Coming Clean - Gary Lucas & Gods And Monsters

Advantages: Jeff's very early stuff, Some classics before they became finished, A hitoric looks at Jeff's past
Disadvantages: Some songs really are demo quality

...In 1991 Jeff's dad (Tim Buckley) had a memorial service at St Anne's church in Brooklyn, Jeff had gone as he wasn't allowed to go to the funeral (which sources has said, ate away at him for years). The memorial, entitled "Greetings from Tim Buckley" was where he would meet Gary Lucas, who played the guitar on Buckley's performaces of his fathers songs (most noteably-"I never asked to be your mountain" and "Sefronia" and "Once I was"). Gary lucas at this point was seen as an experimental guitarist, after being taught by his own idol, Captain Beefheart and even joining Beefheart's final "Magic" band. He had his first solo performance in 1988, at "The knitting factory" where a good part of this album was recorded 3-4 years later. His performance was part of an Avant-garde and alternative music that he would later make a career out of... Read review

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Advantages: Dark, mature, atmospheric hard rock.
Disadvantages: Not as immediate as the last album.

...Monster Magnet: God Says No Nice. After the apocalyptic party that was Powertrip, this is Monster Magnet’s morning after. To continue the film metaphor from my review of that album, this is more akin to “Apocalyps Now”. The Big Rock bluster is largely subsided, replaced by a darker, more reflective look at the world. This is typified in tracks such as Queen of You, and the Doors-influenced Cry (possibly the greatest broken love song ever). Not that they don’t rock hard on this album. Tracks like Melt, Kiss of the Scorpion, and the anthemic Silver Future can kick with anything on Powertrip, but this album plays best as an accompaniment to more introspective times. The criticisms that can be laid against this album are the same as the first. It is an irony-free excursion into Rock’s earlier days, it’s heavy, but there is no... Read review

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Advantages: Some stunning tracks, it's an incredible effort considering where he came from
Disadvantages: A few dull moments, but I still can't wait for the next one

...OK, you should have all finished doing double takes now. Yes, this is a Gary Numan album and yes it is in the hard rock category (Or at least it should be!!!). It’s all a bit convoluted but basically Gary Numan has transformed himself from the strange little man of electro pop he used to be into a Trent Reznor like electro rock behemoth. And yet who was it who inspired Trent Reznor (Amongst others) to pick up a synth and create what we know now as Nine Inch Nails? Gary Numan of course. So the mentor having duly mentored the pupil has now changed into the image of the former pupil. Very deep, very Zen – very verging on the Karate Kid. The music that Gary NuNuman has created owes a very big debt to Nine Inch Nails, it’s definitely been created from a similar mind set as it mixes dark electronic synth work with fuzzed... Read review

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