkar sisådär. Om man inte är ett fan eller älskar att vara lite besvärlig.

Börjar helt vedervärdigt och får mig direkt på dåligt humör. Sen kommer Wail och då inser man att det ändå finns något där, djupt begravet under allt fritidsgårdsreplokalliknande bajs. Därefter återgår det till samma skit igen. Mönstret upprepar sig, här och där skymtar bra grejer fram insprängt mellan allt oljud och trams. Skit ska skit ha och eftersom stora delar av detta gav mig försämrad livskvalitet så förtjänar det inget annat än en etta.

Perfectly fine and here and there outright cool, but highly performative and poseur-y, besides being a borderline novelty act (which one recalls thinking at the time of their coming out, too). Might they now seem a sort of second-rate White Stripes? Or Black Keys? One certainly prefers RL Burnside and might go with Mojo Nixon over these cats if forced to choose.

This record is ridiculous, but it prompted a wide smile while listening.

Now he got two stars.

Too worried

Occasionally I noticed my toes were tapping, but most of this was very unpleasant. Screeching is not musical. I will say the album isn’t boring. Maybe that’s enough to lift it higher than 1 star. Would give it 1.5 if I could.

I don't think JSBX is for me. Maybe I'll try another one of their albums sometime, but I didn't finish it.

Real electric noise garage blues rock… a very aptly name band. Also lots of screeching here too Top songs 1. Rocket ship 2. Fuck shit up 3. RL got soul

It was kinda weird and I listen to Ween

Huh. A rubric I don't often have to use is how capable I would be of a) generating the idea, and b) playing the music. In this case, yeah I could have thought up abrasive ass vaguely blues based music with a "punk" attitude that is not as fun or irreverent as the source material, and yeah I can noodle out some blues shit on most of the instruments. I 100 % could have done this, and that is not to its credit.

I could kinda see coming back to this if I needed some weird shit. But I don't think it's a heavy rotation type of record.

Not for me. Some of the Noise stuff was interesting, but the blues at Woodstock '99 vibe didn't work for me

Not as bad as I feared but not as good as I’d have liked

This is pretty bad, but I dont hate it. I cant go higher than 2 stars though, it might just be because I'm sick today but this is really not doing it for me right now. 2/5

I am a sucker for two types of album openers. The first of which, I like to call the EDM Headliner Opener, where there’s a long drawn out buildup starting from practical silence and slowly easing you into some epic opening melody. The second method, after listening to this album, will from here on out be known as the “Skunk” method. 0.00 seconds wasted, your attention has been commanded by way of screaming. You don’t get much of a break until “Wail”, where noise rock meets some Elvis jiving. We continue our dive into the odd trip with the psychedelic “Fuck Shit Up” where you realize that the only rules this album follows is that there are no rules! I think this album retains its fun factor until “Love All Of Me”. Something about the more twee intro of the song made me want something more. The blueprint is set from this point on. Rocknroll tangents, baritone crooning that jumps to distorted yelling. High-energy in-your-face performances. I appreciate this album for how uncompromising it is, and how I haven’t heard much else like it on this list so far.

tryhards

40 percent listenable. Unremarkable pockmarked by unexplainable.

This album was complete ass, it sounded like drunk karaoke and there was nothing redeemable about it, wtf man?

I don't doubt that in a loud american bar with lots of beer this might be great. But as an LP to listen to elsewhere, just dull dull dull.

Ugh. The closest thing to anti-music I've heard in this experiment so far. Halfway through Fuck Shit Up, someone says "this sucks". No-one has ever been more right about anything in the entire history of the world, than they were about that. If I had only this to listen to for the rest of my life, I really would have to worry. I have to rate it, so it gets a 1, but really that 1 should follow a decimal point and a near-infinite series of zeroes.

I really hated this until Firefly Child and the two tracks that followed. Everything else was awful. A lot of it sounded like 80s punk, but not far enough removed to be a revival or homage.

Can you imagine how bad the groupies for this band smelled? 3 stars

Fun garage rock.

In tears laughing about the review on here that left 4 stars and "Chicken Dog!"

