Now I Got Worry

-well it’s quirky… and unique… but idk it just was not really cohesive or interesting enough to keep my attention all the way through. most of the songs were corny and completely blended together, so not really my ideal album experience! had a few fun numbers though -Favorites are Wail and Rocketship

Alun jälkeen hiukan pelotti, mutta ei tämä niin kauheata kuraa ollut. Ihan siistejä kitarariffejä, mutta aika kokeellista kamaa. Ei kauhean korvia miellyttävää. Parhaat: Wall, Identify

que cojones que cojones acabo de escuchar

This is how overdosing on Skittles must feel like.

Punk-blues like a mouthfull of glass.

Messy, but sometimes fun

Has a cool attitude. Bit much at times

Some good ideas that are ultimately lost in a vast ocean of bullshit.

I didn’t like this. Not terrible, just bad.

Analog mayhem.

Quite a rough and garage sound, probably not going to listen again

Death metal blues…?! It made me feel this way: “oof… this guys got issues” not for me!

ResidentSleeper

Cannot bear myself to listen more than few seconds, this pile is still steaming

Won me over completely. Raucous. Fave tracks Wail and R.L. Got Soul.

A few traditional cuts- but a lot of this was controlled noise and chaos. Sometimes it worked for me and sometimes it didn’t. Depending on the day and mood -this could be a 2-4

I genuinely want to like Jon Spencer better. I feel that it's almost there sometimes to the potential I imagine it is. And then there's some godawful screeching or some shit to break me out of my daydream

This was new to me and a real treat. High energy max of rock and roll and blues with some other elements.

I had this band mentally filed besides G Love & Special Sauce. Major filing error - way more aggression than chill on this record, and I am in to it. I will refile closer to Black Lips and King Khan.

I get the feeling they were trying to come across as a 90s punkabilly version of Swans or Sonic Youth, but I’m just not convinced. It comes across less as earnest experimentation and more as affectation. As an aside, I also think they may have the worst band name in the whole list.

This album feels a bit disingenuous and a product of its time, specifically the 90s counterculture. The more I listened to it, the more it reminded me of that specific era, with references to movies like Natural Born Killers or Love and a 45, and vibes that fit right into a David Lynch film. It feels like this album was more appreciated for what it represented, a certain counterculture aesthetic, versus for its actual musical substance. While it likely got high praise from 90s icons like Trent Reznor, the music itself doesn’t seem to hold up as well over time and feels somewhat artificial.

It's been a real nice week on this generator but all things must come to an end, eh? "Now I Got Worry" occasionally shares some DNA with music I might enjoy, maybe like if Jack White and the sound of a Melvins demo tape found in the gutter had a baby but here I look into the pram and recoil in horror at the sight of that mutant edgelord brat. How embarrassing!

This just barely earns a 3 for having the audacity to combine blues and punk and having some of it sound halfway decent. A curiosity.

Crusty, chaotic, but never boring.

I liked this more than most. It reminded a lot of a slightly more aggressive white stripes. A lot of fun guitar riffs Rating: 3.8

It's a bit of a mixed bag this one. A lot of the record is really murky and a bit weird, but there's also a bunch of really good tracks in there too. I much prefer the more upbeat tracks. There's some genuinely funky tracks in here with some good riffs, nice keys and so on. The skill and musicality is there, but I wish it were more consistent. I enjoyed this the more it went on, so I think this one might be more of a grower over time. I went from a 2.5 rounded down to a 2.5 rounded up, to a 3.5 rounded down.

Well, Skunk definitely sets the tone of the album with the instant blood curdling scream. There's some good guitar work to be fair, but I feel like the vocalist needs a lie down. Sounds like he's singing with the microphone lodged in his throat.

Got 3 songs in and had to give up. Not for me 1/5

Is this unintelligible on purpose? You're immediately greeted with screaming over an explosion of sounds, which is guess is a sign of things to come over the next 45 minutes or so. There is actually some decent guitar playing underneath most of this, but the visceral Elvis-like vocals gave me whiplash. Throwing punk and blues together is an interesting genre fusion that may be slightly more appreciated in a live setting (for those who are even into that...). I appreciate both independently, but this just wasn't it for me.

In general I tend to prefer punk blues more in concept than execution. This project is a bit...ambitious for the genre, but sometimes I think it's avant-garde to the point of being unlistenable. Not a ton of fun to sit through. But Wail is a cool song. 2.5/5

Say what you will, but I never would've listened to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Now I Got Worry without this 1001 albums list. Combining punk and blues is unusual, and I initially didn't think it could work! But there was something about the deep, blues beat with the fast, punk sound that makes this album unique. The lead vocalist could sing like Elvis, which reminds you Elvis played the blues too--not just rock and roll. Anyway, this album was not for me. The screaming aspects were unpleasant and soured everything else for me, even if it was a different kind of listen for me.

One thing I really enjoy about this project is discovering other bands'/singers' influences. And upon hearing the punky bluesy combination, there is no doubt in my mind that this group was a major influence on Jack White. Now, to the album. That visceral screaming right out the gate of the first song did not set a good tone. Maybe prime people a bit before you start with that. Like a lot of punk had a tendency to do, this sounded a lot like garage jam sessions that were never actually really finished or put into cohesive songs. Per that formula (or lack thereof), songs start, change, and end quite abruptly. Some of the tracks even sound straight up like dog barking? Anyway, it was interesting, but not interesting enough.

Pretty bad, but not actually offensive. Just sounded like the band banging and crashing away for 45 minutes.

Listened Before? N These edgelords screaming and making noise do not deserve a spot on this list. Go away. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Wail

Loud and hard

Interesting but too damn long

This definitely wasn't what I was expecting from the name - and was even more surprised when the album started off with a shrill scream. Not sure what to say about this - it had a couple of nice little riffs but overall just felt very mediocre and run of the mill, and the blending of bits of genres just didn't really come off all that well. There's so many better albums in the styles this touches on (Blues, Rock & Roll, Punk) and it just feels like a bit of a lazy amalgamation at times. I think there's definitely a bit of a slacker, almost parody vibe going on at points, but if you're gonna do that you have to go all in - which I think is what this feels like at the core; nothing is committing fully, just half baked bits of different stuff that never really melds together. I guess the best way to sum this up (which I may well find many times on this journey) is how the heck was this considered an essential listen of all time? Not offensive by any means, just a bit forgettable. 3/10

Just to point something out — this is classified as «punk blues» on Wikipedia. That is interesting. Not good, but interesting.

