- Audio CD (8 April 2002)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Mute
- ASIN: B00005YVZB
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
15,131 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
- #74 in Music > Indie > Garage Rock
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Between 1999's Acme--Plus and Plastic Fang, the crunching garage rock & roll that the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has been playing for years became the most fashionable music on the planet. As the White Stripes were feted everywhere for revitalising a supposedly dormant tradition, where did that leave JSBE? Perhaps wisely, Plastic Fang largely abandons the subtler textures, hip-hop remixes and suspicious modernism of its predecessor. Instead, these are 12 tracks of impressively unreconstructed rock & roll and swamp-R&B informed by male hormones, horror movies and a lot of very good old records. Of course, certain factors remain that have always mitigated against Spencer achieving real superstardom. The curled-lip histrionics are sometimes just a little too preposterous, coming as they do from a moneyed and urbane New York father. Furthermore, Spencer's music has always relied more on killer riffs than fully formed songs: something he tries, with partial success, to remedy here. "Tore Up & Broke", in particular, is the fullest realisation of the Rolling Stones obsession he's nurtured since his previous band, Pussy Galore, covered Exile On Main Street in its entirety. A couple more tunes would've been nice, then. Nevertheless, Plastic Fang is terrific entertainment, historically rigorous but always suitably wild and dumb. Dr John, Funkadelic alumnus Bernie Worrell and, bizarrely, Elliott Smith turn up to the studio and grind along gamely, giving the impression it was a great party. And cleverly, even if it wasn't, the Blues Explosion certainly make it sound like it was. Phew, rock & roll!--John Mulvey
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Just about every lazy review I've spotted for this album has either been negative or just out-right hostile. Believe what you read and you'd think this was the biggest turkey to be released so far this year: a dull, tired, boring old record by a band that are old hat and past their prime. Well, either the press are just plain tired of JSBX or The White Stripes have simply stolen their thunder. Idiots. I pick the former, which is a real shame because far from being the disaster that this record has been portrayed as by every nitwit with a pencil and notepad this is actually a wildly inventive, unconventional and overall cracking album, perfectly in keeping with JSBX mad cap rock 'n roll style (yesssssssssss!).
Certainly fans of "Orange" and "Acme" will be pretty perplexed when they hear it. I agree with most reviews in that it's easily JSBX most accessible work - but let's not get too cosy here alright, we're not talking gushing MOR ballards and glossy, silky smooth production! You want your edge? Well it's still here and it kicks all the other bland pap rock 'n roll guff around into touch! How can I sum it up best? Well, it's more "Two Kinds Of Love" (from "Now I Got Worry") than "Bellbottoms" (from "Orange"). In other words, there is some semblance of a, y'know, tuuuuuune there somewhere! There could even be some singles in there!
So I'd say your reaction to this record will depend upon where you stand on that issue - if you like your JS pretty much all over the shop, with no real tunes to be found (see "Acme"), just a ramshackle bunch of riffs glued together with "BBBBLLLLLUUUUEEESSS EEXXXPPLLLLOSSIOON" barked every thirty seconds then I'm pretty sure you'll turn your nose up here. If you want the same chaotic shambles, but reigned in juuuuuuust a little bit - then I'd buy it RIGHT NOW if I were you.
Personally, I love this record - "Sweet 'n Sour" is a great opener, all over the shop and dirty as you want...in fact, you could apply that to just about any song here! "Midnight Creep", "Tore Up And Broke" and "Mean Heart", they're all ace! Ain't it cool!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Well now, here's a thing. The allegedly 'super-cool' New York rock threesome have returned with what sounds like a concept album about the trials and tribulations of a man that becomes a werewolf... this could go one of two ways. Happily for this listener, it manages to negotiate the twin pitfalls of pretentiousness and self-indulgence that such a concept should be guilty of, and instead it goes the way of excellence.
Somewhere in the making of this album, JSBE's previously scrappy half-fragments of songs have been rounded off and finished. Rather than the reliance on random shouts of 'blues explosion!' to link together unrelated tracks, each track here has been crafted along the more conventional songwriting structures - but fans of the group will know that with the Blues Explosion, verse-chorus-verse will never sound anything like conventional.
The old influences and styles are written through this album like a stick of rock - the early rhythm and blues and rock fusion of riff-driven bands such as Booker T, Cream, Stones and Zeppelin, the power of the Who, the inventiveness and surreal lyrical preoccupations of Captain Beefheart (whose vocal delivery is becoming increasingly imitated by Jon Spencer). However, there is something unique happening beneath the influence-ridden surface that should be investigated further.
Praise is due for the production too - thunderous drumming, clear, crisp bass and the right level of lead guitar and vocals. If it weren't for the werewolf preoccupations, I'd say the group have grown up. As it is, they've merely given us one of 2002's brightest rock and roll moments so far.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This rocks ! Forget snipes about the lack of experimentation. This album doesn't need it - it's got balls instead.
These are fully formed, albeit rough and ready songs. And don't you sometimes find the experimental half-finished approach of some bands tedious ? This is the JSBX letting off steam and having a laugh (and lord knows we need that after the last few years of Travizzzz, Stereophobics and now the dreary return of Oasis). It's got all the ridiculousness of Jerry Lee Lewis and the Cramps. The band are tight, fast and raucous. And Jon Spencer has still got the best grunt this side of Wilson Pickett.
Buy it, baby !
These are fully formed, albeit rough and ready songs. And don't you sometimes find the experimental half-finished approach of some bands tedious ? This is the JSBX letting off steam and having a laugh (and lord knows we need that after the last few years of Travizzzz, Stereophobics and now the dreary return of Oasis). It's got all the ridiculousness of Jerry Lee Lewis and the Cramps. The band are tight, fast and raucous. And Jon Spencer has still got the best grunt this side of Wilson Pickett.
Buy it, baby !
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Spencer stopped diddling about and wrote some kickass songs
After initial bluesy ahem, experimentation, (you know the deal - loud tuneless noodlings, somehow persuading yourself and feeble A&R people that you sound GREAT) Jon Spencer at al... Read more
Published 9 months ago by marek
Damn fine Rock n Roll
This stuff rocks. If you don't rock with it, then you must be dead from the ears down.
Published on 12 April 2010 by Atticclearer
quality bluesey rock n roll
when i first heard this album i heard nothing that moved me particularly. but i kept being drawn back to it and during a long work based journey it suddenly made beatiful sense. Read more
Published on 31 May 2008 by P. B. Williams
No bite.
Some bands should never become well-known names. It appears that the underground acts lose their vigour when they are shunted further into the mainstream. Read more
Published on 10 Nov 2006 by G. Munday
White Stripes were taking notes......
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion [JSBX] were formed out of the ashes of Pussy Galore, a pretty hardcore punk band featuring Jon Spencer. Read more
Published on 5 Nov 2006 by T. Flint
An excellent combination of time periods from the rock genre
Following in a recent long line of 'the' bands, the jon spencer blues explosion has a lot to live up to. Read more
Published on 13 April 2002 by mountainbiker0@yahoo.co.uk
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