Start the Machine

Amazon.com
Heavy. Fast. These are the only two adjectives that matter to Fu Manchu. Finding the natural connection between Black Flag and Black Sabbath, the Southern California band was turning out its own personal soundtrack for '70s skateboard flick a Dogtown and Z-Boys several times over long before the actual movie was made. It's not about to let up on its seventh studio album, Start The Machine. No, it's not quite as heavy as the classic In Search Of. Yes, it does include the closest the band has ever come to a power-ballad in "Out To Sea." But, overall, it's an album that reaffirms everything--or, rather the two main things--that make Fu Manchu great. --Aidin Vaziri

Start the Machine,Fu Manchu,Rte / Drt,Alternative Metal,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Stoner Metal

Average customer rating:

Dream Before the Break of Day

Trouble from the Start
Lisa Moscatiello
Manufacturer: Machine Heart Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Second Avenue
Innocent When You Dream
Adieu False Heart
Eye To The Telescope
All the Roadrunning

ASIN: B000BGQWH8
Release Date: 2005-09-14

Tracks:

Ashtray
Trouble From The Start
Feel The Love
Exile
You're Crying
New Year's
Come Sinfonia
What Happens After Love?
Something New
Brand New Me
Now You're Back In Love Again

Product Description

Defying standard categorization, Lisa Moscatiello's "Trouble From The Start" CD blends the best of torch-song vocals with intricate and deeply layered musicianship, forging a new category the artist likes to call acid-cabaret. What holds the entire work together is the extraordinary tone and quality of Lisa's lustrous alto. Instrumentation includes Hammond organ, upright bass, electric guitar, cello, horns and more. Influences include Dusty Springfield, Miles Davis, Beth Orton, the Mamas & Papas & '60's Italian pop.

Customer Reviews:

Dream Before the Break of Day.......2005-11-25

"Trouble from the Start" is a confident excellent set from this delightful Virginia singer. This disc was recommended by Sloan Wainwright whose "Cool Morning" is likewise excellent. "Give me back my broken dreams, beauty isn't what it seems," Lisa sings on the midtempo title track. On "Exile" Lisa picks a lovely melody and delivers an aching vocal, "I can dream before the break of day, I'm back with you again, Then the morning blows it all away and leaves an echo of your name." Dinah Washington's 1962 set "I Wanna Be Loved" was just re-released and includes the Leonard Feather/Quincy Jones song "You're Crying." On this set, Lisa sings the tune with Jon Nazdin's bass thumping like a heartbeat and Mark Carson's brushes keeping the beat with the torch burning bright. The Bev Stanton-penned "New Year's" is a midtempo charmer, "The world flies by & I'm standing, but not landing today." Dusty Springfield had a hit with the Jerry Butler song "Brand New Me" in 1969; and Aretha Franklin re-did it in 1971. Moscatiello's breezy version comes as a joyful blast from the past. The CD concludes with the lovely torch song "Now You're In Love Again" with Lisa's confident alto filling the sonic space. "Trouble from the Start" is a joyful and confident set delivered with sterling musicianship and Moscatiello's moving vocals. Enjoy!

Average customer rating:

strong fu release
Great Album
Tone & Vibe Just Not "Hear"
MONGOOSE AND PIGEON TOE
Rock Solid Rock Music

Start the Machine
Fu Manchu
Manufacturer: Drt
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

King of the Road
In Search Of...
Daredevil
Return to Earth '91-'93
We Must Obey

ASIN: B0002VERBK
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

Written In Stone
I Can't Hear You
Understand
Make Them Believe
Hey
I'm Gettin' Away
Out To Sea
Open Your Eyes
Today's Too Soon
It's All The Same
Tunnel Vision
I Wanna Be

Amazon.com

Heavy. Fast. These are the only two adjectives that matter to Fu Manchu. Finding the natural connection between Black Flag and Black Sabbath, the Southern California band was turning out its own personal soundtrack for '70s skateboard flick a Dogtown and Z-Boys several times over long before the actual movie was made. It's not about to let up on its seventh studio album, Start The Machine. No, it's not quite as heavy as the classic In Search Of. Yes, it does include the closest the band has ever come to a power-ballad in "Out To Sea." But, overall, it's an album that reaffirms everything--or, rather the two main things--that make Fu Manchu great. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews:

strong fu release.......2006-01-25

the fu can do no wrong. i've been a fan since 1991 and this is a great album. scott r is an awesome drummer, following well in brant's style and there are very well constructed songs here with the usual great riffs and lead. best songs: hey, it's all the same and i wanna be.