You're in for a treat, but first you have to survive the first few tracks.

An insult to The Blues

Yepp, the Blues exploded alright. The resulting album is D.O.A. 1.5/5

My actual thoughts listening to this: "What the fuck?" "Is this whole song just screams?" "Oh, I get what this is gonna be." "An Elvis impression...okay." "Oh, he's still doing it..." This is the music your kid would listen to if you were a parent in the 90s that would make you yell, "Turn that ruckus off!" at them. There were some good moments but they'd last for 10 seconds before the lead singer would start screaming or the drums would glitch out.

Grimy and stanky

With 32 tracks stretching over an hour, this album feels like an endurance test that makes you want to jab a pen in your ear. It’s chaotic without purpose, and honestly, Jon Spencer sounds like he needs real friends to tell him when something just isn’t good.

I can hear the blues base under all the hard rock layered over it, but this is hardly B.B.'s blues. But it's rockin' fun.

viel tom waits influences aber schlechter. Kann eigentlich kaum neue oder oder gute ideen erkennen. paar ganz coole guitar licks aber sonst nicht hörbar für mich.

It's not often you get a truly torturous experience that you will also forget you ever endured it in the first place

I really didn't enjoy this for the most part, though the size and scale is fairly impressive. I like how the first song started, but after that it became dull and lost it's luster. The punk elements did not help, of course. Make enough of an impression, but I really don't think this is a "must-listen". 1.5/5 -> 2/5

I don't see what's so great about this album honestly. Pretty lousy mix and no song really stands out.

This has a lot of elements of music I like. It's weird, high energy, and noisy. I like it but I don't love it and I'm trying to figure out what aspect of it is what's keeping me from loving it. Maybe it's the Elvis voice. Maybe it's weird but not weird enough. Maybe it's not psych enough. I'm not sure. But I love the variety of sounds and the blues and punk aspects of it. It was good enough that I want to check out some of their other records.

What a varied and unique album! This feels like a wild mashup of Memphis blues + Tom Waits + The Ramones + Daft Punk + Jimi Hendrix. I don't even really know how to explain it. Its really eccentric and totally out there and all over the place. This is truly a "more is more" kind of album. Some songs blow your mind where other songs kind of annoy me, but that's not really a dig on the over all album. It just kind of feels like he's throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks. I had a lot of fun with this one!

'I'm always a few minutes wrong.' This is indeed a blues explosion, mainly b/c it's an explosion of the uncool. It's not weird, it's not downcast, it's not edgy, it's not at all cool, but it's also not up for debate. The blues can't be itself when it's knowingly chic - it has to have some uncool about it, some awkwardness, some untidiness, some real deal marring and scarring. But, as Albert Murray advocates, the blues is also dance music, party music, a genre for the clubs and late night believing. Every song on this album doesn't stun, but the whole thing fosters a cool uncool - a mixture of the festive and gawkish - that I admire thoroughly.

3.5

I am very worried about this from the album art. yikes creepy white guy and sad Word 93 graphic design. alright I was justified in that worry, starting with a few seconds of screaming.. Here I thought we'd be getting white guy blues music but I guess this is punk? with like Elvis vocals? This isn't the worst thing I've ever heard, but it does absolutely sound like a band I would have gone to see live in small town Missouri in college. Like how'd they even get a studio album? alright this is kinda growing on me lol. But it is absolutely a live band. Losing me again with the last track Alright I didn't hate it, but I'm glad it's done. 2.3/5

