[.ca] Change Today? (Rm)

The start of a new TSOL era:
This is TSOL's third full length album, but the first with this lineup. This album bring forward a new singer, Joe Wood (Jack's brother-in-law) and new drummer. They left a lot of the early punk sound behind and became more of a modern Doors like band. On this LP they were still getting some of the kinks out, so its not perfect. Between this and the follow-up "Revenge", you have a pretty nice set of songs. After Revenge, they became more involved in the LA Rock scene than the Punk Rock scene. With that came a change in sound and lyrical content, which influenced and paved the way for other hair/glam band -- Poison, Great White, et al -- but left a lot of their original fan base behind. This CD contains some rare stuff. There is "Suppose they give war" from the first Flipside compilation and some out takes from the recording session. The song "Road of Gold", which would later surface on "Hit and Run", is more primitive here, but still quite good. If you saw TSOL on the warp tour or have the LP "Dance with me", this is NOT the same band. That band is the original lineup reformed (minus Todd Barnes, RIP.) They are both good bands, just different. Of interest older fans may be the whereabouts of Joe Wood. He is currently an artist in Long Beach. He also occasionally plays with his band Joe Wood and the Lonely Ones. Their CD "The Lonely Ones" is a very good blues-rock number, with some catchy tracks. Check out his website: http://www.joewoodmusicandart.com/

It's only Punk Rock...:
Simple ... The Best... It's the better album of punk rock at 80's... and " Flowers by the door" it's a classical!!! Enjoy it...

Hands down best TSOL album period.:
I'm a big fan of the old So Cal punk sound (angry samoans, circle jerks, black flag, etc.) I picked up this album on vinyl for five bucks. It doesn't sound like most TSOL but it is hands down my favorite TSOL album. It's moodier than the Dance With Me album and is certainly less cheesy than Christian Death stuff. You could tell that they were really serious about this album. Lyrics are poetic and the musicianship is driving and well crafted. Definitely some brooding sexy stuff. Take a girlie home and put this album on....

4 good tunes out of 10 ...the rest generic punk:
I had never even heard of T.S.O.L. (True Sounds Of Liberty) prior to seeing them live at a small Miami club (Griff's?) in 1984. They were touring in support of "Change Today?" and they kicked my ass, BIGTIME!...I still have a scar on my arm where something or someone spiked me during a slam session (hell, the whole audience was a "pit" in those early days). I've heard some of their other songs, but they aren't as interesting as some of the songs on this album. This release also marks the debut of Joe Wood's killer vocals. "Red Shadows", "Just Like Me" and "Blackmagic" and the hit single: "Flowers by the Door" are the standouts.

"BAR NONE THE BEST T.S.O.L. ALBUM":
I REMEMBER HEARING THIS ALBUM BEING PLAYED ON THE TURNTABLE IN MY OLDER BROTHER'S ROOM WHEN I WAS A LITTLE KID. BY THE TIME I WAS A TEENAGER, I HAD FORGOTTEN WHO THE TRUE SOUNDS OF LIBERTY WERE. ABOUT 15 YRS AFTER ITS RELEASE, I FOUND THIS CD IN A WEARHOUSE. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING NOWADAYS THAT EVEN HOLDS A CANDLE TO "BLACKMAGIC", "RED SHADOWS", OR "IT'S GRAY." THE BEGINNING OF RED SHADOWS REMINDS ME OF SEEING HUGE SETS ROLLING IN OFF SEBASTIAN INLET'S MONSTER HOLE. THIS ONE HITS CLOSE TO HOME.

• Blackmagic
• Just Like Me
• In Time
• Red Shadows
• Flowers by the Door
• American Zone
• It's Gray
• John
• Nice Guys
• How Do
• Road of Gold \o*\c
• Otherside \o*\c
• Suppose They Give a War and No One Comes \o*\c
• This Is Your Life \o*\c