Eh...
Rebellion in Dreamland | Lansdale, PA United States | 08/14/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, let me get this straight, once and for all: This is NOT a Metal album. I bought it expecting it to be such, and was met with a disappointment upon finding that vocalist David Readman and the boys had written a grunge album. Still, in many ways, it was a pleasant surprise, because it actually qualifies as a decent grunge album. The majority of the songs don't sound all that pop-targeted (not any more so than other early-'90s grunge acts, that is,) meaning that you'll find very little Creed-esque "pop-grunge" in this album. In addition to tons of standard grunge riffs which sound like they could have been plucked from any Soundgarden album, Readman's voice bears an uncanny resemblance to Alice in Chains' Layne Staley. Strong points include the mid-tempo opener "SNAP" (which is about the fastest song on the album); the energetic and angsty "Dead Man's Scream"; the dark, AIC-influenced "Other Side"; and an innovative cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You", which takes the standard 'boom-boom-clap' beat of the original song and fills in the gaps with Alfred Koffler's excellent guitar playing. The album has a lot of weak points too, however, for a lot of the songs are slow and acoustic, sounding more like filler. All in all, there are maybe 8 or 9 worthwhile songs out of the 15 total.Therefore, though it's no "Superunknown" or "In Utero", Pink Cream 69's "Food for Thought" offers a lot of decent, old-school grunge. I still can't help but feel let down, however, since I was expecting some classic PC69 heavy metal. If you really want to listen to the band at their absolute best, check out one of their earlier albums which feature vocalist Andi Deris before he left to join Helloween. I would recommend starting with "One Size Fits All.""
3.5 stars - still emerging from grunge's shadow
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 07/31/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"1997's Food for Thought was the fifth studio album by German melodic rockers Pink Cream 69, and the second album to feature vocalist David Readman. The band was still in flux at the time, getting used to a new vocalist as well as a changing musical climate, so Food for Thought is not a typical PC69 release.
I actually held off buying this album for a long time because it was supposed to be a halfhearted attempt at grunge. After hearing it, I can only imagine that those calling it a grunge album never heard PC69's real grunge album Change. Compared to that, Food for Thought is a pretty straightforward melodic hard rock album. There are some vaguely Soundgarden-ish elements, but the band's talent and flair for writing high-quality melodic rock songs shines through any Seattle poses. For one thing, David Readman really starts to come into his own here, and he's just too powerful a vocalist to limit himself to alterna-rock dreariness. That and Dennis Ward's production job is decidedly un-alternative.
There are too many really good, really melodic songs on Food for Thought to call this a grunge album. "Snap" and "Until I Wake" are great rockers, the cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" is a blast. OK, "Better Days" actually does sound like an alternative song in the Gin Blossoms/Toad the Wet Sprocket vein, but it's just a really pretty song.
It's nowhere near the melodic hard rock powerhouse of 1998's Electrified, but it's not the grungy mess that was Change either. Food for Thought is PC69's first step out of the darkness and into the forefront of the modern melodic hard rock/metal scene. I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone start with this album, but if you're already a PC69 fan you really need to give Food for Thought a fair chance.
Edition Notes: The Japanese import version of Food for Thought features the bonus track "Easy." It's a brief, upbeat, rocking number, though it's probably not good enough to justify the high import price tag.
Edition Notes 2: SPV's 2005 reissue of Food for Thought includes the song "Easy" from the Japanese import plus two additional bonus tracks - "Black Rain" and "Seasons Change" - making it the best possible version of the album."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1