SM201 Certain General
We admit to a certain bias, but will put forth and stand by the claim, that, for a brief period at least (1983-85), and probably a bit longer, Certain General were, simply put, the best independent rock band in the United States. And this is 2 1/2 hour, all previously unreleased-document backs that up claim. Comprised of two complete-in-themselves albums, CD1 is a studio document entitled Dead Rabbit Gang. These sessions comprise what should have been Certain General's follow-up to "November's Heat", itself named record of the year by several noted publications and a smash hit in France. Dead Rabbit Gang easily stands up to the best work of bands such as the Bad Seeds, Gun Club, Echo & the Bunnymen, Dream Syndicate and itself contains the seeds of what would become the vocabulary of much of the late 80's American underground scene -- i.e. Flaming Lips, Camper Van Beethovan, Meat Puppets, Screaming Trees, Swell, et. al. Fans of any and all of those bands owe it to themselves to check this music out. Listen to the sound samples. Read the reviews. (HYPERLINK)
CD2 of the set, Savage Young Generals showcases an earlier Certain General -- recorded live at various clubs in the NYC region during their formative days in 1981-83. Clearly showing the band's roots coming out of the No Wave scene, the disc also highlights the incredible mixture of No Wave/funk/pop/garage psychedelia all mixed with an instrumental virtuosity that belies the fact that this is a band just starting out. The material here mostly precedes November's Heat and catalogs almost the entirety of the band's repertoire in those days. An amazing document from an incredibly active, innovative, and prolific band.
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