fIREHOSE | ||
| Allmusic Biography : In 1985, after D Boons tragic death at age 27 signalled the end of the Minutemen, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley threw in their lot with then-22-year-old former Ohio State University student, guitar player, and Minutemen fanatic Ed Crawford to form fIREHOSE. Taking their group name from a line in Bob Dylans "Subterranean Homesick Blues," fIREHOSE continued in the Minutemen tradition of breathtaking musicianship combined with caustic lyrical fusillades inspired by the writing of the Beat Generation and the erect-middle-finger indignation of the Blank Generation. However, with Crawfords decidedly folkie bent insinuating itself into the mix, fIREHOSEs songs began to expand into more traditional verse-chorus-verse songwriting symmetry. And although fIREHOSE never equaled the Minutemens output in terms of sheer audacity and emotional depth, Crawford, Watt, and Hurley recorded rock that was muscular, dense, and daring, along with being tremendously heartfelt. They never patronized audiences or comported themselves as "rock stars"; they were instead the quintessential post-punk "peoples band." Although they achieved wider notoriety than did the Minutemen (eventually recording for a major label), fIREHOSE called it quits in early 1994 after a desultory, dispirited final LP (Mr. Machinery Operator). Still, nearly all of their recorded work stands as some of the best late-80s/early-90s indie rock. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: Ragin, Full-On Released: 1986 Tracks: 14 Duration: 33:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Brave Captain (03:15) 2 Under the Influence of Meat Puppets (01:58) 3 It Matters (01:39) 4 Chemical Wire (02:43) 5 Another Theory Shot to Shit (02:32) 6 On Your Knees (02:19) 7 Locked-In (02:59) 8 The Candle and the Flame (03:14) 9 Choose Any Memory (02:05) 10 Perfect Pairs (02:24) 11 This... (01:42) 12 Caroms (02:05) 13 Relatin Dudes to Jazz (01:38) 14 Things Could Turn Around (03:10) |
| Ragin', Full-On : Allmusic album Review : When the Minutemen were forced to split up in December of 1985 due to the untimely death of singer/guitarist D. Boon, the remaining members (bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley) were so devastated that they considered giving up music all together. Shortly afterwards though, a college student and major Minutemen fan, Ed Crawford, convinced the remaining members to soldier on. And soldier on they did, taking Crawford (known as "Ed fROMOHIO," due to his signature on a letter) as their new singer/guitarist, and dubbing the new outfit fIREHOSE, after the famous Bob Dylan song "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Their first album was issued less than a year after Boons death, 1986s Ragin, Full On for SST, and surprisingly, the new band sounded completely different than its predecessor (for example, Crawford had more of a real singing voice than Boon, the music was less unpredictable and more focused, etc.). Ex-Black Flag bassist Kira (and eventual wife of Watt) helped co-write several tracks: the hyper instrumental "Under the Influence of Meat Puppets," plus "It Matters," "Locked In," "Perfect Pairs," "Relatin Dudes to Jazz," and "Things Could Turn Around." Other highlights included "Brave Captain," "Candle and the Flame," "Choose Any Memory," and "Caroms." While fIREHOSE would perfect their highly original sound on future albums (Flyin the Flannel, Mr. Machinery Operator, etc.), Ragin, Full On still proved to be a worthwhile, interesting debut. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Ifn Released: 1987-12 Tracks: 14 Duration: 39:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sometimes (03:26) 2 Hear Me (02:40) 3 Honey, Please (02:23) 4 Backroads (02:05) 5 From One Cums One (02:28) 6 Making the Freeway (02:13) 7 Anger (03:51) 8 For the Singer of R.E.M. (03:20) 9 Operation Solitaire (02:38) 10 Windmilling (02:20) 11 Me & You, Remembering (01:34) 12 In Memory of Elizabeth Cotton (02:16) 13 Soon (03:12) 14 Thunder Child (04:34) |
