Highly Dissapointing
Jonathan Schaper | London, Ontario Canada | 07/10/2001
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This EP is a sort of companion piece to Dispepsi that also focuses on advertising and media. Unfortunately it is quite weak. "Happy Heroes" is the same song as that on Dispepsi with additional noise added to the background, distracting from the clever lyrics. The various "Mertz" entries are false advertisements for a pill that "makes up your mind for you" but each lack any decent satirical content and are just silly. Ditto "Black Hole Tube" which is good for a short light chuckle only the first time you hear it. And "Chicken Diction" is a recording of Colonel Sanders stumbling over his lines, not very funny in the first place and the remixing doesn't make it much more funny.The only reason why I still own this cd is because of: 1. the altered Janet Jackson Rolling Stones cover art with OJ and Marcia Clark, 2. "O.J. and His Personal Trainer" (although #1 and 2 and a bit distasteful) and, especially, 3. "Jolly Green Giant" which is largely a recording of Orson Welles telling off some ad execs about how ...they are (which has given me even greater respect for the great artist who was ruined by his refusal to compromise his art for commerciality). Unfortunately, the Orson Welles recording would have been better without the remixing and added noises and samples. Sometimes Negativland doesn't know when to show restraint."
An off peak disappointment
S. A DUNN | Chehalis, WA United States | 04/02/2007
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Every band has works that are not stellar. This album by Negativland is one of them.
Their Mertz stuff is just plain boring. To build an album on that concept is lame. Heck, Don Joyce does better on his lowest "Over the Edge" radio shows than he did on this album.
It's only redeeming quality is the"OJ" interview, it is funny hearing OJ talk about "getting the blood pumping" while hearing screams in the background!
Rather than waste your money on this album, get Dispepsi. Or better yet get anything by Negativland that
includes the nasal whining of my favorite Clorox Cowboy, The Weatherman!"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1