*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.Genre: Grunge
Label Number: NAR CD 049
AllMusic Review by Richard Foss
The sole album by Solomon Grundy was originally called Stone Soup and Other Stories, and the name survives on the original LP: side one is called Stone Soup, side two Other Stories. It seems likely that the two sides were cut at different recording sessions or at a different time, since the Other Stories tracks have a slightly different character than their predecessors. The first six tracks are lively proto-grunge, musically interesting but constrained by Van Conner's limitations as a vocalist. The thundering bass and guitar over pounding drums are invigorating and the snappy time changes come just often enough to make it work as hard rock with a pop edge, but Conner is just not a powerful singer. He is best when his bandmates fill in with primitive harmonies, as in "Quiet Sea" and "Simplify." The songs on side two are somewhat more inventive, have a greater stylistic variation, and show greater promise. If Solomon Grundy had stayed together and toured behind this record, they could have broken through in a way that Screaming Trees never did; "My Mind" could have been a hard rock hit and the odd, ragged punk-folk "One Day" must have sounded great in concert. There are plenty of hints on this album that Solomon Grundy might have been a chart-topper rather than a footnote in Seattle scene history.
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1990 New Alliance RecordsAllMusic Review by Richard Foss
The sole album by Solomon Grundy was originally called Stone Soup and Other Stories, and the name survives on the original LP: side one is called Stone Soup, side two Other Stories. It seems likely that the two sides were cut at different recording sessions or at a different time, since the Other Stories tracks have a slightly different character than their predecessors. The first six tracks are lively proto-grunge, musically interesting but constrained by Van Conner's limitations as a vocalist. The thundering bass and guitar over pounding drums are invigorating and the snappy time changes come just often enough to make it work as hard rock with a pop edge, but Conner is just not a powerful singer. He is best when his bandmates fill in with primitive harmonies, as in "Quiet Sea" and "Simplify." The songs on side two are somewhat more inventive, have a greater stylistic variation, and show greater promise. If Solomon Grundy had stayed together and toured behind this record, they could have broken through in a way that Screaming Trees never did; "My Mind" could have been a hard rock hit and the odd, ragged punk-folk "One Day" must have sounded great in concert. There are plenty of hints on this album that Solomon Grundy might have been a chart-topper rather than a footnote in Seattle scene history.
tags: solomon grundy, solomon grundy album, 1990, flac,
awesome! thanks lass.
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