[.ca] Seeds/A Web Of Sound

Chronique amazon.fr:
Voici l'occasion rêvée de (re)découvrir les deux premiers albums des Seeds pour la première fois réédités sous la forme d'un seul CD. Ainsi mesurera-t-on plus aisément combien la formation, bien qu'au départ inspirée par quelques bluesmen comme par les Rolling Stones et les Pretty Things, transcenda ces racines. Emmené par l'improbable Sky Saxon, personnage aussi barré que Roky Erikson de 13th Floor Elevators et accro aux psychotropes, ce groupe influença Love (et Arthur Lee) comme, et surtout, les Doors. De The Seeds, l'histoire a retenu l'hymne "Pushin' Too Hard" qui figurera en bonne place sur Nuggets, compilation concoctée en 1972 par Lenny Kaye en hommage au punk-rock. Quant à A Web Of Sound, les quinze minutes lancinantes et répétitives de "Up In Her Room" justifient à elles seules l'acquisition de ce disque. Sur fond d'orgue Farfisa et de fuzz, Sky Saxon, comme possédé, y scande une transe hypnotique avec une voix nasillarde et parlée inoubliable. --Philippe Robert

repetitive:
I already wrote a review of this disc and amazon didn't post it. I guess if you hear an album that really stinks and tell it like it is they don't want to post it. On this album the songs are (most of them) repetitive They have the same rhythem and beat as the hit Pushin' Too Hard. These guys are what is called a one hit wonder. And the songs are really what is called in the music biz. Filler.If you like songs that all sound basically the same but with different lyrics then this is a perfect example.

explosive primitive rock:
Yeah, I can see how a lot of people would consider the Seeds repetitive after hearing their first album and the uncanny similarities between "Pushin' Too Hard" and songs like "No Escape," etc. And yes, it's true, sometimes even the solos are the same; I think the keyboard player plays the same solo three times on the first record in three separate songs. But hell, personally, I love it. Before hearing the rest of the Seeds' material besides "Pushin' Too Hard," I knew about their legacy to the history of brutal, raunchy, fuzzed out garage punk, so I knew what I was getting into when I purchased a Seeds record; you don't go into it looking for some real complex stuff, you know? That said, the Seeds are the pinnacle of proto-punk garage rock, as far as I'm concerned. They had the sound, and most importantly, the sneer. To me, on the first record they sound like a very American early Stones on speed. Simple riffs (of course) with a dark lyrical underpinning and crazed, snotty vocals, somewhat akin to "December's Children" era Stones or early Kinks. Favorite track goes to "Evil Hoodoo," with its unrelenting fuzz guitar line and high-decible, uptempo crush of noise. It's pretty amazing. "Can't Seem to Make You Mine," the "ballad," of sorts, is a simple, slow number (sounds a bit like "Time is On My Side") that highlight's Sky Saxon's whining vocals, also great stuff. "A Web of Sound," the Seeds' second record, sees them branch out a bit into psychedelic territory, and the production is much improved. It's a much more well-rounded record, and the repetitiveness of the first LP is left behind a bit. "Mr. Farmer" is, of course, the standout, with its sudden shift to a dark, dark melody from the uptempo opening and Saxon's great lyrics. "Tripmaker" ends in a Velvets-esque freakout, and "Faded Picture" shows the band's more sensitive side -- it's actually really good, surprisingly, especially considering the band's reputation as simple two-chord bashers. Not that the song is that complicated, but Saxon tones his usual vocal hysterics down a bit to good effect. It's almost, dare I say, tender? Dig the slide guitar on some of the tracks ("Pictures and Designs", etc.). To cap it off, "Up in Her Room" devastates with a churning, nearly 15 minute slab of pure mania from Saxon. It's simple, and sure the Seeds sometimes fill a record with the same song, but listen to Chuck Berry and you can say the same thing. Doesn't make them any less influential or hard-hitting. The Seeds: For fans of great rock -- period.

The Seeds: Garageland's Super Group:
All praise and glory to the Seeds! These L.A. based rockers were the only garage band, Stooges aside, to reach superstardom. The Seeds were wonderfully inept and so limited musically that they were a beacon of hope for every tone deaf kid who just bought guitar. This CD is actually the first two Seeds vinyl albums on Crescendo, isssued in 1966. In 1966 the Seeds were on the top of the heap of Sunset Strip bands and their primary rival was Arthur Lee's legendary group, Love. When the Seeds played clubs like the Whiskey, the Sea Witch or the the Trip they drew huge crowds and groups like Zappa's Mothers of Invention, the Doors, and Captain Beefheart actually were opening acts for the Seeds! The Seeds were the group that coined the term "flower power" and along with Love, were the first groups considered to be psychedelic. The pummeling, repetative 2 chord rock of the Seeds was anything but psychedelic, however. It was the bizarre free asscociation lyrics of lead singer Sky Saxon that made the Seeds unusual. "Pushing Too Hard", a garage classic, is on this collection. There is a certain brillance needed to make a song simplier than "Louie, Louie" a top 40 hit. "Pushing Too Hard" features Saxon's bratty half spoken vocal and the snarling, reverb soaked lead guitar of Jan Savage. The second album, "Web of Sound" is the Seeds finest hour. In this one, Saxon's lyrics and vocal style are over the top. "Up In Her Room" is a 14 minute epic where Saxon improvises lyrics which become increasingly derranged. "Tripmaker" and "Pictures and Designs" are incoherent, yet mezmerizing songs about the delights of LSD. "Mr. Farmer" is a defining moment in the history of rock and roll. The band plays a mid- tempo marching beat and Saxon mournfully pleads with Mr. Farmer to let him water his crops..."Mr. Farmer, I want to be just like you." It doesn't get much better than this. The Seeds put out a couple of more albums after the first two, but Sky Saxon's songs like, "900 People Making It Daily", "Falling Off The Edge of My Mind", and "Love In A Summer Basket" became too psychedelic, even for their chemically fueled devotees. By 1969, the band was pretty much gutted, but the Seeds will always be the headline act in Garageland.

Correction:
The Seeds are listed in a British Invasion section which is not correct. They were from Southern California. Someone in the group might have been from Britain but the lead singer Sky Saxon (real name Richard Marsh I believe) was from Utah. The group became popular playing clubs, the Santa Monica Palladium (formerly where the Academy Awards were held) and other venues near the California coast. Their first hits were around 1966 and later.

A band *way* overstaying its welcome:
The only reason I gave this disc 2 stars instead of 1 is because "Pushin' Too Hard" was such a cool song, Ramones-like in its simplicity as it was. However, the previous reviewer is dead on when he intimates that once you've heard this Seeds song, you've heard them all. Even the solos are all exactly alike, never mind the songs!

• Can't Seem to Make You Mine
• No Escape
• Evil Hoodoo
• Girl I Want You
• Pushin' Too Hard
• Try to Understand
• Nobody Spoil My Fun
• It's a Hard Life
• You Can't Be Trusted
• Excuse, Excuse
• Fallin' in Love
• Mr. Farmer
• Pictures and Designs
• Tripmaker
• I Tell Myself
• Faded Picture
• Rollin' Machine
• Just Let Go
• Up in Her Room \oLong Version\c