Great Album.......2005-05-29

This is my favorite fu manchu album, certainly worth five stars. Don't listen to all the negative reviewers their just a bunch of old burned out hippies. This is more modern rock. Just because this one is too edgy to trip out on doesn't mean it aint good. Go out and get this CD as well as Dare Devil, Action is Go, and California Crossing.

Tone & Vibe Just Not "Hear".......2004-11-21

If you're reading this, chances are you're already a Fu Manchu fan. If you have yet to purchase any of Fu Manchu's albums, they are an unbelievably great band and you definitely need several of their albums in your collection. So skip the rest of this review and enter "Fu Manchu" & "Go For It Live", "King Of The Road" or "Daredevil" in the search box now; buy all three ablums if you've got the extra cash. For my other Fu Manchu brothers & sisters out there, I'm really disappointed in this album. Coming off the heels of a Marshall Stack, Tube Tone drenched, sonic powerhouse live album, this cd is very disappointing. The first listen reminded me of the line from the song 'Ojo Rojo', "She wanted nothing & I delivered". The songs, melodies, song structures and lyrics are classic Fu Manchu, but there is something in the overall sound & vibe of this record that just doesn't make it. The term "over-produced" sounds cliche, but it seems to apply here. The earlier Fu Manchu albums which were technically under-produced really serve the band's sound so much better. Anyone familiar with guitar amps knows the debate & preference of warmer, smoothing sounding "tube" amps over the somewhat lifeless, electronic, transistor ones. "Start The Machine" sounds very transistorized and compressed with very little "warmth & tone". I bought this after listening to the live album for a few weeks in my car. An album where the sounds of Balch's lead guitar in the left channel and Scott's rhythm guitar in the right channel are so friggin' powerful and in your face. Balch still plays some wicked leads here; but often the guitar sounds are just meshed & blended together sounding like a mono recording at times.
Reeder's drums are very powerful (rather than groove orientated) and up front in the mix, almost too upfront (the guitars should be louder). Reeder is a excellent drummer (his drumming on the live album reminds me a lot of Bill Ward's drumming on Paranoid"); but on this album, it seems he's trying to be David Grohl. On several songs here, the Nirvana fixation is quite evident; in some instances, the album sounds more like Nirvana than late 90's Fu Manchu. Brant Bjork's grooving, bass drum heavy sound (ala "King OF The Road") seems much more complimentary to the bands overall sound. Still this is still a good hard rock album (very little, if any "stoner" present here). I'm hoping this was just an unfortunate production job and not the start of a trend (dare I say more commmercialized trend). So longtime fans would be best served to hit eBay or zShops for this one. Wait a few months & I'm sure the price will tank somewhat.

MONGOOSE AND PIGEON TOE.......2004-10-08

Returning once again to the candy metal shenanigans of TAIG and CC, Fu Manchu have apparently reneged on the promising power resurgence of KOTR--probably for good. Age has a way of mellowing even the hardest of metal tacticians. For those who wish to revel in Fu's pinnacle of power, please seek out the Eatin' Dust EP from 1999. The last two songs, as cited in the header, form one of the heaviest, most primordial one-two punches in the entire metal canon.

Rock Solid Rock Music.......2004-10-04

While I have always been able to detect the sounds of bands like Black Flag and Circle Jerks gurgling underneath Fu Manchu's sludgey rock, on "Start the Machine" the old school skate-punk influence moves to the forefront. These new Fu songs are heavy, fast and pissed off. The laid-back melodies of "California Crossing" have vanished in favor of pure hard-rock aggression. New drummer Scott Reeder proves he has the the chops to fill Brant Bjork's shoes and guitarist Bob Balch continues to impress with stellar solos, especially on the powerful track "Understand". In the middle of all the AC/DC meets Black flag madness comes "Out to Sea", without a doubt the mellowest track they have ever recorded, providing an essential moment of relief and proving that the band has diversity to boot. While the Fu Manchu live record "Go For It. Live!" remains their finest moment, this album totally delivers the goods. Also worth noting is that the pinball, skateboarding, sci-fi imagery and 1976 cover art have been abadnoned in favor of often angry lyrics and straightforward packaging. Other great tracks: the bluesy hard rock of "Make them Believe", the hardcore fun of "I Can't Hear You" and the almost pop-rock closer "I Wanna Be".