A frustrating listen. A few of the songs are pretty good but most of them are quite awful and just sound like noise to me. This was really on the line between a 1 and a 2 for me, but ultimately it came down to a 1. The reason why is purely the lead singer, for the simple reason that he sounds like a teenager trying to act like a blues/rock/punk frontman and failing at it.

Ok that was fun as hell. Wild garage blues rock, I guess you'd compare to like a drunken, coked-out White Stripes cover band at points, it's all over the place. Noisy and lo-fi, it's unhinged rock music which is exactly how rock music should sound like.

Now I Got Worry Never really jived with JSBX although on paper there should be a lot I like. I get what they are going for with the edgy and frenetic garage rock/soul/rnb, but the wiriness does make it feel rather disjointed and it doesn’t work consistently enough to make it a truly satisfying listen. It does grow on you and there are some definite highlights, Wail, Fuck Shit Up and Love All of Me are good and the one-two of Chicken Dog and Rocketship is great. I love Rufus Thomas and having a ‘proper’ singer pulls Chicken Dog together brilliantly, the riff and groove working in unison well. Can’t Stop has a nice rhythmic propulsion and Eyeballin is good too. I like the RL Got Soul riff as well. I like the drummer and the guitars have some great moments, and I know his vocal style is their sound, but sometimes I wish he’d go somewhere other than the Elvis impersonation or the distorted scream. When he does sing more conventionally, as on Rocketship, it’s good. I think you have to acknowledge that they have influenced quite a few indie rock bands after them, but there are bands that do this kind of bluesy garage rock better, like the Black Keys and White Denim, who I presume were very much influenced by JSBX, but who manage to harness everything with a bit more care and craft. Really it's an album of moments and intent and attitude rather than a fully successful artistic statement. Two feels too low, and it at least tries to be interesting, so I’ll go 3. 📿📿📿 Playlist submission: Chicken Dog

Very few good parts, vocals are trash

I kinda hate this. Some people would call this experimental, but it feels like there's a lack of music knowledge misinterpreted as passion.

scawny dirty noise rock, not my cup of coffee

Je connais le band pour les excellents Bellbottom et Chicken Dog, mais il faut dire que mon enthousiasme a planté au premier cri de mort sortant de la bouche du chanteur. Bon, après ça se « calme », mais ya toujours des tracks qui me donne la migraine

This rocks pretty hard. Not sure why I'd never heard of this guy before.

This is just noise.

After 20 seconds of mostly screaming, it seems like this is going to be a tough listen. But wait. 40 minutes later and I've tapped my toe, nodded my head and smiled far more than I expected. It's dirty, dirty blues guitar with the lots of the good kind of experimental edge and a raw, raucous coolness that I can get on board with. A really pleasant surprise.

BOOM

General thoughts: lol this is not blues. this is kinda like a noisy alt rock /grunge, 2 noisy 2 me. sometimes is crazy fun rock like chiken dog, other times is just craizy noise or bad experimental Favorite songs: Identify (reminded me of bastro, thats a huge compliment), Chicken Dog Worst songs: Sticky Cover: Simple but enough Real rating: 2.69

Pretty good fun - these guys were fantastic live back in the day

It’s fun! I accidentally listened to the bonus tracks, which do wear out their welcome. Being white and having “blues” in the band name (especially for purity testers on this website who are also white) gives this some weird cultural baggage. Interesting that this came out during the 90s punk revival. And predated the 2000s distorted-vocal garage rock revival.

It was fun and had good potential, but for some reason that I don't understand, they decided to record it in a bathroom with the whole band playing live and all the windows open. It made it a bit harder to have a good experience, so 2.5 is enough.

It's a good JSBX album. You only need one, they don't do much on the variation front. For what it's worth, I'd have gone for the one with Bellbottoms on instead!

Occasionally grooving but mostly just waiting for it to be done.

Awful grunge music

Noise and screaming. Very stupid. Noice I don't like blues or punk much, but here they kind of negate each other. The combination makes it actually enjoyable

I like unlistenable music but this just felt wannabe

A little unpolished, though the spontaneity has some upside. Several enjoyable tracks, some just feel unfinished 3.4

Trash. I honestly don't know how they came away with that hit Bellbottoms, which isn't even on this album. The singer sounds like a bad Elvis impersonator, and the music behind is voice is erratic, stupid, and noisy.

Just not my cup of tea. Punk x blues is an interesting combination on paper, but not in execution.

Peut-être que cet album a eu un impcat sur la scène un peu plus avant-gardiste, mais honnêtement j'ai trouvé ça vraiment très ordinaire. On dirait que le mixing et la production étaient volontairement mal faits et je ne trouvais pas que ça rajoutait tant que ça au style. EN général ce genre de "on fait exprès de sonner mal même si on est des bons musiciens" n'est vraiment pas une esthétique qui m'intéresse. 3/10

What is this cover? It looks like somebody coded a website all wrong. This really grated. There are some interesting ideas here but really overstayed its welcome.

When this first coughed outta my speakers, I was thrilled - dirty, junkyard blues rock with traces of the Stones, the Cramps and even the Velvet Underground. Unfortunately that feeling didn't last. Despite my initial delight in the grimy, clanky guitar tones, by the end I found it all a little exhausting. Rufus Thomas was criminally underused - 'Chicken Dog' was fun, but stick him on another track or two!

Annoying AF.

Fuck, what even was that? Skunk and Identity were just noise. Wail was interesting, made it all the way through because of the rock-a-billy vibe but the production sounded like a garage band drinking too much PBR. And then Fuck Shit up clearly took its own advice.

I like the energy here. Madness combined with noisy guitars.

