Royal Trux : Classic or Dud ?

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I was all like wtf, until I saw the byline on this:

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
After four (mostly unexceptional) releases on Chicago's hipper-than-thou indie Drag City, Haggerty and Herrema moved on up to Virgin in 1995, becoming label mates with what's left of their heroes, the Rolling Stones. Some might have considered the David Briggs-produced Thank You a sell-out, but it was as weird, sloppy, and attitudinal as ever. Only this time, there were bona fide pop songs that stuck in your craw, indicating for the first time that the Truckers might be more than just another Lower East Side art-rock rip-off. Sweet Sixteen is even better. To the extent that I care or can be bothered to decipher 'em, the lyrics tackle the same old concerns: sex, drugs, and rock & roll in-jokes. It's the musical settings that matter. Haggerty and lovingly reconstruct every '70s sound they ever smoked a bong or nodded off to: Sly Stone-style funk ("The Pick-Up"), Allman Brothers twin guitars meet prog-rock synths ("Don't Try to Hard"), stoner country-blues-jugband shuffling ("Roswell Seeds & Stems"), and even ultra-ironic Abbey Road-era Beatlemana ("Can't Have It Both Ways"). Of course, Redd Kross and Jellyfish/Imperial Drag (to name but two) have been building winning pop from this junkyard wreckage for quite some time now. But while the members of Royal Trux are coming to the party late, they're arriving with their arms full of treats.Jim Derogatis

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 17:22 (nineteen years ago) link

They've had Sweet 16 in the bin over at Reckless every time I've been there in the past few weeks, but I hadn't picked it up because I had read mixed things about it. They also had the Singles collection a week or so ago and I didn't get it, which I'll probably regret eventually. Accelerator is the one that sounds best, but I've just been picking up what's easily available first. I'm curious about the RTX album because Herrema's voice is a large part of the appeal for me.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 17:42 (nineteen years ago) link

n/a, the Singles has "Faca Amolada" on it, one of the most melodic songs they ever did. Nice stuff.

― steve hise, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 17:48 (nineteen years ago) link

I really really like the song "Stop!".

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Sweet 16 is really dense and queasy, their most difficult lp outside Twin Infinitives.
If you like Accelerator, Transmaniacon is similar.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:16 (nineteen years ago) link

I think I'm eventually going to have to get them all. Right now I'm theoretically on a budget of only buying one cd a week, but I already cheated on that rule this past weekend.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:20 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm gonna play "stop" on the radio tomorrow. Or my "The Exception" yeah, I think I'll play "The Exception" and then something from Transmaniacon.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:27 (nineteen years ago) link

yeah, i wanna hear that RTX thing too, one of these days.

i like "sweet 16" but i don't really know which one i like best. i used to listen to that singles comp (well, maybe 1/3 of it) all the time, but i don't think that one qualifies.

― amateur!!st, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:37 (nineteen years ago) link

SIngles comp qualifies! All their best stuff was reserved for singles and most of them didn't end up on lps.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:40 (nineteen years ago) link

No love for Hand of Glory or whatever? I think I may have even given that one away. I've got a live bootleg with a wicked cover of "Suspicious Minds"

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:45 (nineteen years ago) link

There are like 10 used copies of Hand of Glory at Reckless, and I'm sure there are a few more propping up tables in the back.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 18:55 (nineteen years ago) link

Haha I love 'Hand of Glory'

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 10:50 (nineteen years ago) link

SHOCKWAVE RIDER!!

― You've Got to Pick Up Every Stitch (tracerhand), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:26 (nineteen years ago) link

As featured on ONCE AGAIN "Singles, Live, Unreleased", were it a triple Lp ALBUM it'd be the best ALBUM ever made easily. As it is it's merely the best box thing ever, close enough. I wish everyone in the world would buy it.

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 28 October 2004 01:56 (nineteen years ago) link

Also all those NHagerty weird things, 'Hand of Glory' and the HHex records, they're just like long Dylan songs w/more funny noises and slightly less obv choruses, don't be shy (side two of HoG aside I guess)

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 28 October 2004 01:58 (nineteen years ago) link

Andrew -- by 'box vs. ALBUM', I am assuming you mean that S/L/U is but a mere compilation? (cuz obviously there are 3lp thingies that are considered part of the canon, like Sandinista and Yessongs and so forth)

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 28 October 2004 02:05 (nineteen years ago) link

Yeah exactly, I mean if they'd gone into the studio for a few months and made SLU, well, shit. Better than those noble 3Lps even. For some reason that always seems a really lovely idea.

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 28 October 2004 02:09 (nineteen years ago) link

I got Sweet Sixteen this weekend. I like it, it's kind of murkier and more fucked up than the other ones I have, what with the weird keyboard noise and nonsequiter vocal samples and shit like that.

― n/a (Nick A.), Monday, 1 November 2004 21:27 (nineteen years ago) link

the new one, TRANSMANIACON, is reasonable good.

