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On the Shelf 158: Danzig
Feb. 17th, 2016 11:08 amWell, I am not sure if I need to reset my love for Danzig but here goes:
When I first heard the Misfits Legacy of Brutality which was circa 1990, I was immediately hooked. I find that album as well as much of that band's discography to be timeless. It is hard to call the band underrated as their music is discovered by new fans every year and there's very few bands that sell more shirts in a year than the Misfits. Still, they don't fit into the nice (major label) mold of tastemakers like Pitchfork and Mojo, so they never get recognized with the same reverence as the Sex Pistols, Ramones, or even bands like Dead Kennedys and Crass.
Ok, so I love the Misfits. It 's a given. I'm not particularly a fan of Danzig's second phase Samhain, though certainly there are a few songs from that band that are very very good.
Danzig's third act- the self-titled band- is even hard to pigeonhole. As their medium is metal, they rarely get any press outside of the usual spots. They are however a band I have followed for some time. The first album is considered classic in terms of metal, and though I think it's reputation is a bit overblown, certainly some songs on that album justify it. I am a big fan of the second album- the blues influenced Lucifuge. Though there are some genre limitations (and some people just don't like it), I like it a lot. No doubt Danzig 3 was considered a flop by many. I hated it as well, though I suspect it maybe wasn't as bad as I remember.
Danzig 4 (1994) was Glen's high point- several things coming together at once- Metallica was top of the music world and telling everyone of their fandom, the "Mother"(Live) video went huge as Glam Rock was on the way out, Glen found backers for his pet projects- comics and the "Black Aria" classical album. Danzig 4 was also a solid album.
It didn't last. Danzig's band left. His label (American) dropped him which meant no more Rick Rubin. Danzig 5 (1996) was the sound of a man out of touch. Like most music in that time frame (Filter, Gravity Kills, Prick, Bowie's "Outside, Manson's "Antichrist Superstar") Trent Reznor's influence reigned supreme.
I am probably in the minority, but I have followed the Man's career (four more albums since 5) to mostly diminishing returns. While Danzig is undeniably a legend and given his influence, could have moved into an elder statesman role like Peter Murphy, he has always put a big deal of his artistic career on exhibiting his virility. As the years go by, it is tougher to sell that to crowds four decades younger. There are moments of course (Danzig 7 is particularly better than the rest, though their are some decent songs sprinkled throughout the latter discography).
Time has let Danzig finally get to many of the projects he has talked about for years. For example, a compilation of lost Danzig tracks saw the light of day in 2007 (It's not particularly worthwhile if you are not a hardcore fan), and finally in 2015, Danzig finally got around to releasing an all cover (influences) album.
Ok, I thought that was a particularly bad album cover at first, but I didn't get it.
It's a cover album. It's Pin Ups.
So while Danzig is no longer commanding front page news, this could be the type of record that will indeed garner some interest from longtime fans.
Danzig's influences are pretty much what you would expect- outlaw biker exploitation music soundtracks, early Aerosmith, ZZTop, Elvis (of course), Sabbath (of course), Nuggets, the Troggs, and ummm.. the Everly Brothers and Young Rascals.
So, the potential is there if you are a fan.
Let's pick "Nativity in Black" as a prime example of what is right an wrong with this record.
For starters, NiB has reached the status of classic and is one of those songs that probably no one should cover. It maybe took a bit longer than "Iron man" or "Paranoid" but with media saturation, covers and all, it has reached that level.
The thing is Danzig actually pulls it off vocally. He gives a powerful performance.
The other thing is it soudns awful. So as it is with the rest of the album. If this were a bootleg compilation, one might excuse it. However, the general sound of the album is just terrible. I generally try not to say anything bad about Tommy Victor but his guitars sound like a bad bar band. I could be misplacing that blame as Danzig is the producer credit, but in any case, it is all distracted by terrible sound.
So it is with the rest of the album. The biker anthems sort of work. "Devils Angels", the opener has a Legacy of Brutality feel. It is followed by "Satan" which should follow the same template, except it's four minutes long, which is about 2 too many.
There is one oddball song that doesn't sound like it was recorded by a bootlegger in the fifth row, and it is arguably (and most weirdly) the best song. It is a song written by the most un-Danzig-like of artists, Carole King and made famous by the Everly Brothers.
It actually sounds good, and gives some credence to this could have been a good album given the right production (of which there is no excuse. You could maybe excuse if the artist was dead or if this was not an official release).
It also should be noted that Danzig's next move appears to be (seriously) a disc called "Danzig sings Elvis", of which "Always on My Mind" has been released. It is actually a pretty good version given the well-worn song, but again seems to be sunk by bad production.