This is an atmospheric record first and foremost. If you like catchy singles you're out, in fact if you like songs, you're out. If you like talent, you're out. But if low-fi noise is your bag, dig in

Geez...

2.68

perfect album

almost a twinge of Elvis in Love All of Me... but definitely not my taste

For me, I think that was the longest 45 minutes I've ever lived. The scream to start the album was funny, there were some funny bits in the middle as well, and the last song was unique. I was surprised to find out this band put out 10 albums, this one kind of seemed like a couple of guys rented out a recording studio and riffed for a bit, then released it as an album. I'll give it a 2 because of how caught off guard I was when I started the album, and the guy started screaming in my ears for 30 seconds.

This one started off absolutely terrible and I was convinced I'd give it a 1, but I was caught off guard when I heard some pretty solid songs thereafter. Average it all out and it gets a 3.

Took a few tracks to adjust my mindset to match the music, but once I got into it I liked it. I wasn't expecting the punk rock edgy thing. Thank you 1001 for knocking me off my center once again.

Schrummel schrummel

Too long for its own good, and arguably under produced. But, I would say that also adds to its odd appeal. It’s just wild fun recorded on track, I think the guitar work is fantastic, the instruments in general are good, it just gets a little lost.

Initially I thought that this chaotic, anarchic approach to blues rock must’ve been quite out there for its time. Then I realised I’d misread the year of release as 1966, not 1996, and it suddenly seemed less impressive… It scores highly for style, but less so for substance. Or, to put in another way: in small does it’s the height of postmodern cool. Across a whole album it’s a long, messy jam session. 2.5 stars

Garage rock meets blues. Reminiscent of the White Stripes but less lyrical depth. But, strong sound.

You might say you like this, but do you really?

Was not feeling it at all to start, but I ended up really really digging it. Go figure.

Songs on the edge of exploding or in the process of exploding. Elemental. Required listening especially if such a demand starts a fight.

1 star nope. Just a bunch of random noise and shit.

The raw production on this album is just on the verge of chaos, but it mostly works great! The first song was okay, and after that I thought the rest of the album was really good. So many good dirty guitar tones. I would need to be in a certain mood to play this, but it will for sure get spun again. 4/5

I was concerned this was gonna be like some Brian Setzer shit, but actually this kinda rules. It reminds me of something like Gun Club or The Cramps. Punk blues is good. 3.75/5

This was weird - like purposefully weird, which is the worst kind cause it feels a bit forced and it really loses points on the lyrics. However the sound did get me interested, it's very 90s but it has it's own twist to it and I do enjoy that. Also it would really benefit from trimming some songs, 1h20m is definitely too long for an album like this.

the album is awful in a fun kind of way 😂 Favorite track: wail other picks: skunk, fuck the shit up, can’t stop

I was ready to hate this but warmed to it quickly. A bit like Beck or The Beastie Boys but even more messy.

Loud, boisterous, and immature... but it somehow works for what it is! Could make for good background noise while getting torched with the boys.

Explosion is right. That's what my ear drums did. Throwing more fuzz box edgy lyrics that have lots of cursing doesn't make an album cool or even punk or alt-punk. This album is just a collection of someone who learned a whole bunch of sound effects on different instruments and said "I want that". 2/5

The album is a normal length but the songs are really short, even though this is from 1996. Also, some songs have a nice instrumental base part of the song but for some reason they've ruined them all with extra instrumental sounds and then the singing is a little bit weird at times, but overall not too bad, could definitely be worse.

Not my cup of tea

I really don’t know what to make of this album. There were times when it seemed like a harder rock, Elvis and other others when it reminded me of primus, but throughout the album, I couldn’t really tell if I was even still listening to the same thing and even the same artist with so many different vocal stylings. it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t something I can see myself listening to again with the exception of a few songs.

just not good. at all. while every song is short they still don't end fast enough, and there are unfortunately 16 of them.

Not the best JSBX album. Starting with a song that hurts your brain that much is just stupid, and it hardly eases you in after that. However saw them live around this time or after and it was one of the best gigs I've been to for pogo-tastic good crowd vibes and noisy rock'n'roll insanity. This is another footnote album in this list.

I could have gone my whole life without hearing this, but alas.

Some really good stuff. Nearly a 4.

One of my most cherished CDs is an album from a band called Night Owls called Explosions which was handed to me after I finished a set at a comedy open mic by the then 67 year old bass player. The album is a very fun garage band dumpster fire that I will never fall out of love with. The love of that music has everything to do with how I acquired it and nothing to do with any (lack of) talent from the Night Owls. The album lived very proudly for many years next to the insane pamphlet from the cat boy comedian from another open mic night and the healing crystals a random hippy girl gave me after a party one night. That’s what this album is. It whoops it’s way onto a list of albums to listen to before you die because the author forgot the difference between personal favorites and worthwhile music. I get it. It’s fun, but Jack White runs circles around this band and I don’t even know respect him that much.

L'album commence en criant, ça surprend. Mais quand même bon, un peu rock, punk, blues aussi.

first listen. I've had like 3 attempts but I can't go through this album it's just a bunch of noise to me.

WTF IS SKUNK GODVERDOMME wat een nare opener, WIE vond dit nodig? Het is trouwens geen blues album, leugenaars... Eerder een matig rock album, met vooral scheurende gitaren, maar dan niet goed afgesteld en opgenomen? Telt dat? Dit neemt alles wat ik kut vind aan punk en tyft er dan distortion overheen. Wat een matig album... en dan staan er 35(!!!!!!!!!!!!!) nummers op dit album, ik heb het eigenlijk na 5 al gezien Heb gekeken en na nummer 16 ga je de bonus edition in, ze kunnen de tering krijgen, na nummer 16 ga ik iets anders doen met mn leven, wat een bagger is dit. Een explosion is het zeker, maar dan wel van het soort waarvan ik wil schuilen en hoop het nooit meer mee te maken.

My Canadian uni mates loved this gear.

This wasn't my mood today, but I can see the attraction for some.