I’m good, thanks

An album that tries so hard to embody chaos and swagger that it ultimately feels exhausting rather than exhilarating. While the band’s raw energy and fearless experimentation are apparent, the end result often comes across as disjointed and unfocused, lacking the cohesion that might allow the listener to fully engage with the music. Spencer’s trademark yelps and grunts, which are supposed to channel the primal essence of rock ‘n’ roll, can feel more like a caricature than an homage. Tracks like “2Kindsa Love” and “Love All of Me” descend into overindulgence, more about noise and attitude than actual substance. The blues influences are there, but they’re buried under layers of distortion and bombast that leave little room for nuance or melody. At times, the album feels like a chaotic mishmash of ideas rather than a well-crafted work. Even moments of promise, such as “Wail” or “Identify,” feel half-baked, teasing the potential for brilliance but never fully delivering. Instead of pushing boundaries in a meaningful way, Now I Got Worry often feels like it’s just trying to be as raucous and abrasive as possible, leaving little for listeners who crave something more than surface-level intensity. Ultimately, while the album may appeal to die-hard fans of the band’s unhinged style, it’s unlikely to win over new listeners or those looking for something more polished or substantial. Now I Got Worry feels like a missed opportunity to channel the band’s undeniable energy into something truly memorable. Would you like me to adjust the tone or focus on specific aspects of the album? Thanks Chat GPT. Couldn’t have put it better myself. 1/5 26/1/25

I’ve been on a very consistent streak of good, not great albums lately. I can’t seem to break the trend, and this album isn’t helping that. But I’d rather get okay albums that still have redeemable qualities over albums that are objectively bad. I saw an amusing comment about this that said “Wow it’s rare that I hate something instantly. This accomplished that feat.” This only becomes funnier once put into context with the album. I’m really not all that familiar with punk blues, but hearing Jon Spencer’s terrifying and painful scream as the opening four seconds of this album, it sets the stage very well. If you were holding out hope for anything even remotely normal after those beginning few seconds, I’m sorry for you. Jon is probably best described as a mix between Tom Waits and Nick Cave when he was apart of The Birthday Party. I can only describe this listening experience as rather unsettling. But I sort of dig it. It’s rare to hear something so genuinely unpleasant on a list filled with dozens of generic pop and rock Billboard Top 100 rejects. The booming and distorted drums and guitar make this album thump in your ears. And as weird as this album sounds, I think the musical ability and particularly creative writing on some of the slightly longer songs make this a relatively enjoyable listen. Rating: 6/10

Wail // Firefly Child // Eyeballin // Sticky 2.5/5

While the Skunk intro is relateable at times 😱, this is a lot. V chaotic.

Not overly optimistic on my chances of liking this album, but I will listen nonetheless. -not the screaming… -not a huge fan of the vocals, but I do like the music -love all of me and chicken dog aren’t so bad -the vocals are either improving or growing on me - they’re losing me again -Why is this thing so long?? I thought i was nearing the end and i’m only halfway through? -it would seem i was listening to bonus tracks? Idk. This wasn’t great. 1.5 stars

The instrumental song "R.L Got Soul" is quite good

3 maybe 4 reminds me of Ween

This album is really annoying and way too long. Sounds astoundingly bad as well. Doesn't merit a long review.

I like the review that says "like your drunk neighbors are having open mic night". I get the punk aspect with the gritty aspect but this album is kind of all over the place. It's like an Elvis impersonator is singing for a while, then it's Beck if he wasn't talented, songs stop and start randomly. Like the beginning of "Love All of Me" is cool...some sort of Beach Boys or Strokes riff to open and it's going great, and then they just completely ruin it. It's not as bad as that Genesis album, it's a tiny bit less annoying, but still, this is really just "noise". I feel like I'm someone's father saying "turn that racket off".

Cool elements of garage rock blues but still falls pretty flat. It’s like Temu Jack White

I’m not sure what exactly I expected going into this record, but from the very first agonizing wail, my curiosity was piqued. This whole album has a loose, almost sloppy live feel to it, and it works really well. This is by far the most punk rock record we’ve reviewed so far. I’m honestly a little shocked I’d never heard of it before. It sort of vacillates between this greasy blues-rock and fast punk rock. It’s like some rockabilly dude with a pompadour and a 55 Chevy Belair’s perfect cruising album. There’s points in this album where it gets a little off base for me, “Rocketship” is a song I particularly didn’t enjoy. Actually you know what, this sounds like an album Elvis would have recorded if he was born about 20 or 30 years later and read The Outsiders a few too many times. Not a bad record at all, pretty enjoyable listen. 3.5*.