― russignonald's, Tuesday, 2 November 2004 04:07 (nineteen years ago) link

I checked, and I still have Hand of Glory. I may listen to it again tonight.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 2 November 2004 15:08 (nineteen years ago) link

two months pass...

In which country did Royal Trux allegedly start a riot with the announcement of their breakup in 2000?

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:29 (nineteen years ago) link

Do tell, Adam.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:49 (nineteen years ago) link

no, I need you to answer this question so that i can win RTX tickets on Flavorpill!

It's a hard one.

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:51 (nineteen years ago) link

Google is not giving up the secrets.

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:51 (nineteen years ago) link

bmp

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link

The "press release" on Drag City's site back in the day (which was removed days later) said that the band announced their break-up during a Japanese press conference, and things went nuts.

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link

Maybe they made the story up as part of the Yin Jim, W. Lester Duo, and the Bones of a Dead Coyote saga or something.

What is Royal Trux?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 22:57 (nineteen years ago) link

Thanks, doctor funk. And now we wait.

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 23:02 (nineteen years ago) link

Stories from the Yin Jim file, I'm telling you.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 18 January 2005 23:06 (nineteen years ago) link

New Howling Hex album out Feb 21 on Drag City. It's currently listed as coming out only on CD; that can't possibly be right, can it?

Song titles and a word or two on the tracks from the Howling Hex site:

"Now, We're Gonna Sing": Start out with a straightforward introduction to the people...

"Instilled With Mem'ry": Try to forget that name and date...

"Pair Back Up Mass With": Self delusion before action...

"Activity Risks": Committee in the brain disagree...

"To His Own Front Door": In and pulled out by the outside...

"What, Man? Who Are You?!": The final confrontation of mistaken identity...

"Cast Aside The False": Ghost of JonBenet Ramsey surveys the battlefield...

"Soft Enfolding Spreads": A final objection and farewell...

― Vic Funk, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 02:49 (nineteen years ago) link

Vic - feasibly, it COULD be CD only, since the Introducing...trilogy is complete. As in, back to the non-limited. Then again, Drag City usually issue most of their stuff on LP, too. Weird.

This is my most anticipated release of the year.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 04:07 (nineteen years ago) link

I'd like to catch up on what Neil is doing. I liked the first solo album, but thought the second one (that Plays That Good Ol' Rock and Roll one or whatever it was called) was kind of crap.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 04:46 (nineteen years ago) link

the third proper solo album was by far the best.

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 04:54 (nineteen years ago) link

roger, the new howling hex NAILS it. it's great. very concise, the opposite of the sprawl of the previous four records or so. for me, the best neil's done since the first solo disc.

― jon dale, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 11:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Vic - feasibly, it COULD be CD only, since the Introducing...trilogy is complete. As in, back to the non-limited. Then again, Drag City usually issue most of their stuff on LP, too. Weird.

DC has it listed as LP/CD in there news section, so I guess we'll have to wait a few more weeks to find out. But most DC stuff comes out on vinyl, as you said, and it would just strike me as odd that someone would put out three vinyl only albums, then make the next proper record CD only. I mean, DC has concrete proof people will buy Howling Hex vinyl.

― Vic Funk, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 13:32 (nineteen years ago) link

And NMH seems to like the format enough

― Andrew Blood Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 13:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Anyone hear anything about a new NMH book?

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 20:09 (nineteen years ago) link

Never mind, I just checked the DrCi website.

― Huk-L, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 20:10 (nineteen years ago) link

There's info on the HH site as well: http://www.howlinghex.com/

― Vic Funk, Wednesday, 19 January 2005 20:15 (nineteen years ago) link

Haha! I won those tickets! Thanks dr funk.

― .ada.m. (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 19 January 2005 20:18 (nineteen years ago) link

two months pass...

Roger is OTMFM

I'm listening to Veterans of Disorder at this moment and I'm fucking sad that I only saw 'em live one time ('97, the Bug Jar in Rochester, NY).

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 23:57 (nineteen years ago) link

SICK ASS DOG

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:13 (nineteen years ago) link

STRAWBERRY SODAPOP

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:14 (nineteen years ago) link

I CALLED THE DOC AND HE'S IN SHOCK, THE SHIT HAS HIT THE FEDS

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:17 (nineteen years ago) link

WITCH'S TIT

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:19 (nineteen years ago) link

did playing "sick ass dog" on the jukebox last night ruin it?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:21 (nineteen years ago) link

CHANCES ARE THE COMETS IN OUR FUTURE

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:33 (nineteen years ago) link

I LIKE TO GO TO THE WATER PARK!

(I heard that song used once over a sports highlight reel)

― Huk-L, Thursday, 31 March 2005 00:37 (nineteen years ago) link

SHOCKWAVE RIDDDEEERRRRRR

― Poundstretcher (nordicskilla), Thursday, 31 March 2005 01:07 (nineteen years ago) link

Sweet Sixteen is a pretty goddamn awesome record.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Monday, 4 April 2005 04:29 (nineteen years ago) link

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