| If'n : Allmusic album Review : Whereas fIREHOSEs debut, 1986s Ragin, Full On, was issued quickly to get the new outfit off the ground (two of the three members were still reeling from the death of their previous bands frontman, the Minutemens D. Boon), their sophomore effort, 1987s Ifn, included more cohesive and focused songwriting. Touring together had obviously made Watt-Hurley-Crawford tighter as a unit, and several of their best all-time compositions reside here. Although the debut incorporated other musical forms besides punk and hard rock (funk, jazz, etc.), Ifn was the first fIREHOSE release to feature folk-style originals -- such as Crawfords "In Memory of Elizabeth Cotton." Standouts include the album opening highway anthem "Sometimes," the groovy 50s feel of "Honey, Please," the laid-back "Backroads," and the irate rockers "Anger" and "For the Singer of R.E.M." Also featured are several Mike Watt lead vocal spots -- the perennial concert favorite "Making the Freeway" (included on the 1993 mini-album Live Totem Pole EP), the humorous "Me & You Remembering," "Operation Solitaire," and the closing epic "Thunder Child." | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: Sometimes, Almost Always Released: 1988-07 Tracks: 3 Duration: 08:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sometimes (03:26) 2 She Paints Pictures (02:40) 3 Rhymin Spielin (01:59) |
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: fROMOHIO Released: 1989-02 Tracks: 14 Duration: 31:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Riddle of the Eighties (02:04) 2 In My Mind (02:19) 3 Whisperin While Hollerin (02:05) 4 Vastopol (01:28) 5 Mas Cojones (02:04) 6 What Gets Heard (02:22) 7 Let the Drummer Have Some (01:01) 8 Liberty for Our Friend (02:09) 9 Time With You (03:15) 10 Ifn (03:16) 11 Some Things (02:45) 12 Understanding (03:15) 13 Nuf That Shit, George (00:40) 14 The Softest Hammer (03:05) |
| fROMOHIO : Allmusic album Review : fIREHOSEs second release, 1987s Ifn, was a major improvement over their 1986 debut, Ragin, Full On. And while their third album, 1988s fROMOHIO, was another solid set and contained its share of highlights, it seemed to be cut from the same musical cloth as its predecessor rather than a true progression. Again, the playing is inspired, and the new band had already established an original, identifiable sound. The best tracks prove to be Ed Crawford originals -- "In My Mind" and "Time with You" (the latter was an MTV video), while "Whisperin While Hollerin" and "What Gets Heard" soon became concert staples. The bands appreciation of folk shines through with a reading of the traditional black folk song "Vastopol" and the original "Liberty for Our Friend," and drummer George Hurley takes center stage on a pair of short, unaccompanied drum solos -- "Let the Drummer Have Some" and "Nuf That Shit, George." Other highlights include the album opener "Riddle of the Eighties," the funky "Mas Cojones," the laid-back rock of "Ifn" and "Understanding," plus the lethargic album closer "The Softest Hammer." | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: Flyin the Flannel Released: 1991-04 Tracks: 16 Duration: 42:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Down With the Bass (02:47) 2 Up Finnegans Ladder (01:10) 3 Cant Believe (02:11) 4 Walking the Cow (03:41) 5 Flyin the Flannel (02:48) 6 Epoxy, for Example (02:35) 7 Oer the Town of Pedro (03:09) 8 Too Long (02:49) 9 The First Cuss (02:23) 10 Anti-Misogyny Maneuver (02:30) 11 Toolin (02:48) 12 Song for Dave Alvin (01:48) 13 Tien An Man Dream Again (01:18) 14 Lost Colors (02:31) 15 Towin the Line (02:47) 16 Losers, Boozers & Heroes (05:19) |
| Flyin' the Flannel : Allmusic album Review : It was a pretty big deal in the underground rock community when fIREHOSE made the jump from an independent record label to a major one (Columbia) with their fourth full-length record, 1991s Flyin the Flannel. But fans shouldnt have worried; the trio didnt change its sound to fit its new label, although the songwriting did become more succinct, which only improved the albums outstanding 16 tracks (resulting in fIREHOSEs finest album). The album-opening anthem, "Down With the Bass," is a Mike Watt tribute to his beloved four-string, while the band rocks out throughout the album: "Up Finnegans Ladder," "Cant Believe," the title track, "Oer the Town of Pedro," "The First Cuss," "Anti-Misogyny Maneuver," and "Town the Line" are all standouts. Like all fIREHOSE albums, Flyin the Flannel includes its share of soothing moments, such as "Toolin," "Walking the Cow," the downtrodden album closer "Losers, Boozers, and Heroes," and perhaps the best song on the album, the swirling jazz of "Epoxy, for Example." Flyin the Flannel is one of the great lost rock gems of the 90s. Super highly recommended. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: Live Totem Pole EP Released: 1992 Tracks: 7 Duration: 20:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Red and the Black (03:34) 2 Sophisticated Bitch (03:52) 3 Revolution, Part Two (03:09) 4 Slack Motherfucker (02:40) 5 What Gets Heard (02:20) 6 Mannequin (02:26) 7 Makin the Freeway (02:15) |