God, no. Blegghhhhh. I should’ve known that someone who names their band “[name] Blues Explosion” was gonna be something I didn’t like, but I went into this optimistically and was very disappointed. It sounds like everyone who was involved in producing, “writing” (not sure how much foresight actually went into any of these songs), performing, and recording this album was absolutely sloshed. It feels sloppy, self-indulgent, tacky, and like it falls into tropes of being experimental in ways that are totally unexciting. 1/10 nope

Strange, experimental, and fun

This albu has very high highs and very low lows. The bluesy get in your face vibe is really cool, abunch of kick ass stuff, but then you have these vocals I find ruin certain songs and make them hard to listen too. Especially with those high screams he does that just clip the audio. Idk, it's a high 2 for meɓ

Phoaw this was pretty long! I'm not entirely sure what I made of it tbh. It was quirky and weird at times and others it just felt like normal prog rock. It didn't annoy me but it didn't capture me either

Didn't really make any impression on me to be honest. Was fine I guess but quite long

What an incredible album! This artist creates a sonic overload experience in their recorded work, something typically experienced only in live music. Maybe this album is not as diverse as the other album on this list, but this is by far my favourite!

Terrible singing over nice instrument playing.

Dość męcząca

если бы Элвис свихнулся

I'm admittedly not that far into my 1,001 album journey, but there are already way too many 1990s alternative rock albums per capita. Maybe I didn't read the disclaimer when I entered the building, but I think I was hoping for a more diverse roster of records, and certainly more records that I haven't heard. I'm biased here, as I am already pre-disposed to be irritated by JSBE. The '90s were full of noisy rock bands of different stripes, and one of those stripes was the "blues/roots revivalist" stripe. Taking James Brown's "Make It Funky" lyric and groove and saying "Make it Fucked Up" instead and have everyone think it's cool and clever was enough to make me hate all music for a brief period. All I can say to the positive about this is that the cool kids got it out of their system and JSBE is kind of an afterthought nowadays. Whereas I can go back to Howlin' Wolf albums and they never get old, and I can also go back to Captain Beefheart, or someone like Tom Waits, inspired by Wolf and Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and THOSE albums never get old ("Rain Dogs" in particular), stuff like JSBE feels disposable... at least most of this record does. Tracks like "Rocketship" at least sound like they're trying to be their own thing. I like this quote from the SPIN review, though: "garage raunch beloved by white boys who still believe a sonic mess equals something real."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUGH! This is some good shit, never would’ve found this without the list, this is how you mix the blues with alt rock, the black keys could learn a thing or two

Some of this was fine and most of it I disliked. I don't know what it means but I was listening to this in the car over two commutes and I found myself singing other songs over top of this. Not to the music or anything, just independently. I think it was not holding my attention. 2.5

I think I had fun a couple times but mostly this seemed intentionally annoying

It is, as we all know, against the law to get up if a cat is sleeping on your lap. It is a further violation of international treaty to do this if the cat has its nose tucked into your hand. Luckily for us all, I am afraid of being sent to The Hague, so I actually finished sitting through this album today because I got entrapped in such a manner. I don't know who this artist is so I apologize if I'm deeply off the target here, but it sounded like it was trying so hard to be edgy. Every vocal felt like someone screaming "I'm really cool!!! I know a few jazz chords!!!" (sometimes literally screaming). It's amazing just how many components here are components of music I really like, and in this particular arrangement I found every single song difficult to get through.

ma perchè questi album così strani ma così generici allo stesso tempo sono su questo sito? sono costernata, veramente. e poi è davvero lungo. mi spiace non dare tre stelle perchè comunque a tratti è piacevole, ma ho dovuto davvero smettere di ascoltarlo a metà perchè mi stavo innervosendo.

+++ skunk, get over here --- fuck shit up, love all of me never judge a book by its fucking cover! wasn’t particularly excited for this, assumed based off the album art it was something more akin to the decemberists for some reason, was SO pleasantly surprised when the album opened with shrieking. one of those albums im glad i didnt get my hands on earlier because i wouldve been SO annoying.

