- Audio CD (2 April 1996)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Format: Import
- Label: Interscope/East West
- ASIN: B00004SEQZ
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 85,726 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Wilma's Rainbow |
| 2. I Know |
| 3. Biscuits For Smut |
| 4. Milquetoast |
| 5. Tic |
| 6. Rollo |
| 7. Street Crab |
| 8. Clean |
| 9. Vaccination |
| 10. Beautiful Love |
| 11. Speechless |
| 12. The Silver Hawaiian |
| 13. Overrated |
| 14. Sam Hell |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Helmet's first two albums Strap It On and Meantime earned them something of a reputation for their uncompromising agression and served to define the hardcore/metal hybrid sound. With Betty, the band have built on this reputation and pushed the limits of the genre to previously unexplored heights. While the familiar tight, staccato riffs and passionate vocals remain; Helmet have added a great deal of melody and devoloped a much more organic sound on this album. The harsh production of Meantime has given way to a much warmer, live feel with huge drum sounds, massive jazz inspired chords and modulated vocals - shown to great effect on the tracks "Wilma's Rainbow" "I Know" and "Speechless".
The less broad minded Helmet fans seem to have a problem with the songs on Betty which depart from the typical Helmet style e.g. the dowtuned, funky "Biscuits For Smut", jazz standard "Beautiful Love" and Beefheartesque "Sam Hell". Personally, I think these songs work; both in their own right and in giving the 'standard' Helmet tracks room to breathe.
If nothing else, this album is worthwile for the sublime "Milquetoast"; particularly the soaring instrumental towards the end. Inspired, inspirational and easily thier best work.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Helmet should go down as one of the best and most important alternative bands of the 1990's. In a decade where bands would swing from brilliant to mediocre in the matter of a single, bands like Helmet kept on churning out good stuff with a cynical reliability. This album is the pinnacle of that good stuff.
As an album, it strikes you at first as being very heavy, but in an unfamiliar, welcoming manner. The guitars and riffs are as heavy at times as anything 'Metal' at the time, but Page Hamiltons's almost slurred vocals remind you that this is laid-back 'cool' metal, not hyper-violent thrash. Once the first riff of Wilma's Rainbow kicks in (after the surreal opening), you can feel your speakers vibrate with the bassy goodness. It's like the pleasure of an orgasm, sneezing, eating chocolate and urinating after a long wait, made into a single musical outburst... and it doesn't stop there.
The album doesn't have a bad song on it. True, there are some ambient and even bizarre songs on here, but the general feeling is one of pure rock joy. It will remind you of summer, and it will remind you of Hell at the same time. Sam Hell (final track) is a great and quirky little bluesy number, with presumably just Page Hamilton's vocals along with his guitar and a slide. It ends the album on a humorous and light note, whereas songs like Overrated just make you feel like there are no other rock bands in existence.
Helmet are no more, but it is comforting to know that Page Hamilton is probably soon to return in some musical form or other. I, personally, cannot wait for it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
There is something special about Helmet that is hard to lay a finger on. I'm someone who loves solid heavy guitars music but I am often put off by the whole attitude that goes with "Metal". Helmet offers a rare exception. The shear heaviness of the music goes beyond "Metal" per se, a "crushing wall of melody" is how I've always described their music.
Betty in particular is a very unique album, the ensemble playing is incredible and considering the group record live and without a click-track near psychic. Drummer John Stanier's playing with Helmet is some of the finest work you'll hear in any rock band (Led Zep included). But the real star of this album is the song writing dynamics. While some songs hold on to the tried and tested verse-chorus-bridge ethic, others just fly into outer space. Helmet's primary songwriter is a Masters level music graduate and both the bass player and drummer and classically trained. Although on the surface this may seem irrelevant, but you can really hear the discipline that's gone into making this a truly unique piece of rock music.
For other fans of Helmet who like me have found it hard to find other groups with the same "vibe" I recommend hunting down the first two albums by New Zealand band Shihad -now called Pacifier- "Churn" and the incredible "Killjoy". Also Australian band Mark of Cain. Helmet's John Stanier plays drums on their last release "This is This".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
As good now as it was when first released
It's odd that this particular album isn't one of Helmet's big sellers when musically it is such a detailed and generous piece of work served up for the listener. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Martin Lowe
Another great album by a truly great band.
In the world of post-hardcore one band tends to get overlooked and that is the criminally underrated Helmet. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2004 by Reza
Absolutely amazing!
This is an amazing album and it is my personal favourite album by helmet. Songs like tic are just amazing and once you've heard this album you'll want to hear over and over again... Read more
Published on 4 May 2001
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