I loved Wail when it first came out so am familiar with this. It's cool and scuzzy and bluesy and fun. At points it becomes a bit too much but I enjoyed the trip down memory lane. It was interesting getting this close to a Kings if Leon album as I wanted to score his higher, but I realised that was just because if nostalgia and because they were cooler and less mainstream but KOL has catchier songs. Another 3.5 rounded down

Like a bar band that decided to play a few basement shows at the punk house where their friends are squatting. It’s not groundbreaking when they’re tight, and sometimes they’re a bit too drunk to be tight and instead play stupid ass joke songs, but at least their set is always fun. They have this cowpunk piss-take of country blues, especially the style popularized by Elvis, and it’s just fun if you let loose a bit. At the same time, though, based on the talent, range of styles, and even the features on here, I suspect these guys are a lot more respectful of the blues tradition than people who hate on this record. I don’t know if I’d call this essential — I’m not even sure I would’ve told these boys to get into a studio, if I’m being honest — but truthfully, I enjoyed this a lot more than other ✨serious✨ albums on this list. It’s definitely way too long and way too disheveled and unfocused to get too much praise from me, knowing I won’t remember it much in the morning, but I do like it! If I stumbled upon Now I Got Worry in a bin, I’d pay no more a Hamilton for it. More importantly, I’d 100% see these guys play a punk house basement, and that might be higher praise than any attempt at real criticism here.

I couldn't bear the first song. Bopper along to the second. Pretty mixed from there. Too many high screech sounds for me, but I like the experimental nature of the effort. Electric violin in the 1960s.

Punk blues must be the worst genre on this site. The last song has a section that sounds like a harsh noise track that no one likes. There's a few good bits scattered on the album. It has the awful kind of experimentation. This week must be a let down compared to the last one. I'll give "Now I Got Worry" 2 stars.

Pretty good, not great. All over the place with crazy sounds and effects as well as key 90's instrumentation such as dj record scratches. The bulk of the album I found unenjoyable, but I like its attempt at the revinvention of blues rock. Reminds me of a proto version of the Black Keys that would come later in 2002.

Holy shit what a fucking racket. This is exemplary of everything wrong with the Gen X alternative rock that polluted the 90s (pavement is not included in that.)

...Interesting

No. That’s a no from me. 1/5

Was weird, from the first scream on.

Sounds okay I guess, but not okay enough to give this a 3. 2.4*

Meh, some good stuff, mostly bland or bad. 2/5

At first I thought it was just noise but later I found it to be hard hitting and funky

Never heard of this artist. Very interesting style of music. Didn't know punk blues was a thing. Very cool stuff so far. Very interesting. Not able to get through the whole album.

Fun

Who said it was open mic night? Because that's what it sounds like

I'm not sure what I was expecting with this album, but it certainly wasn't what I got. I really enjoyed this album. It's so noisy and irreverent, which fits really well with the blues. It's fun the whole way through, but also well-constructed enough that you can take it seriously 4/5

I knew my afternoon commute was ruined when the first track began with that scream. Downhill from there.

Solid 3.5 stars. A straightforward noisy rock album. At times the lyrics are simple, other times they're inaudible but it always sounds pretty good. Lots of short tracks keep the album engaging. It also includes moments of heavy distortion or experimental sounds. Notable tracks include "Wail," "Love All of Me," "Can't Stop" and "Sticky."

Blurry guitar (which I imagine is why this album is on the 1001 list) didn’t work for me. With Blues Explosion in the band name, I expected so much more. Bit of a let down. (1.996*s)

Right out the gate this album manages to establish that its going to be complete chaos. It jumps around all over the place and has zero cohesion. It has some interesting points and you'll start getting into the riffs right when the bad Elvis impersonator with schizophrenia comes in with a "yeah" and ruins everything. It switches from ok to annoying every 5 minutes for the entirety but somehow its still not the worst album on this list.

Not hearing much blues from Spence but certainly a musical explosion. Some Beck influence, some good beats and mixing, some noise, some weirdness, and some fucking shit up. Can't say I liked it all that much but I kinda want to hear it again. Def need to watch the music video for Wail directed by Weird Al?!...2.55

Welp. That was certainly an explosion. It starts with a guy straight up yelling into your ear. Then it gets weird, and kinda good and kinda all over the place. A wacky listen for sure. Some OK stuff sprinkled in but not sure I'll ever listen to anything by Jon Spencer again. In terms of 1001 you can certainly do a lot worse I guess. I expect the music video for Wail might go into my rotation for the sheer weirdness and Weird Al connection. 2.35 stars

Garbage. Noise.

i would enjoy this more if i was in a different mood but like not by much

Never heared of JSBE before, but I got quite surprised by this album. Always wild, sometimes hard to digest, sometimes on the edge to annoying. But if you forget about the starting scream and the last track it´s most of the time fun to listen to. A weird mixture of Stones, Hives, AC/DC and Lenny Kravitz. Not an every day pick.

Liked the bits that sounded like the Butthole Surfers. Didn't like the bits that sounded like the White Stripes. Ambivalent to the bits that sounded like Elvis. Slowly wore out it's welcome.

1/5 non

I listened to this on a long and hot run. It somewhat turned into a fever dream and I got lost in the vibe and something about a spaceship or spaceman. I'm not too sure that this is great but I did go somewhere with it.

An edgey start to the album to ensure it isn't endearing to me. I'm getting old. I don't think I can listen to this. I got through it. It was torture.

Kicks ass!!

Dehä va sick! Grimy gitarr sound, jätte nice bas o trummor

Scuzzy, fuzzy, blues rock

In the context of “should you listen to this album before you die,” no.

Went in wanting to like this as I only really knew Bellbottoms (which I like) but this got very tedious very quickly and I gave up

6/10. While it was a unique listening experience I found a lot of it to be a bit annoying. That said — I thought the talent was clear. The Elvis-like voice with this style of music was very interesting. Added Dynamite Lover to the playlist because I thought it encompassed a lot of the positives of the album and less of the negatives (imo).

Every 2/5 rating I've given now feels harsh in hindsight.

