OFF: stoner bands of yore back to get us (was: Hawkestra)

[Steve Swann]

I recommend checking out Ridge "Countrydelic and Fuzzed".  One of my
favorite up and coming stoner bands from the late 90's, destroyed by
an unfortunate review on Stonerrock.com calling them a Fu Manchu
clone.  IMO calling them a clone was an unfair assessment of their
worth - but on the other hand, if you like the early Fu Manchu sound,
there's something to be said for the notion that you might like
Ridge's (only) album.

You can check out a song sample here.  For what it's worth, this song
is less heavy and propulsive than my favorites on the album, but it's
representative of their overall sound.
http://www.allthatisheavy.com/info.asp?item_num=ATH-740

Steve

On Sat, Aug 22, 2009 at 5:08 PM, Jonathan
Jarrett<jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> On Thu, 13 Aug 2009, Carl Edlund Anderson wrote:
>>
>> I admit that I was one of those left thinking "hmmm" on California
>> Crossing, and haven't really followed the band since.  Still, I guess
>> they've cranked out a steady stream of albums since then, so it may be worth
>> giving them a listen should they cross my transom.  (Doubtless their MySpace
>> site or something will stream some of the new and recent tracks, if I look
>> around .....)
>
>        I also didn't much rate _California Crossing_, it sounds poppy, and
> they cut their hair at the same time, it was all a bit much. That said, when
> I saw a double LP of live stuff from that tour I still bought it because,
> you know, double live LPs. It's not at all bad, and matches the gig I saw:
> brisk, business-like and generally on tbe ball but not quite the sprawling
> feast of fuzz that _Action is Go!_ might have led one to hope. The one
> before _California Crossing_, _King of the Road_ is an acceptable compromise
> between where they were and where they were going.
>
>        Fu Manchu are an odd one, really; there's a definite sweet spot, as I
> find their early stuff too rough and stupid to really enjoy, but their
> current (or recent, anyway--the stuff they say on the website about the new
> one looks promising) sound is too radio-friendly for me. With most other
> bands I like to start with the first album and slowly work my way forwards;
> that doesn't work with Fu Manchu. Anyone else got any bands like that?
>
>> "50,000 Unstoppable Watts" _is_ a good title.  I'll have to see if I find
>> a way to give that a listen, too!
>
>        It and `Abraham Lincoln' are streamable from their website at
> http://www.pro-rock.com and I have to say that the latter impresses me more,
> but as to what the full thing sounds like, I still do not know. Yet. Come
> pay-day, though... Yours,
>                                Jon
>
> ObCD: Reverend Bizarre - _Harbinger of Metal_
> --
>      Jonathan Jarrett, Cambridge    jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk
>   =======================================================================
>  "With Capitalism, man exploits man.  With Socialism, it is exactly
> opposite"
>                         -Robert Anton Wilson
>