Powerman
5000- The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Vol. 1
by Greg Howell
We try our best to match CDs with reviewers that "get" them. Sometimes,
despite having 20 writers, a CD is beyond this goal. It might just be the
fact that the CD is truly bad. This series was created so that our more
adventurous writers can examine CDs that were found lacking by our staff
and ultimately by the final critic. Occasionally, we may be wrong
and you can chalk that up to a matter of taste. In those cases, we
offer you the chance to argue in favor of these CDs in the Fan Speak at
the end of the review. For now, here is the latest CD that our writers
found to be Wholly Crap.
Powerman
5000- The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Vol. 1
Label: iMusic
Rating: 
In my reviews, I try to find something
positive to take from the record, but in reviewing Powerman 5000s album
of B-sides, I found it coming up quite flat. The album title could have
just called itself the bad, and the ugly, and been more truthful with
the fans. The songs on this rarities album were recorded in between 1991-96,
before 99s breakout album Tonight the Stars Revolt. Ill break the tracks
down one by one and hopefully give a fair warning to an interested reader.
B.S. One: Just an intro into the album
City of the Dead: A slightly funk intro,
weak lyrics and rhymes, reminiscent of a (hed PE) or a poormans Limp Bizkit
leave this track dead on arrival.
Slumlord: A blues\funk hybrid intro that
also throws in a light record scratching as Spiders (lead singer) deep
vocals begin. This track grows quite repetitive and disappointing.
'91 Even Superman Shot Himself: A shot
at a social commentary, Superman ends up being a shot in the dark and misses
badly.
B.S. Two: Another intro into the next song.
Boredwitcha: An almost straight hip hop
song reflecting more Vanilla Ice than Eminem. I became very bored with
this song.
In the Eye: A funk/pop fusion with incredible
boring lyrics that made me wish I had something in my eye to take my mind
off of what I was hearing.
Original Earth vs. Me: A guitar\record
scratching intro that leads into Spiders increasingly annoying lyrics.
Put the Hammer Down: A hard intro that
sounded close to 99s When the Stars Revolt. Made me raise my eyebrows.
The first semi-descent track.
Solid: Anything but solid, this track starts
up with an up tempo style that Spider struggles to keep up with.
End: An intro of almost a minute of Spider
chanting, Take it to the End. I only wish he would.
B.S. Three: An intro.
File Under Action: A slightly better song
held back by more lame lyrics.
Army of Me: A cover of a Bjork original
that doesnt do it justice. A valid attempt and probably the best track
on the album, which isnt saying much.
Getting Solid: A different take on track
10, "Solid", that still doesnt help it out much
Player Re-Mixx: Played out track with an
annoying, repetitive beat.
20 Miles to Texas, 25 to Hell: The first
of four live tracks, this song moves so agonizingly slow it feels like
youre going 20 mph on the highway.
Strike the Match: Something needs to light
a fire under these guys. Yet another song that was painful to get through.
This time Spider raps too fast over the slow, grinding beat.
What if?: Had to turn up the volume
on this track. The vocals were way too quiet and got drowned out by the
instruments.
Organizized: Something this album was not.
Again, bad pacing with the vocals to instrumentals.
Overall, this album left me disappointed,
yet glad it was over. Only long term\hardcore PM5K bands need to even think
of this album, but I would strongly urge you to stay far away from this
rarities album that should have stayed in the editing room.
CD Info and Links
Tracks:
B.S. One
City Of The Dead
Slumlord
'91 Even Superman Shot Himself
B.S. Two
Boredwitcha
In The Eye
Original Earth Vs. Me
Put The Hammer Down
Solid
End
B.S. Three
F.U.A.
Army Of Me
Getting Solid
Player Re-Mixx
20 Miles To Texas, 25 To Hell
Strike The Match
What If
Organizized |
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