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Hairway to Steven
Barnes and Noble
Hairway to Steven
Current price: $18.99
Barnes and Noble
Hairway to Steven
Current price: $18.99
Size: CD
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The final album for
' legendary run on
got a reception probably not even the band figured on -- lead reviews in major music magazines, increasingly higher profiles, and more. As it is, though,
is actually a touch lazy in comparison to the previous releases, sometimes sounding almost all too normal. When it connects, though,
works wonders, whether continuing in the punk/psychedelic fusion vein of the past or exploring a gentler, tuneful side. The lengthy opener
is the album's high note, and as one might guess from the title it's something of a tribute to
-- at least, if
sounded like it was recorded in a sewer tunnel and was even more gone than it already was.
' alternately deep and hyper-high-pitched vocals work perfectly against
's searing, crazed guitar noises, while the
/
rhythm section lays down a massive beat. Everything concludes with deceptive peacefulness: acoustic guitar, tweeting birds, sounds of bowling, and the like. Other highlights include
a relatively straightforward, mostly acoustic-plus-rhythm section number sung clearly (!) by
, and the mock live recording
with
often sounding like a rural preacher gone mad. The humming guitar buzz of
and the quick blast of
concludes
with vim. As a final note, the song titles themselves can't be found anywhere on the release -- instead, and quite notoriously, a series of cartoon drawings stand in for them. Some are fairly calm, but most show things like nude women displaying their butts and rabbits taking dumps on deer. Juvenile? Of course, but
never pretended to be nice and sweet. ~ Ned Raggett