Awful. I kept losing focus. Just shitty music and shouting. Why the fuck is this on this list? Favourite songs: Dynamite Lover, 2Kindsa Love, Wail, Rocketship Least favourite songs: Skunk (what a fucking jarring way to start an album.... With blood curdling screaming..... Wtf......), Fuck Shit Up, Sticky, Yellow Eyes, Radio Ad: Announcer #, Radio Ad: Ernie Eddie, Radio Ad: Announcer #2, Radio Ad: Secret Sez-Me 2/5

I really liked it, it is raw, energetic, it blends garage rock, blues, and punk, I really recommend it.

That was... Weird

i love weird shit but this feels almost try hard and derivative

I'm speechless, speechless. I am without speech.

Good guitar and drums, I like the intensity. 3.5

My only takeaway is that this is an album full of the screaming music heard during the Hot Fuzz transition scenes.

Interesting, although I prefer my punk non-bluesy. Elvis impressions were pretty fun. Side note - what a terrible album cover. Favs: Wail, 2Kindsa Love

The 90s would've been fine without this album. Really not a ton of redeeming qualities to it. Maybe not a 1 star, but no higher than 2.

Ripping punk with a blues bent. It's a wild combination but it really works. The first 5 seconds let you know exactly what to expect with such an amazing scream.

weird album to get for christmas. First off, what a garbage way to start an album. Skunk is awful. If you have to start by screaming out of tune its a bad sign. The rest of the album stays at the bottom, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. It's like if they played the blues backwards and underwater, just because its different doesnt mean its good. Now that I think about it, I'm getting Jack White vibes from this, and I feel bad for saying that.

The worst album to get for Christmas

Really fascinating stuff, but not particularly listenable.

Congratulations to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion! An album has to be exceedingly bad for me to prefer Christmas music and you have done just that. 1 star or F-.

That's enough music for today. It starts rough, has several rough parts throughout, and only a couple of moments shine through. I did actually like Love All of Me, but the rest of this album was difficult for me. I will say it sounds like a guy who made the music he wanted to make, but it's not for me. Too chaotic.

I was into maybe the first track or two and then it just felt like noise.

I’ve never been into this rockabilly freakout thing and I don’t think I ever will be.

“Y’all got any good albums?” “We got abysmal dogshit.”

Enjoyed this a lot honestly. A fun mix of sounds for me. Not exceptional or anything but a good listen!

Pretty cool and noisy. Some songs were annoying

This was pretty cool! Don't know how I feel about Blues Punk music I appreciated the noisy moments

It was interesting. A lot of energy. Pretty fun overall but the individual tracks were not super memorable.

Definitely an explosion

So boring

There is a fine balance between hot tunes with frantic driving energy and a big hot mess with an idiot shouting all over the place. This album gets the balance right for the majority of the tracks and when it does it fucking rocks. Unfortunately it does miss the mark a few times with a couple of clangers.

”Blues”… olisi edes yksi biisi tällä yli tunnin (?!) levyllä.

Bändi poistaa musiikista kaiken epäolennaisen - ja olennaisen.

ganz cooler sound oft aber nit soo memorable und paar shit songs

I absolutely love this one. It's like being punched in the face by blues, and I mean that as a very strong compliment. I do kind of get that that's just not going to be everyone's cup of tea. I'd probably be reluctant to play this one for many of my friends. But tell me that you love this and we can definitely hang out. It's abrasive, noisy, challenging and completely free. Add in a video directed by Weird Al Yankovic (!) which is bizarre and fun. The many bonus tracks are a bit of a slog though. The 45 minute audio assault is plenty on its own. It's great, but needs space to breath again after it. Otherwise, this album was great.

Definitely the type of record one would be into if one were into this type of record. Not terrible and certainly rocks intermittently ("R.L. Got Soul" is a high point), but not very authentic either, and so blatantly performative ("hey, let's dress up as blues artists for Halloween!") as to not even merit an accusatin of cultural appropriation. The opening scream tells one all one needs to know about their intention (which seems to be attention basically) and their willingess to overreach to achieve it. And one can't think of too many other records less deserving of a Deluxe edition.

