Vicious Rumors
75.25.149.110 |
||
| Posted on January 30, 2015 at 15:44:15 | ||
|
Posts: 7332
Location: Bay Area Joined: December 11, 2000 |
 I remember it well. During the holiday 1987 season, perhaps to celebrate their new album, Digital Dictator [I had it on LP. Dunno if it still resides at my parents' place], rock band Vicious Rumors played some hometown gigs, here in the Bay Area. They weren't well-known nationally, but they had an underground following here. Fast forward to the Spring 1990 semester. I had come home to S.F. from UC Santa Cruz. I met my brother at the Stonestown Tower Records. There, he bought Vicious Rumors' new eponymous album. We went home to our Sony CDP-520ES II and TAE-1000ESD; Adcom GFA-535; Sony APM speakers; Monster cabling. Upon the first notes of track 1, "Don't Wait For Me," my brother muttered, "Aah, they're not thrash." My friends and I would go on to see Vicious Rumor many times, all at small venues. Never, in my experience, was a Vicious Rumor concert crowded. That may have been great for us fans, but was terrible for the band. Interestingly, for all the times in the early-90s that KJ and I were dating and went to concerts, she never saw Vicious Rumors. Yet, she heard that one concert was so empty, that I was in the front. Lead singer Carl Alpert handed me a can of beer. Since I was (and still am) a non-drinker, I passed it to the fan behind me. ...Except, there was no one behind me! The can of beer fell to floor, and rolled. Some dude picked it up, opened it, took a sip, then passed it to someone else. Vicious Rumors' problem was that they were tweeners. They weren't part of the thrash scene, which was very popular back then. Neither were they as glam as the bands from Hollywood. Thus, Vicious Rumors fell between the cracks. That is probably why many of you have never heard of Vicious Rumors. But, dedicated audiophiles we are, we should dig a little deeper, and take the time to listen to 1990's Vicious Rumors. Did it break new musical ground? No. Is it a super clear, state-of-the-art audiophile-esque recording? No. Does it push the political messages? No. Does it tell funny stories? No. Is it clean fun? Yes. On "On The Edge," "Down To The Temple," and "Hellraiser," Vicious Rumors bogs down or trips up. But the other 7 songs are very good, well-played examples of power rock. In the mid-90s, as I went around to audio shows, stores, gatherings, and parties, some of you may have heard me play selections from Vicious Rumors. After all, if an audio product cannot reproduce this professionally-done rock correctly, said product isn't good for much else. Vicious Rumors was originally under Atlantic Records. In the 2000s, other labels have continued to produce it. These more modern productions may sound a little fuller, but that's about it. If you want some competent, well-done rock, which won't upset the cart, add Vicious Rumors to your arsenal. The Audiophiles' DJ, -Lummy The Loch Monster
|
|
