Tornado season! I don’t mind them during the day when you can see ’em coming but at night, it’s a different story. Kinda freak me out to be honest with ya. When I was a kid, maybe 12, I came out to Kansas with my Mom to visit my Aunt Donna and her family. I remember late one night playing cards (Pinochle) in their double wide, before they got a basement. The weather radio said there was a tornado approaching but there was not much to do without a basement, other than to keep playing cards. No harm no foul, it didn’t hit us. I took a picture of one last year but it was too far away and it just passed on north of us. Oh well, one of the sacrifices for quiet country living.
Alright, one of my Top 10 albums all time for you here. Of course that’s just a subjective view, but if you don’t like it, fuck you (just kidding?). You guys all have your own similar deal. I’m sure. In my opinion though this is right up there with Black Flag’s Damaged (the Back in Black of punk rock). I know, a total stretch for some of you who disagree with most of what is said here. I think it’s pretty fitting though as a follow up to my last post. They are both so different yet they both have a rawness. These guys are not known for their musicianship but the pure energy and emotion, the fucking passion they offer in most of what they do. You have just guitar and drums with this band and I can’t even imagine a bass here (probably would sound killer) but that wouldn’t be Active Minds. I, quite simply, loved this album the first time my needle did it’s thing to it and my speakers followed that emotion. It was sent to me from the Loony Tunes label in England when it first came out in 1988. As a side note, I used to love doing mailorder and waiting for new music to come in the mail…still do, it’s just Ebay and Discogs now (the fucking middlemen). Anyway, there is a wide variety of tunes to be had on this release, even a little piano, but what stands out of course is the hardcore. It takes them six tunes before they throw in a bit of mellowness. They sing about every topic popular of the time and genre, and throw in a couple of new ones for good measure. I think these guys are intelligent about what they write and sing. A really responsible music blogger would have scans of the lyrics along with all the other writings they offer up. That blogger would be Bizzaro-Mustard…that first tune really sucks you in…