Some of this was a bit weird and wasn’t enjoying it but there were actually some great songs in amongst this and at certain points I got their vibe. Kind of reminded me a little bit of the misfits but I dunno if that’s just me. Looking back now later at the songs and don’t remember the names of any I liked apart from can’t stop but I’m sure there were a few. 3 out of 5 is fair

2.3 rounded down. "Fuck Shit Up!" and "Firefly Child" were decent, but there is a lot of content that I was rather ambivalent about getting through. Some else describe this album as listening to drunk neighbors rock out late at night. That is spot on and I would add the finer point that these are otherwise clearly talented neighbors who are sloppily smashed and edging more towards belligerent early morning incoherence.

Only song I’d ever heard by these was Bellbottoms, which I listened to a hundred times without thinking to check the rest of their songs out. Alas, it aint on this record. I did like this though. Scuzzy, over distorted garage rock. It is too long mind, gets a bit much after a while. But it’s clear these are loving what they do almost as much as they love getting their ends away. Fair enough really. I read an interview a while back where they said these pretty much divided indie rock at the time. Half thought they were a great, refreshing addition to the more serious scene, the other half thought it was a pisstake. The singer was described as being an Elvis impersonator having a breakdown, or words to that effect. I like it though, sounds like a group of musicians having a great time, with plenty of Little Richard-esque influence. Cant give it a 4 as I’m not sure I’ll be rushing back, but would definitely catch them live if they ever toured again

Because it was so long I had to give it a good few goes to get all the way through, and because it sounds very samey it took me ages to work out where Id last got to each time. Think I probably listened to a lot of tracks twice. This is a great example of why most garage rock albums are less than 40 mins runtime, there is a really good 40 min album here that is bloated with weaker tracks and repetition. Eyeballin was probably the best, was a bit trippy, reminded me of QOTSA. I think this band are alright and would probably be good live, but this album is hard work. 2.5.

It is decent but it isn't half long. The first track, opening with the yelling, sort of misleads you for the rest of the album - nothing quite hit that level of madness. Nevertheless, an enjoyable listen.

Bits of this are quite good, but then there's bits that just sound like they're trying to be edgy. Seems to be a theme on the public reviews too, trying to hard type thing. Not really that offensive, but won't be back. 2.5

WTF is this? And how was this even remotely considered to be a candidate for this list? Noise, unintelligible chaos, and so many puerile lyrics. I hear blues influences for sure, and I certainly hear explosions. But this will be the first and last time I listen to John Spencer's Blues Explosion. Just ... no thank you.

Proper bluesmen must hold their heads in their hands when they hear this. At least the British blues explosion of the 60s was true to the soul of the art.

this is so fun. really good. but still a 1. a strong 1.

This album was just okay. It really feels like they’re trying too hard.

Write a review? Fuck you!

too much screaming. I had to turn the volume way down but it was still bad. I was excited for silence once the album was over.

Garage honkeytonk with some punk more than blues, but it just doesn't click.

Why!!!?

You will never be as cool as Jon Spencer circa 1996. No one ever will be - that is just a fact

It's like White Stripes but with more complexities.

The music is OK. The vocals are so so bad.

Was not a fan, I get the experimental aim of this album but it was both too much for my ears and too long

Loose and loud, not really a classic album but a lot of fun.

It's like Jack White meets Elvis?

This album didn’t do much for me. Just didn’t meet my expectations. Think I preferred the jams on the deluxe album over the actual songs from the album.

Pretty rough. Not our thing.

Some cool guitar riffs surrounded by a lot of garbage

Ok

I did not enjoy this, but I was impressed with the creativity.

Edgy blues for edgy boys.

Every time I see the title of this album I just think of Alfred E. Neuman/Mad Magazine. “What, me worry?” As an album, though? Completely obnoxious.

Why the screaming…

Messy, chaotic, blues punkabilly rock. I liked small bits but mostly was unphased by the majority. More than half of the songs I listened to about 30 seconds then skipped. I don’t think this a very accessible album to most and not sure it really deserves to be on this list. 4/10

It was ight, was expecting straight blues rock, but it got a little punky n psychobillyish, so that's cool. Just generally wasn't my thing

This one made me think of an opening act that everyone digs at the music festival...until they play too long and everybody drifts off and wonders when the headliner's gonna be on. Next time, pick your 5 best songs and get off the stage.

This album is bizarre. Crunchy. Punk. Nonsense lyrics. Jams and grooves. Seems pretty far from normal blues. Maybe that's what blues sounds like exploding? It's a cool little jam.

This album made me regret being born with ears.

Not for me. It is yet another addition of something something rap and rock which was very popular in the 1990s. But was it actually good? Did it pass the test of time? I would disagree.

3.8 - I like seeing Matador records represented — an important influence on my 90’s indie music diet. Jon Spencer was another act in my periphery. He always struck me as more of a showman, the kind of performer who’d jam out on stage dawning an Evil Kneivel-type jumpsuit. He and Jack White have this schtick, this sort of traveling bluesman persona — there’s lots of swagger, and smooth talkin’ jive. But behind the facade, Jon Spencer is an artist with an array of sludgy, gnarly guitar sounds that twist and bend and groan to create dark and colorful tunes. “Fuck Shit Up” is my favorite.

Not my favourite of their albums, but very good

No, didn't get on with this at all.

Så dåligt så jag blev illamående.

I know this band from Baby Driver and their song Bellbottoms. I really like that song and was ready to jam to this but this was just not my vibe at all.

C+ Skunk 3 Identify 3 Wail 3 Fuck Shit Up 3 2 Kindsa Love 2 Love All Of Me 3 Chicken Dog 2 Rocketship 3 Dynamite Lover 3 Hot Shot 3 Can't Stop 3 Firefly Child 3 Eyeballin 3 R.L. Got Soul 3 Get Over Here 3 Sticky 3 This was actually pretty good.

I love Jon Spencer, Seen him live 2x - This album is not his best, it is maybe his most interesting and closest to the tightly managed chaos of his live shows in its approach. I like it enough to give it 4 stars but I really think I would put it a notch below Extra Width, Orange and Meat and Bone all of which I really love. I hope one of those if not all are on this list too so I give it 3.

