Search - fu manchu :: Start the Machine

Tone & Vibe Just Not "Hear"

"The Woj" | Downers Grove, IL | 11/21/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Rock Solid Rock Music

S. Kopeny | California | 10/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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 leads, 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 heaviest 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"."

Fu Manchu can do no wrong.

D. L. Thompson | Texas, USA | 10/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure what chip the first reviewer had on his shoulder, but basically the best review I can give is to say "ignore that review". Fu Manchu have flown under the mainstream radar long enough. Their time has come. Thier skills are honed. Their truly unique approach to Rock 'n' Roll is so refreshing in a time when bands start to sound the same. Fu Manchu stands out even in the genre they have most often been lumped into (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, etc.), but the scope of thier talent is more diverse and enjoyable to more people than that genre can hold. This album reminds me of hearing Van Halen for the first time by the way it hits you as so much better than the rest! I give this one 4 stars because it is on par with King of the Road, and California Crossing, both great albums in thier own rite, but I reserve 5 stars for legendary status albums such as the Beatles Sgt. Pepper, or Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The more people hear and agree that Start the Machine is as I say, the more likely I'd give it 5."