Sounds like a punk band that was trained on the blues and sometimes more like a blues rock band trained on punk. Either way, it’s awesome. This has got to be one of Jack White’s favorite bands. Sounds like the sort of thing that could have influenced The White Stripes. I get a kick out of the songs where the vocals have an Elvis warble on them. Very fun. But they don’t overdo it. There’s plenty of good shouting and wailing too. This is one powerhouse of an album. Brilliant stuff.

Some pretty interesting thrashy aggressive punk. I need to listen to more because I have a feeling that this album only just starts to get into the sound that this band dives into. Enjoyable listen! Was really thrown off by the shout as the first thing that you hear on the record. Cool overall sound though.

ég kann við þetta hugmyndafræðilega. en vantar stundum melódíur. vinnu mögulega á við aðra hlustun, 3,5.

Punk surf blues. This was pretty fun. Gotta say Jon Spencer and whoever else really lay it down.

Wants you to believe it's better than it is. Other albums by JSBE are better.. bit this is still fun at points

Pretty sure Skunk is there to filter out the faint of heart. Which would have been me if I weren't listening for this project. A shame really, as it turns out, would have saved me an hour of irritation. The album is not entirely intolerable, in places it is just painfully hokey. Clearly Jon Spencer is an acquired taste and I am absolutely not interested in investing the time to acquire it.

What the hell was that? Not what I expected but some of it was ok. Highlights: Wail

There's a trip down memory lane, although I knew the albums either side a bit better. Sort of midway between The Cramps and The White Stripes. Nice to see from the reviews that they still upset a few people but you've lead a sheltered life if you think this is white noise.

Medium Wat een geschreeuw soms Hou wel van blues vaak maar dit is wel iets te veel punk ook

Ik vind dit heel rommelige muziek. Het luistert niet lekker. *

The first few seconds tells you everything you need to know about this album. Screaming and terrible noise. Life's too short to listen to more of it.

Loved it in places

AAAAAAAAAAA

Really enjoyed this genre mashup. Great for a lunchtime walk in the winter sun B-)

I wouldn’t mind the music, if the recording wasn’t so muddled. It’s too murky and noisy. It might belong on the list, but it is unpleasant to listen to. 2/5

I didn't like it at first but then I got in a really bad mood and it was perfect. I finished the album on my evening run and it was also great for that. I would say it's not for me, except for when it is. Rating: 3

very bad. some fine tracks in the garbage over overall very few redeeming qualities

Loud and abrasive. It's got some real soul to it for sure, and they all sound like they're having a lot of fun. Just...not particularly pleasant to listen to for me.

4.0

Saved to library

Very wild, kind of all over the place, in a good way.

He thinks he's so cool and the worst part is he has literally no reason to believe this

it's ok. like a solid 2.5. a little bit weird and I'm tempted to round up for that. I've rounded down more significant albums. This one seems like fun for a bit, for a short time when people thought maybe blues played punk-like loud and fast was a way forward, then no longer notable. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

At one time I just have liked this quite a lot. At this time not so much. Not awful, but not something to go back to.

Hard shit! 32 songs in one album. Ok, half of them are bonus tracks... :D Gotta love it!

Another band I'm familiar in name only. I'm sure I've heard some tracks, but I couldn't tell which they are. I don't know what I was expecting to hear, but it for sure wasn't punk laden garage with bluesy rockabilly tones. I feel there's psychedelic elements and repetitiveness from krautrock in there too, some experimental atonal noise elements sprinkled here and there. This is pretty wild stuff!

Pretty rad music. Feel like this guy would be a pretentious prick to grab a beer with though.

25 minutes of this would’ve been more than enough. Occasional flashes of some fun stuff but mostly weird and assaulting. I can see a world where maybe I would give this another listen but I don’t think it’s this one. High 2

Never heard of them. Sounds a lot more like punk than blues to me.

This must have been influential on the White Stripes. I can't say it was that fun to listen to otherwise with the screaming in track one especially difficult to hear as I started my day. "Chicken Dog" was cool though. It definitely had Hendrix vibes.

not sure how i feel its between a 2.5 and 3 star

I wouldn’t mind the music, if the recording wasn’t so muddled. Yes, they’re going for the scuzzy sound. But it’s too murky and noisy. This record certainly fits alongside The Cramps, Meat Puppets, Primus and Beck. Lots of distorted sharps and sour notes, scratchy noises and unbalanced sound. This feels like they got to play with all the buttons and knobs in the recording studio, but then decided to blindfold each other and only use their feet. It’s too much. It might belong on the list, but it is unpleasant to listen to.