When I first heard the Misfits Legacy of Brutality which was circa 1990, I was immediately hooked. I find that album as well as much of that band's discography to be timeless. It is hard to call the band underrated as their music is discovered by new fans every year and there's very few bands that sell more shirts in a year than the Misfits. Still, they don't fit into the nice (major label) mold of tastemakers like Pitchfork and Mojo, so they never get recognized with the same reverence as the Sex Pistols, Ramones, or even bands like Dead Kennedys and Crass.
Ok, so I love the Misfits. It 's a given. I'm not particularly a fan of Danzig's second phase Samhain, though certainly there are a few songs from that band that are very very good.
Danzig's third act- the self-titled band- is even hard to pigeonhole. As their medium is metal, they rarely get any press outside of the usual spots. They are however a band I have followed for some time. The first album is considered classic in terms of metal, and though I think it's reputation is a bit overblown, certainly some songs on that album justify it. I am a big fan of the second album- the blues influenced Lucifuge. Though there are some genre limitations (and some people just don't like it), I like it a lot. No doubt Danzig 3 was considered a flop by many. I hated it as well, though I suspect it maybe wasn't as bad as I remember.
Danzig 4 (1994) was Glen's high point- several things coming together at once- Metallica was top of the music world and telling everyone of their fandom, the "Mother"(Live) video went huge as Glam Rock was on the way out, Glen found backers for his pet projects- comics and the "Black Aria" classical album. Danzig 4 was also a solid album.
It didn't last. Danzig's band left. His label (American) dropped him which meant no more Rick Rubin. Danzig 5 (1996) was the sound of a man out of touch. Like most music in that time frame (Filter, Gravity Kills, Prick, Bowie's "Outside, Manson's "Antichrist Superstar") Trent Reznor's influence reigned supreme.
I am probably in the minority, but I have followed the Man's career (four more albums since 5) to mostly diminishing returns. While Danzig is undeniably a legend and given his influence, could have moved into an elder statesman role like Peter Murphy, he has always put a big deal of his artistic career on exhibiting his virility. As the years go by, it is tougher to sell that to crowds four decades younger. There are moments of course (Danzig 7 is particularly better than the rest, though their are some decent songs sprinkled throughout the latter discography).
Time has let Danzig finally get to many of the projects he has talked about for years. For example, a compilation of lost Danzig tracks saw the light of day in 2007 (It's not particularly worthwhile if you are not a hardcore fan), and finally in 2015, Danzig finally got around to releasing an all cover (influences) album.
Ok, I thought that was a particularly bad album cover at first, but I didn't get it.
It's a cover album. It's Pin Ups.
So while Danzig is no longer commanding front page news, this could be the type of record that will indeed garner some interest from longtime fans.
Danzig's influences are pretty much what you would expect- outlaw biker exploitation music soundtracks, early Aerosmith, ZZTop, Elvis (of course), Sabbath (of course), Nuggets, the Troggs, and ummm.. the Everly Brothers and Young Rascals.
So, the potential is there if you are a fan.
Let's pick "Nativity in Black" as a prime example of what is right an wrong with this record.
For starters, NiB has reached the status of classic and is one of those songs that probably no one should cover. It maybe took a bit longer than "Iron man" or "Paranoid" but with media saturation, covers and all, it has reached that level.
The thing is Danzig actually pulls it off vocally. He gives a powerful performance.
The other thing is it soudns awful. So as it is with the rest of the album. If this were a bootleg compilation, one might excuse it. However, the general sound of the album is just terrible. I generally try not to say anything bad about Tommy Victor but his guitars sound like a bad bar band. I could be misplacing that blame as Danzig is the producer credit, but in any case, it is all distracted by terrible sound.
So it is with the rest of the album. The biker anthems sort of work. "Devils Angels", the opener has a Legacy of Brutality feel. It is followed by "Satan" which should follow the same template, except it's four minutes long, which is about 2 too many.
There is one oddball song that doesn't sound like it was recorded by a bootlegger in the fifth row, and it is arguably (and most weirdly) the best song. It is a song written by the most un-Danzig-like of artists, Carole King and made famous by the Everly Brothers.
It actually sounds good, and gives some credence to this could have been a good album given the right production (of which there is no excuse. You could maybe excuse if the artist was dead or if this was not an official release).
It also should be noted that Danzig's next move appears to be (seriously) a disc called "Danzig sings Elvis", of which "Always on My Mind" has been released. It is actually a pretty good version given the well-worn song, but again seems to be sunk by bad production.