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Mr. Machinery Operator Released: 1993-02-23 Tracks: 14 Duration: 45:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Formal Introduction (03:41) 2 Blaze (03:37) 3 Herded Into Pools (04:26) 4 Witness (05:37) 5 Number Seven (01:17) 6 Powerful Hankerin (03:32) 7 Rocket Sled / Fuel Tank (03:30) 8 Quicksand (03:16) 9 Disciples of the 3-way (02:56) 10 More Famous Quotes (01:31) 11 Sincerely (03:25) 12 Hell-hole (03:43) 13 4.29.92 (02:09) 14 The Cliffs Thrown Down (03:11) |
| Mr. Machinery Operator : Allmusic album Review : Whereas fIREHOSEs previous full-length, 1991s Flyin the Flannel, was about succinct songwriting and contained a somewhat polished production, 1993s Mr. Machinery Operator was more raw sounding and unpredictable -- almost as if the trio was going for a garage band sound. Dinosaur Jr. singer/guitarist/leader J. Mascis produced the entire album solo, which, expectedly, leads to a more rough, in-your-face sonic approach. Although fIREHOSE guitarist Ed Crawford was the trios primary vocalist, Mascis convinced Watt to sing more often than on past albums. Like his bass playing, Watts vocals are in the extreme low register, as evidenced by such highlights as "Formal Introduction," "Herded Into Pools," "Quicksand," "Powerful Hankerin," and the tranquil album closer, "The Cliffs Thrown Down." Other standouts include the barely containable rage of "Rocket Sled/Fuel Tank" and the instrumental "4.29.92" (the latter featuring sound effects from the L.A./Rodney King riots), and perhaps the albums best track, Crawfords "Blaze." After the ensuing tour for Mr. Machinery Operator was completed in 1994, Watt broke up the band, citing that they had become "used to each other in a bad way." | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: lowFLOWs: The Columbia Anthology (91-93) Released: 2012-04-03 Tracks: 45 Duration: 2:12:01 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Down With the Bass (02:47) 2 Up Finnegans Ladder (01:10) 3 Cant Believe (02:11) 4 Walking the Cow (03:41) 5 Flyin the Flannel (02:48) 6 Epoxy, for Example (02:35) 7 Oer the Town of Pedro (03:09) 8 Too Long (02:49) 9 The First Cuss (02:23) 10 Anti-Misogyny Maneuver (02:30) 11 Toolin (02:48) 12 Song for Dave Alvin (01:48) 13 Tien An Man Dream Again (01:18) 14 Lost Colors (02:31) 15 Towin the Line (02:47) 16 Losers, Boozers & Heroes (05:19) 17 Max and Wells (02:54) 18 Down With the Bass (instrumental) (02:47) 19 The Red and the Black (03:34) 20 Sophisticated Bitch (03:52) 21 Revolution, Part Two (03:09) 22 Slack Motherfucker (02:40) 23 What Gets Heard (02:20) 24 Mannequin (02:26) 25 Makin the Freeway (02:15) 1 Formal Introduction (03:41) 2 Blaze (03:37) 3 Herded Into Pools (04:26) 4 Witness (05:37) 5 Number Seven (01:17) 6 Powerful Hankerin (03:32) 7 Rocket Sled / Fuel Tank (03:30) 8 Quicksand (03:16) 9 Disciples of the 3-way (02:56) 10 More Famous Quotes (01:31) 11 Sincerely (03:25) 12 Hell-hole (03:43) 13 4.29.92 (02:09) 14 The Cliffs Thrown Down (03:11) 15 Blaze (instrumental) (03:36) 16 Witness (Mersh Again edit) (04:05) 17 4.29.92 (01:38) 18 Powerful Hankerin (03:17) 19 Tien An Man Dream Again (01:04) 20 Formal Introduction (03:38) |
| lowFLOWs: The Columbia Anthology ('91-'93) : Allmusic album Review : Released at the time the band announced a series of reunion shows for the first time after nearly two decades apart, Low Flows is a convenient enough summary with a couple of bonuses of the curious fIREHOSE, at least when it came to their concluding efforts on a major label. In a weird way, the band perhaps lucked out by being signed before Nirvanas success changed band and label expectations in general; listening to both Flyin the Flannel and Mr. Machinery Operator from a distance shows them to be just as spikily independent -- at least sonically -- as their first SST releases were. Of the non-album tracks on both discs, the most notable by default are the cuts on the Live Totem Pole release that originally followed Flyin the Flannel -- a concert EP, it had two originals plus an impressive range of five cover versions, going from Minutemen live standard "The Red and the Black" via Blue Öyster Cult to Public Enemys "Sophisticated Bitch," to then-recent underground anthem "Slack Motherfucker," one of Superchunks earliest attention getters. Beyond that, its a bit of a mixed bag, and those who had both original albums and the EP wont need to rush out for a replacement or upgrade given what else is on offer. "Max and Wells," recorded for a film soundtrack, is an OK enough Ed Crawford-sung cut, while instrumental versions of "Down with the Bass" and "Blaze" are more curios than anything else, not to mention a "mersh again edit" of "Witness." The concluding live tracks from the Mr. Machinery Operator tour, though, do provide a bit of a hail and farewell to the group, at least in their first phase of existence. | ||