As someone who is squarely Gen X, I think I get what they were going for in the moment, but from the first note (or scream) this was a complete fail. There were so many good albums that came out in 1996 that could have been on this list: Gin Blossoms - Congratulations I’m Sorry, Cowboy Junkies - Lay it Down, Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music…, Barenaked Ladies - Born on a Pirate Ship and Rock Spectacle, Marillion - Made Again, Slater-Kinney - Call the Doctor, The Verve Pipe - Villains, Local H - As Good as Dead, Veruca Salt - Blow it Out…, The Cranberries - To the Faithful Departed, DMB - Crash, The Wallflowers - Bringing Down the Horse, De La Soul - Stakes Is High, A Tribe Called Quest - Beats, Rhymes and Life, R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Rush - Test for Echo, Cake - Fashion Nugget, Weezer - Pinkerton, Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah, Phish - Billy Breathes, Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites, Paula Cole - This Fire, Wilco - Being There, Rusted Root - Remember or even Nerf Herder. But instead we got…this… 1⭐️

It's fine. Not really offensive

not bad. better the more bluesy it got worse the more punk if that makes sense

Have to wonder how this album even got on this list.

Albumi #113, 18.11.2024 Jon Spencer Blues Explosionin viides albumi määritellään punkbluesiksi. Kovaa räimettä.

It is more of an explosion than blues - angry attack on society- what is not to like

Gonna be honest, a brutal scream was not how I wanted to start my monday morning.

long. really boooring 1h

Good stuff.

Not much blues on here. Some good guitar stuff here and there and some songs I did like, but a lot of noise rock. The screaming…

Too grungy for me

Excellent and exactly what I need right now.

Weird - sometimes in a kind of cool way, sometimes in an annoying way, but in the end, the scale tipped more toward annoying. 2.5

Listen, I am a fan of punk. I am a fun of blues. But said genres don't merge as nice as I would like them to merge. Maybe it's on the band, maybe it's not. Anyway, I don't think I'll listen to this again. 2.5/5.

What is this? I kind of like the messy instrumental part but the vocal, um... what exactly is this? I can stand it but I won't say I like it. 2.5/5.

Not what I expected. More punk blues which was very interesting

johnny bravo starts a garage rock band. all their shows start at 3 AM and they live right next door to me. i am carried out of my home on a stretcher.

this is like the residents meets beck meets jack white, and unfortunately i did not really care for it. the jon spencer blues explosion was ultimately rather light on the blues and very heavy on the explosion. it takes a bold artistic vision to open your album with 15 seconds of screams, so kudos to them for that. sadly, it only got worse from there. i also listened to the version of the album that this site linked to, and saw no indication that it was a deluxe version, but what's done is done i suppose. this probably works better at half the length but if you're a masochist and/or idiot like me, have fun slogging through the 32-track, 79-minute feast for the senses that only 1001 albums can provide. favorites: skunk, wail, chicken dog, rocketship

Punk blues. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Blues rock, bah.

I liked it, but man the 90's was just full of albums that needed to be cut down by 1/3 in my opinion. This one being so loud (had the loudness wars started already? Felt like it) and in your face was just too long for me

Not bad

There are aspects to this that I really enjoy, yet at the same time I find it incredibly irritating. Strange. I suspect if I listened to this a bunch more times I might grow to love it, but I'm also not sure I want to put in that work. Low 3.

Overall a pretty cool Punk hip hop fusion album that has some cool moments, but not really and big hits. I do like this album, but don't think it is upper echelon worthy of all the other great albums out there.

No thank you

This album did not need to be 32 songs long especially considering almost all of them were hot garbage.

Doesn't really let up and ultimately becomes a draining, but still unique for his time.