This was the first album I was unable to make myself finish. I got about halfway through over the span of several days. There were some decent guitar playing, but everything else was extremely obnoxious while also somehow being bland. 2/10 Would I listen again? Absolutely not

Estranho. Cru. Não tem nada de blues como inclusive fala na resenha do livro. Nem seio o q isso...

Utter shit

Garage-rock-esque, pretty harsh

About 30 years too late

Id never heard of these guys before, definitely not this album. It was kind of fun but I wasn't a huge fan of the guys voice.

Not a big fan.

This is dire is starts with a man screaming at you and gets no better. There's a few elements in a few songs that are...music, but the rest is shit. 2 because its not Serge

It’s not bad. It’s pretty good. They at least try and take blues elsewhere rather than blooz a la every second rate Stevie Ray hack. But is this the one? I think they did better.

Great concept. A harsh mix if great stuff - Iggy meets Elvis and they go garage punking. Hard to stick with. Ok In small doses. But Bellbuttoms isn't in this album, so I did an intro scan... It's remarkable consistent, I'll give em that. So the album is a curio and I still find Bellottoms

Crazy band. I saw them perform live a few times in the late 90’s on ABC TV shows (Recovery &, most memorably an anarchic performance on Studio 22 - it’s on youtube). I can’t describe them any better than Mark Deming of AllMusic, who proclaimed about this album : “If you want to get slapped upside the head while you boogie all night long, this is the album for you." Because sometimes it feels like an aural assault. Great to hear the Funky Chicken-man himself guest on Chicken Dog. He was about to turn 80 when this album was released. Worth a listen.

One day in August 1994 I received a breathless phone call from my friend Jodie in Canberra. She had just been to see Beck play at the ANU Bar, and insisted that I had to go see the show when it swung through Sydney a few days later. "Beck" she said "is surprisingly good, but you _have_ to see the support band." And that support band was the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. So, I followed her advice and trotted down to the Metro Theatre that Saturday night to catch the show. And Beck _was_ surprisingly good. he had a much more muscular band than I was expecting based on my listening to the Mellow Gold album, and they rocked pretty hard. But the Blues Explosion were a revelation. They tore the place up! It was rock and roll in a way that I had rarely seen; part blues shouter, part gospel preacher, part Elvis, part James Brown, but with a garage rock sound that blasted the place down. The songs were barely songs; they were loose improvisational grooves that provided a platform for Spencer to preach. I knew the name of his previous band, Pussy Galore, but was unfamiliar with their music. According to wikipedia, Jon Spencer had a breakthrough when touring with the Jesus Lizard in late 92, and his performance was raised to whole new level, and woo-hoo was that apparent! You can see his approach well in this clip (https://youtu.be/zeW-mOXdkvU?si=8FvexCqU-uM11w-1), which was a live to air Australian Saturday morning TV show with an audience of mostly kids. Who else watches yoof television at 10am on a Saturday? God knows what the audience made of it all. The studio audience seems stunned. All JSBX albums are essentially the same. They don't really have songs, just great performances. The playing is loose and the recording is shittily lofi (although not to the degree of bands like the Gories, who were ploughing a similar field), and full of spit and vinegar and proper rock n' roll grit. It is a terrific performance that makes you feel alive. It's a groovy mix of cheap whiskey and the Holy Ghost, in a slim cut suit and greased back hair. They were really at their best live, and you don't really need more than one record. Personally, I prefer Orange (which came out just after that live show I saw), but there's not much in it. Truth be told, the record I play most is the Experimental Remixes EP, which I sometimes drop into my DJ sets. This is great reminder of what rock and roll should be; loud and obnoxious and groovy and sexy and kinda out of control.

Weerd, and it wasn't really that great.

2/5

This was great! Loved it!

I kept wanting to like it and it kept giving me reasons not to. And I even tend to like noise punk, but not this one.

My brother liked these guys when I was younger and I never got into them. I enjoyed this listen.

Surely bit of a mixed bag, some songs were pretty good and some pretty bad, maybe it will grow on me

I am 143 albums in and this is by far the worst album so far. And I’ve already listened to Devil Without a Cause.

There were moments when I hated this (screaming at me first thing in the morning) and moments that I really enjoyed it (in the afternoon). I'm not sure what to think about it as a whole. I'm not sure I ever really got what it was supposed to be for me.

Each time that I would pause to reflect on how I was enjoying the album, my thought would be that I wasn't. I didn't think it was all that pleasant to listen to. But then, I would find myself a bit intrigued by the music. So, I don't really know where I land...definitely not a "love it" and also not "this sucks", but did I like it...I guess, maybe...

Loud and fuzzy, like Elvis with more distortion and swears and much less enjoyable.

Some very bluesy wailing delivered with a lot of force-bordering-on-abuse. I guess I was feeling musically masochistic, because much to my surprise I found myself really enjoying this album.

There was glimpses of something that could of been good but in the end it was just a train wreck.

Shite

An unexpected treat. It's raw and chaotic, with bits of Iggy Pop and Captain Beefheart pulsing throughout. I saw the low reviews and feared the worst, but this was a belter.

great when it isn't just noisy edgy crap wail 2kindsa love rocketship dynamite lover can't stop r.l. got soul

hell yeah! this is some raw music and im all bere for it. Loved most of the songs but im giving 4 because some songs sounds like elvis prestley from hell

Very noisy but still decent

Can I give it a zero

I have mixed feelings about this album because it had a couple of good parts of songs, but the vocals and crazy noises are just dreadful to the ear. It's like they were in & out of rehab while recording. Also reminded me of when the Casio keyboards came out and we recorded stuff while we were stoned. Also I'm very concerned for the folks that rated this a 5. 🤣🤷 Would still like to sit down and have a drink with you! Just probably wouldn't survive a long road trip together. Scraping by @ 1.6 for two stars. I'm almost embarrassed. Sorry Mom!

Pretty sure he had to worry because it was obvious this album is complete crap. Sounds like a freshman art project or your idiot neighbor who thinks he has a garage band that rocks. Over compressed was a trend but this one sounds like it was recorded through soup cans.

