Just picked this up about a week ago so I could hear “Seeing Red” in all of it’s produced glory. Gotta say I like the track but I’ve COMPLETELY worn it out it about a week but my new fave on that CD is You’ll Never Get To Me. Man that song is fucking great! Anybody else have this release?
Late,
grmpysmrf
I own all their releases. Love the band. but yeah the 2003 LP while being a little bit ‘samey’ due to production has a few killer cuts. I personally still love Death & Ressurection Show + Asteroid. There were 3 b-sides from that record: (ultimate) Wardance, Inferno & Zennon - Zennon is a fav of mine as well.
Bought it when it came out, and it was on heavy rotation for a while. “Blood On Your Hands” is my favorite track, it reminds me of the songs on Night Time. Asteroid, Seeing Red, and Implant are great… overall an enjoyable album, and I dig Grohl’s drumming. Loose Cannon (the first single) and The House That Pain Built are my least favorites. The Wardance update was cool but unnecessary.
1002
Got it, love it. Prefer it to the original self titled Killing Joke album.
<regrets having to rain on grmpy’s parade…but proceeds anyhow…>
Bought it when it came out. Returned it less than a week later.
The music is good but the singing…THE SINGING…is horrendous (for the most part). Does he have a frog in his throat? Laryngitis? Tonsilitis? If not, then why does his voice crack halfway through a song? One minute a clean, processed, rather cool vocal - the next it’s some drunk guy at a bachelor party taking over the mic and singing dreadfully out of key while belching out a tune. Did nobody picked this up during recording? I’ve never produced an album in my life and I picked it up on the first listen. Unbelievable.
Lyrics are preachy, new age-y, typically pigheaded and ignorant, fear baiting left wing rubbish. Total Invasion? Unitd Nations? GM Crops? What the fuck?? As if whatsisface picked up a copy of The News Of The World at the time, cut out articles that concerned him and stitched them together and then sung them. ‘Total Invasion’ being some of the clumsiest, clunkiest, most embarrasiing anti ‘war’ anthems in the history of the world. If I want to hear what’s going on in the world (and then form an opinion based on the information provided) I’ll tune into BBC World News or pick up Saturday’s Age. When I put on a cd I actually want to hear music I like. When I hit <PLAY> I don’t need to be berated and intimidated by some hot headed liberal lunatic with an anxiety disorder (I’ve got Michael Moore-Propaganda-Inc for that kind of thing).
And that track you mentioned, grmpy, the ‘You’ll Never Get To Me’ is something I would expect to hear on some freakin’ Oasis Best Of shenanigans. Awfully camp, sickly sweet lighter-in-the-air arena rock fluff of the worst kind. It’s Bon Jovi meets The Clash. Shame on them. Shame on them all. The bastards.
However - to be honest - there are a few decent tracks and the music is (generally) quite good. Really like The House That Pain Built, Loose Cannon, Asteroid and Implant. Rest is…pfffft.
And yes, Grohl’s drumming is stellar. But I haven’t been this disappointed by an album from a band I like since…I don’t remember.
Maybe you’re just not familiar with Killing Joke then. He was screaming like that even back in 81, and imo, it’s a staple of what killing joke is beside Geordie’s guitar playing. Jaz has screamed enough that it’s safe to say his voice is shot, plus he’s in the 50s. But I honestly have no problems with his voice, seeing how he can go from clean voice to that grunt/growl/scream of his. But that’s Jaz’ style and if you don’t like it, then you don’t like it. And if you don’t like it, then you probably shouldn’t bother with the other stuff from the early 80s and 90 to now.
Yeah i dig his voice as well. I’ll give you, Peligro, that the lyrics to “never get to me” are a bit over emotional but I like the way he sings it not so much “what he’s singing” I really like his “ohs” at the beginning of the choruses. as far as “left leaning lunatic” and what not, we all know how I lean. although concerning this killing Joke material, I don’t really see reality having a Left leaning slant but since you do, then enjoy yourself!
Late,
grmpysmrf
Their 2003 output is pretty solid from top to bottom Seeing Red is a favorite of mine as well, and I love the cover. Curious, is this your first KJ album? If so Night Time should be next on your list.
Maybe you’re just not familiar with Killing Joke then. He was screaming like that even back in 81, and imo, it’s a staple of what killing joke is beside Geordie’s guitar playing. … But that’s Jaz’ style and if you don’t like it, then you don’t like it. And if you don’t like it, then you probably shouldn’t bother with the other stuff from the early 80s and 90 to now.
I’ve been a fan for over ten years. Got into them during the mid nineties revival.
And Jaz has never ‘sung’ like this before. He sounds like a bullfrog on some tracks (Death And Resurrection Show, Dark Forces). His voice IS shot. Definitely shot to pieces. On the earlier albums, his voice was more of a muted bark or something. Then later on, during the 80s, he sung with a heavily affected English accent. Sounded as fresh as anything on Pandaemonium, but after that it was all downhill. He sounds like a homeless drunk.
But if you like it then…whatever, I can fault you for that.
Got it, love it. Prefer it to the original self titled Killing Joke album.
Sorry but the original 1980 self tiltled album poops all over that polished Heavy-Metal 2003 self titled thing. 2003 has a few good songs that convert well live but that’s as far as it goes. The original still thumps the majority of albums out there today without breaking a sweat.
And forget “Seeing Red”!! You want “Turn To Red”!!!
Go get the original 12" with…
A1 Turn to Red
A2 Nervous System
B1 Are You Receiving
B2 Almost Red
That first 12" is easily one of my all-time fav 12"s and my fav KJ release.
Killing Joke are playing Edinburgh early next year I’ve noticed so I imagine a UK tour is happening…hopefully the original members too.
Oh yeah I almost forgot…Geordie is the friggin coolest guitar player on the planet.
This band live is pure class…especially with the original boys back together.
Seriously though… Geordie is the fucking man.
The 2003 album sounds cool when you first hear it, but it does wear out. I actually prefer the stuffiness of ‘Hosannas…’ at first it doesn’t sound as good as KJ but it has a better “grower” quality. I still think KJ’s best period was the mid 80s. The heavier material can get boring and thrown aside, then some time later reel it back out, sounds cool again, then gets boring again and thrown aside… again.
Yeah, the 2003 self titled was good for all of, maybe, a half dozen spins.
Got bored/annoyed with it real quick.
Pretty ordinary lyrics. They used to be so cryptic and weird and scary and arty. You never knew what the hell they were on about - and that was always part of the attraction…‘THE MYSTERY’. With the 2003 release it’s so spelt out for you: OK Here’s what Jaz thinks about the current economic climate and war in Iraq blah blah blah.
And yes, grmpy, I too believe ‘You’ll Never Get To Me’ is probably one of the most embarrassing mis-steps of their career. Embarrassing ‘arena rock’ sing along hands in the air type anthem. Awful, just awful.
But I’m glad you finally ‘discovered’ them. Check out their earlier stuff now (kinda amazed you never have before but whatever).
Geordie IS the man. Even Jimmy Page was a fan of his. And yes Toot, that debut 12" is killer all the way. ‘Turns To Red’ is one of their best tracks ever.
For me, ‘CLASSIC’ Killing Joke ends around about 1985.
Get the reissue of “Ha!” Now that’s a fucking live album. Raw, poorly recorded, but raw awesome.
The latest DVD isn’t bad either.