Screemo rock not my thing

There is a lot of wasted time in this thing. The actual songs are alright. But this should be half an hour long tops. An hour and 19 minutes is insane. Even if you cut the ads, the length ruins this record. Mr. Spencer should have cut the fat.

This album starts off with annoying nonsensical screaming, and it doesn’t get any better. By track three I was so turned off by this utter garbage I hit stop and went to go listen to something else. No way should anyone have to listen to this before they die. Get this shit out of here.

Some interesting qualities in here but also some kind of obnoxious songs too. I had the volume up high and that first song really set me off. Never heard of this group before and I'm not sure I'll think about them again.

Punk Elvis. Favorite tracks: Skunk, Wail, Fuck Shit Up, Firefly Child. Album art: Honestly quite terrible. A really elaborate crest with the artist/album name, but it's off-center over a black void, and then an even more off-centered picture of, one can only assume, Jon Spencer. It's so bad it's alright kind of thing. 3.5/5

not for me - got confused bc in my head I was thinking Spencer Davis and then heard these guys and was immediately turned off - not my scene

Lots of sound. It just becomes noise at a point. And a lot of it.

In what world is this the JSBE album you pick?

hmmm... couple bangers on here but a hell of a lot of overdrive

Not in by mood today.

I tried. Heavy metal blues? That’s what it felt like. Ultimately I just couldn’t get there.

I mean, not great. I didn't like the shouting through a megaphone tone. Wouldn't listen much again

This is some rocking rolling banging shit. Like if Elvis played with link Wray and had Dead Kennedys energy. I can see the influences on major garage acts of today like thee oh sees, geese, coachwhips and the like.

High energy, raucous fun. Unfortunately my fave song is on the bonus tracks, Cool Vee, so I'll give the award to Rocketship.

I've apparently unknowingly heard a few tracks by this band on compilations over the years, but have otherwise steered clear of them, probably because of the name? I was expecting some sort boomer-friendly vanilla blues dreck, not this raucous AF garage rock! My cats really did not like the screaming in the first track, heh. Once I got over my genre surprise, eh, this is ok - an interesting listen, though nothing grabbed me very strongly and I don't feel much of a need to revisit. Fave track - eh, "R.L. Got Soul" maybe - gotta say, I didn't feel compelled to look up many of the track names while listening....

Actually some good rock grooves here. Unfortunately they just had to try and be different and throw in random stuff all over the place

to me, this sounded like a mix of iggy pop and jack white. pretty cool.

This was half annoying, half groove-tastic. The annoying part overwhelmed the groove-tastic part, though.

God this sucks

Blues guitar but punk screaming and the distortion is insane. Could barely listen to 2 songs it was just noise.

"Wail" slaps HARD. And it sounds tempting to include at least *one* punk blues album such as this one in a list of essential albums of all time (although JSBE's *Acme* could be a good candidate as well). Taken on their own, you have some pretty impressive rockers in this album. Seeing this project play live at the time was probably insane. On the other hand, all the tracks sound a little samey after a while, at least when it comes to experiencing the studio version of what Spencer and co. can pull of as band firing up on all cylinders. It goes with the territory the man has explored throughout his career, sure, and there's nothing wrong with the record's lo-fi production, which aged like fine wine. Yet the one-note intent here is still something that can be detrimental to my overall benevolent feelings. Didn't prevent me from buying the album at the time of its release. But beyond a bunch of songs, I'm not really inclined to listen to it from start to finish these days (or even explore the many bonus tracks on this Spotify link). So I can't really decide if I'm gonna include this one in my list. Now I got worry of my own anyway, between some work shenanigans and an interview with DITZ I got to prepare. If only I had the time to write proper reviews for everything... 3.5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 4. 8.5 for more general purposes (5+3.5) Number of albums left to review: 29 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 419 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 245 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 311

The first seconds did it for me. Absolutely disgusted.

I was disappointed right off the bat to discover that this wasn't a blues rock album. There were a few things here and there that weren't devoid of merit but as a whole, I didn't like this and wouldn't want to hear it again.

Handful of tracks are FINE, others are just awful. If not for the former, would have been an easy 1 star

Not for me. 1/5

1/2