Don’t like it very much. I like loud music but the sound wasn’t pleasant

I like this band but this album didn't do much for me

Nice punky almost bluesy short songs

Technically sound that rips through longer than kept my ear. An output that did not agree with me on a personal level but can appreciate for others.

You can't fool me, I know punk rock when I hear it. Maybe it's psychobilly. Whatever it is, it's rad. Album of the week.

Dåligt men inte så dåligt att det blev kul

maybe 2 listenable songs in the album.

Now we know why the Blues died. Almost every other blues album I've heard is better simply by virtue of not choosing to be annoying. There's more sounds of dying fowl then blues chords on this record. Points for creativity, so 2 stars. 1.5/5.0: Bad

Solid album

Full-blown scream to start things off, way to ruin the vibes. Seems silly, but a few songs in and I just can't get in the mood to keep listening. Let's just write this one off for now...

So all over the place damn.

What a colossal waste of time. I guess the type of person who think starting an album with an obnoxiously loud and distorted scream, is also the type of person that believes the rest of this nonsense album could be interesting to anyone not involved in making it. After surviving the first track, there's still more than an hour of this muck to wade through. Lord have mercy.

starts out with a long, loud scream...terrible from the first few moments

This is horrid. I can scream my lungs out too.

Boom!!

so cool

I would have liked some of the tracks more if the blues hadn’t exploded. But overall a fun, rockabilly sound that I may not like every day, but I enjoyed today.

I did not like this album to start but it either got better or grew on me. Very chaotic blues at times but the second half settled a bit. I only had time for one listen and would try it again to see how it is on a second listen.

It's not bad. I bet it's a fun live show, though.

prohíban que los blancos punketos hagan este tipo de cosas horribles

Qué es esto

Blues rock, bah.

All'inizio ok, poi si perde

Un album qui semble vous mettre au défi de l’écouter. J’aime le côté sombre et impertinent.

Just noise.

Wail is the only song that didn't make me want to wail

An explosion of blues-like sounds, only hints of it sounded good. Within the realm of stuff I like, weird, funky, out-there, & creative. Just none of it really came together to make it a listen I'd actually enjoy. 32 tracks... This was a rough listen. Would have rated it much higher if it was trimmed down to a few main tracks, & fleshed out a bit more. The slog had me slowly hating it more & more.

I feel like some of these tracks are jams but then there's some that are just noise

Was expecting more blues and less screaming. Meh album

great

Hyvää tässä on seuraavan biisin yllätysarvo... Mutta pahaa tässä on se ettei heh.. yllätys ole aina mieluinen vaikka genre maistuu maistuu ja sopii välillä yllätellä.. päähän paukuttamisen sijaan heh..

Perfect energy for cleaning the house but as an album it got a bit repetitive.

Was this band brilliant or fucking insufferable? Time hasn’t been kind.

Album Nr. 56 Nope.

Psychobilly punk rock

I really hoped I'd like this more. It's weird, wild, wacky, even unhinged, but also never held my attention. Ideas come and go so quickly. Not off the train with JSBX; I'll try another album before giving up. But this one didn't do it for me. As an aside, I like his side project Boss Hog way more...

Fairly easy listening. Nothing ground-breaking. A good example of blues rock, but I think are better examples.

I've seen this described as "punk blues" and I feel that is apt. There's a definite blues undertone throughout but it's very garage sounding. I do think there's a place for this, but it's not something I see myself coming back to very often.

в отзывах много хейта, но мне очень понравилось. «Chicken Dog!» wtf?!

I generally like noisy rock music, but the actual noise-rock genre can be a little too much for me. As much as I enjoy the experimental nature of it intellectually, my ape brain needs melody from somewhere in order to really like the music. Thus, the songs off this album with some semblance of melody (Wail, Fuck Shit Up) I liked, but the songs without, I did not like so much.

Sounds like someone asked a first gen generative AI to create a White Stripes album. Pretty trash.

Annoying from the very first second.

Interesting

Was not expecting noise or noise rock type. I guess the title says explosion. I should like it but …

zero, but you don't allow that

I'm not sure what I was expecting out of a "blues explosion" but upon reflection I'd say this fits the description. I thought this album was fun. Some groovy guitar and goofy vocals. Definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. The run time is a little long.

Not my thing. The blues /punk fusion doesn’t resonate with me. 2/5.

Curioso. Sí, esa es la palabra

Kannte ich nicht, hat mich gut abgeholt. Jetzt weiß ich, was Jack White früher so gehört hat

Crazy sound

Why this album is here

Too much random screaming.

Did not particularly enjoy this

Not sure what this is. Not the blues, unless blues is a lot of loud music, and screaming. Not impressed.

Not a fan.

So very awful.

Elvis if he was awesome:

Before going into this album, I was only familiar with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion through the song of theirs that was in BABY DRIVER, "Bellbottoms". I've always loved it, largely for its association with the film, but in general I think it's great. And it did not prepare me for this album. I can hear some elements here and there, but this is some raw, loud, live show-ass punk blues. On some Jack White shit here. And I love it so much. It's so damn fun. I can understand that its energy might be too much, 'cuz it never tones down the whole album, even on the slower songs; and even if it isn't as long as some other 90's albums I've heard it could **maybe** stand to be a little shorter... Aw, but heck. I don't even care. It's fabulous. It's groovy. It dun' make me wanna dance.

I dig this album HARD. Nice chunky guitar riffs and the vocals give this album a great mix of blues and garage rock influence.

It’s an incredibly bold and incredibly stupid choice to put two of your 4 worst songs (Skunk & Fuck Shit Up) at the very front of the album, but somehow, what emerges from it is a shockingly nice 36 minute jam session full of really good, diverse energy. There are still points where the production is a fucking cacophonic mess, but those moments show up less and less after Fuck Shit Up, and by Track 7, the album actually becomes a fun listen up until the final 2 tracks, where it goes back into the bad habits of Skunk & Fuck Shit Up. Really experimental, avant-garde, greasy grungy garage rock that somehow hits on some of my sensibilities from about Tracks 5 through 14, and that’s most of the album, which is a miracle after that abysmal opening. To put it bluntly, this is the album Apocalypse Dudes fucking wishes it could have been, and it pulls off a bigger comeback than the Patriots did in Super Bowl 51. It is a 3 as a whole, but the good songs on this album, I would genuinely rate a 4.

