Search - Wailing :: Ultimate-Various

Essential Indie Rock

frazernc | charlotte, nc | 05/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Man, this one takes me back. I first got a cassette copy from a friend back in 1986 or so, when I was letting go of my nerdy high school musical tastes and branching out into (then new and exciting) alternative rock. And this obscure collection, featuring fourteen bands of which the average music fan has heard of maybe one (Dinosaur, back before they were Junior), has been the thing that has shaped my musical tastes in the intervening years. Of the fourteen bands, I have purchased albums by 10 of them, and loved them all; Antietam is still one of my favorite bands of all time, and the Volcano Suns, Great Plains, and Live Skull come close. The record is noisy crunchy guitar rock (not pop), and it sounds as lovely today as it did back in my college dorm room. "In a Glass House" is a stunning song--if you haven't heard it, you're probably out of luck because the original album is way out of print; however, Antietam's recent work--especially "Rope-a-Dope"--is still well worth checking out (frontwoman Tara Key is by far the best female guitarist ever). The other standout is Great Plains' winning "Letter to a Fanzine," and I'm pleased to report that, as of this writing, their career retrospective 2-disc set "Length of Growth" is still available. It's probably too much for dabblers, but it's economical (50 songs for 15 bucks or thereabouts), and any serious student of American indie rock (there must be a few of you out there!) should own it. As for "Wailing Ultimate"....well, seems to be out of print, but there are a few used copies now and then. If you like crunchy 80s indie guitar rock, you need this album. Period."