Suicidal Tendencies - Still Cyco After All These Years

When Suicidal Tendencies formed in Venice in 1982, they ravaged southern California with a completely unique brand of visceral street punk rage. The original latino hardcore band, their 1983 self-titled debut was magnificently well-rounded, complete with hilarious, poignant lyrics, excellent songwriting, and fantastic musicianship. Mike Muir and the band articulated teenage angst as clearly as anyone before or since, creating a definitive album for the ages. Fast-forward 10 years. It's 1993, and the boys are the owners of two gold records. By all accounts, they're talented, successful musicians. And so they decide to re-record their original breakthrough album, track-by-track, along with three new songs. And, after listening to the new album Still Cyco After All These Years, Suicidal Tendencies fans might be inclined to wonder why. It's not as if they didn't do it right the first time. And the three new tracks are barely good enough to be considered filler. The remade songs sound cleaner, more even-tempered, and the guitar solos stick out as slightly more lavish. But what good does that do when you've lost the genuine frustration and anger that inspired the original material? These songs deal almost exclusively with teenage issues. The well-known track, "Institutionalized", satirizes parents who don't listen to their children. When Mike Muir's voice cracked during the original chorus, it fit perfectly within the context of the song. The new version sounds comparatively slick. And, coming from a 28-year-old rock star, it just doesn't seem quite as authentic. That's basically the problem with the album as a whole. Without question, it's great music. But if you want to hear it what makes it so spectacular, you'd be better off opting for the originals. ~ Kieran McCarthy, All Music Guide

Name Credits Chris Cuffaro Photography Chris Poppe Product Manager Joel Zimmerman Art Direction Kenny Komisar A&R Mark Dodson Engineer, Producer Michael Dodson Producer, Engineer Mike Dodson Engineer Mike Muir Producer