It's records like this which epitomise that late '80s, early '90s too cool for metal feeling, as countless other bands emerged with records that were simply all too different for your average metal fan to grasp. Liquid Jesus slot nicely alongside the complicated dryness of I Love You, the swagger of Mother Love Bone, the mysticism of Jane's Addiction, and were able to compete with every other hip band at the time with a brand of rock 'n' roll psychedelia that must have been lost on most. I don't know how the album sold, not well at all I imagine but it's an essential purchase for anyone hoping to track down a gem of record that combines Hendrix groove with a bluesy twang. Every track is pretty unpredictable, but it's not fake or trying to be strange for the sake of it, it's naturally surprising and wonderfully gifted, from the funky 'W.H.Y.B.' to swaying 'On My Way', one moment its momentously trippy, the next stomping with the hardest. Vocally, Buck Murphy is somewhere between Cher and Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, prancing as a frustrated glam star, and that's pretty what Liquid Jesus are about, with a sound that is inventive, cool, sexy and smooth, but a little less rocking than your average metal band.
Stand this alongside Kik Tracee, Mindfunk and Saigon Kick and scratch your head and wonder why these kind of bands weren't massive.
8/10
1 comment:
always loved this album, thought the vocalist sounded a lot like the guy from Kingofthehill.
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