There’s a handful of decent blues songs here—“Chicken Dog” and “Hot Shit”…maybe a few others that I can’t remember. There’s also a lot of not great stuff. The album is all over the place, and long at 16 tracks. There’s a song that sounds like a bad Rolling Stones impression, several that sound like an Elvis impersonator in a Stooges tribute band, and a couple songs that sound like Jet before Jet existed (I hate Jet). There’s even some proggy/jammy/math rock stuff happening. There’s also a bunch of just whacked out nonsense, like the closing track, which is a dude making unhinged sounds to a horror movie soundtrack. Maybe this band is worth seeing live, but a studio recording shouldn’t be a bunch of random shit thrown at the wall. Garage rock blues that dabbles in experimental art rock isn’t my thing. 2/5

Some of the jammy parts are okay, but whenever the vocals cut in it just kills it for me. Certainly not my cup of tea, but this one is borderline just bad music.

What? Am I being punked?

I'm reminded of a lot of different punk bands: The Gun Club, The Cramps, The Misfits, to name a few. Weird they are the "Blues Explosion". Only a few tracks sound bluesy. Decent enough but not a revelation by any stretch.

What the hell is that intro

2.5 - 3.0

This album is way more punk than I remember. It's closer to Mudhoney and Gas Huffer than I gave it credit for.

A mixed bag - some I liked, some too much noise, and often I didn't like the lyrical content at all

It's like trout mask replica but less thoughtful

the start of it was bad, then it got pretty good half way through, different to anything i’ve heard though

Worth a relished, just a little weird

Starting the album with a blood curling is certainly a choice -- and lets you kinda know what you're getting into with this one. Certainly seems to have scared off a good portion of the reviewers here. But I will persist through. Can hear a bit of like Beck in here with some of these blues grooves ("F**k Sh*t Up specifically). Released on Matador, which is making me want to give it a bit more credit, as I love the label. I think I'm actually enjoying this. Interesting reading reviews about how people were concerned about the cultural appropriation aspects of mimicking Black vocal stylings -- definitely something that would come under even more fire today, and for good reason. But if you can look past that, there's some really explosive rock 'n' roll music going on here. I think it wore on a bit as a 45 minute record (don't really feel any inclination to listen to the bonus edition that's 1 hr 20), could have been a really great 30 minutes. I think this a strong 3 for a record that I appreciate and enjoyed in places, but don't see myself coming back to super often.

Fun background noise

Broooo ersch mal mad verschrocke wo de eifach afangt schreie. Isch ja nuts de dude. Blues explosion? Tönt als wär das damals so ahead of their time gsi (Aber the time isch denn nie cho). Isch ja schön Pioniert meh e Musik richtig aber mengisch het mehs denn doch besser lah. Broo wie fucking lang isch da album au?? Vorallem tönt alles fasch glich? 1.4/5 wells amigs no es cools Gitarre riff drinne het.

Wasn hier los lol why the screaming??? Hm ich muss sege ich find das ganze album max chaotisch. Aso so, zviel ideeä unf iwie keini richtig verfolgt? Chaotisch cha recht cool sii aber das isch so chli unorganized chaos… sorrryyy:/

skunk foht schomol mitme afoch huuuere unchillige schrei ah okay? aber de song isch recht geil. identify isch huuere churz punk time geil. wail geils riff und sehr geile strophengitarre. wail banger moll. fuck shit up chli weird? 2 kindsa love intressante giti sound? aber jo ähm wa love all of me hani nöd so gfühlt. Chicken dawg isch defür recht e cools riff und sehr geili gitarresounds. ok cant stop isch en echte blues firefly child findi de best bis etz glaub d gitarre isch no cool. eyeballin findi mässig geil. s isch s ganze album bis etz afoch chli komisch ahgressiv und chli z wenig hooks und songs. conclusion: ich bin definitiv kein noiserock guy und das isch keis guets album.

oke ja ähnlich wie bi en-tact: coole ahfang, denn chli d ernüechterig und denn je länger s album gaht, desto nerviger. het aber doch einige sehr weirdi/spezielli moment wo ich cool find

Another surprise home run that makes me so glad I started this project! I had heard of this band before, but somehow never listened to them. I don't know exactly what I *thought* they were, but it certainly wasn't the awesomeness that I just had the pleasure of hearing! This album is searing, aggressive, technical, and so damned fun. it starts with a weird, primal scream and gets weirder from there. At no point did I ever *really* know what I was listening to, it's so unique and unlike anything else I've heard. Although I could definitely hear the blues inspired riffing in the guitars, this album is more unabashed in-your-face rock than anything else. An easy 4.5 stars, a hidden gem, and one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in the 80+ albums I've reviewed

I liked some of this.

A good bar blues band

There was an explosion…but it was more punk than blues. I enjoyed it, but it won’t make my regular rotation.

This is was silly. Not terrible.

I like Blues/Rock and I definitely found a few new songs to like. Overall, though, it's not my favorite compilation and seemed to descend a lot into discordant sounds that hit my ear wrong.

Hmm not for me

Rating: 4/10 Did not like this but I found it quite amusing. Sounds like demented blues, it feels like the band is parodying blues, rock, and itself with this album. It's like this album is supposed to sound awful, from the ridiculous sound effects, weird song structures, and bad production. I commend the band for trying something unique but this was really bad; it has some legitimately great moments and even songs on here though. Favorite songs: Wail, Rocketship, Firefly Child. Worst songs: Skunk, Identify, Sticky.

This was a new genre to me, blues punk. Liked most of it with a few exceptions. Will I listen to again: 40%

Yay we did it!!! My first ever 1 star review (so far)!! I knew from the very first second of this album, when I was jumpscared by the most horrendous and unnecessary screeching I have ever heard in my life, that me and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion were going to be enemies. Not one redeemable or enjoyable track.

Ass sandwich