Customer Reviews

Action Is Go

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fu Manchu- Gods. A cross between the Stooges, Black Sabbath and a really stoned teenage garage band. Reminds me of a friend I used to have- listened to KISS a lot, grew his hair long, wore clothes from 1977 and disappeared... I imagine him now- in a souped-up, customized Trans-Am rolling along, Sabbath on the 8-track and bumper sticker which reads "Gas, Grass or Ass: No one rides for free."

If you read the entire Editorial Review (above) by Adem Tepedelen, you may come away thinking this CD pales in comparison to "In Search Of..." Well, I say it blows it away, and here's why:

First of all, he states Fu Manchu's line-up change has brought about a blandness to their music when Eddie and Ruben split for good. Look at their replacements, though--Brant Bjork (drums) of Kyuss and Mondo Gen., and Bob Balch (who I must admit, I've never heard of this guitar player) who, compared to Eddie Glass, is like comparing sticky krypto to skunky krypto: they're both REAL good...so do you really care? Then, he goes on to say that Fu cannot compete with Monster Magnet anymore. What? It's 2006, and I'm surely not going to put on a Monster Magnet CD anymore...but I listen to Fu nearly everyday. Their sound stands the test of time!

The music changed a little. The utter grunge and sludge was altered, incorporating a real 70's rock aspect. There's been a huge revival in our culture I believe--a renewed love affair with classic rock. You didn't see this in the late late 80's or the 90's. But now, you hear it everywhere, and I believe Fu Manchu is one of a handful of bands to help this process along in the mid to late 90's.

Every song on this CD is good. There are a few tracks which reak of the "In Search Of..." sound. The first song, "Evil Eye," reminds you of the past. The next track, "Urethane" (Fu's best song ever) introduces you to the new sound. It sounds like Fu Manchu, Black Sabbath and AC/DC all jamming together at once. It's musical perfection.Then, song 3 (title track) thrust you backward with a very Eddie Glass-esque, fast-paced, hard core style rock song. "Burning Road" then presents a mix of old and new--quiet, slow, rythmic; then, you're hit with a tidal wave of distorted guitars.

"Laserb'last," "Grendel, Snowman" and "Saturn III" are influenced greatly by Bjork's presence, and are very remniscent of Kyuss. Grendel sounds like a song from "Red Sun" while Saturn sounds and feels like it belongs on "Sky Valley." These songs are both THAT GOOD.

"Anodizer" is awesome. Sounds just like what they hit us with on "In search Of" (think Strato-Streak). It has a low, grungy, dark riff and tone to it.

"Guardrail" and "Unkown World" are so Eddie Glass-heavy, you'd pleasantly think they were NEBULA songs...really. They both sound like something from "To The Center" or "Charged."

The other songs are all good as well. But for me, Evil Eye, Urethane, Anodizer and Grendel are the reasons I think this CD is the best of it's kind. They blow away many of their contemporaries, and even much of their own music with these four legendary tracks.

In my opinion, "The Action is Go" tops all of Fu Manchu's other recordings. They never put anything together again that was quite this perfectly good from start to finish. I believe they made their very best music between '96 and '99, where we got "In Search," this CD, "(Godzilla's) Eatin' Dust" and "King of the Road." This was 'Chu at their very best.

I love this album... espically the reference to hotrods, skateboards, and bmx... I highly recomend this album...

Fu Manchu is no doubt one of the most straight-ahead rock bands around today and I think this album proves it. If it were up to me, everybody would own it. Track after track on this masterpiece flat out rules. It satisfies rockers, stoners, skaters, and also fans of pro-muscle car tunes. Scott Hill's non-chalant vocals add layers of "laid back, just chillin and rockin out" vibes. "Urethane","Laserbl'st", and "Grendel,Snowman" are definately classic (good)(not Kansas, Boston,etc.)70's all the way. I would recommend ya go get this 'un as soon as ya can if you don't mind rockin' ...-Get In Search of... too!

Fu Manchu's " The action is Go " is one of the greatest albums of all of Rock. I stumbled upon the album quite by chance several years ago. Not having been a previous Fu Manchu fan I was uncertain of what to expect. I was seriously suprised and impressed. The album takes you on a journey of spaceships, sci- fi, muscle cars and extended jams. Each song is different yet are somehow connected by a rich wall of sound. Saturn 3. grendel snowman, gaurdail , and l'aserblast are songs which defy description. Whats more there is no white anger which is often present in similar styles of music, just imagination and good vibes. No other Fu manchu album has come close to this one in my opinion. See them live they are all the more amazing!

This and Daredevil and probably Fu's two best cds. In Search Of has some sound-alike songs on it that make it drag sometimes. Not that there isn't some killer material on it! "Seahag," for instance, updates Deep Purple's leads on "space truckin'" ... And "strato-streak"! One of their all-time best. So don't be writin' that one off totally. Still, though, some of the others are better. Like King of the Road.

And this one is a gem! Great title, and very descriptive. The action is go, from the opening note to the last. This cd has more moods than many other Fu cds, as they try out different riff approaches, different grooves, and less lead guitar (well, on some tracks). Also includes their first "epic" track, "Saturn III," and it's new territory for them, extremely well done. Then they close with a punk cover! How cool is that--from fuzzed out space rock to fuzzed out punk?! That'll tell you where this band is comin' from right there. ...

Fu Manchu makes it obvious that we all need the proper perspective to recognize what previous eras could have produced--but did not. Do not be taken in by those who dismiss this band: they are not a cover band for the 70s. (For that to be true the 70s would have had to exist in the first place). Fu Manchu seems to work from punk bands like Tales of Terror and Scratch Acid as much as they do from Black Sabbath. Why this band has not triggered a China Syndrome meltdown in the worlds of harder rock and slower punk cannot be explained. This particular Fu Manchu album is my personal favorite for several reasons. The production on this album is of higher quality than on previous Fu Manchu efforts without being overly-slick. Likewise, the songs are a little more crafted ("The Action Is Go" for example). The band also deserves applause for "Laserbl'ast," assuming this song refers to the goofy 70s sci-fi movie of the same name. If you ever skated on wheels larger than a quarter this album will inspire you to build your own time capsule within which to enshrine it.

This album is probably the only classic album to come out of the 90's.No Kidding! this album is real creative, it should have been nominated for something considering the lack of REAL MUSIC that has decimated the ranks of rock'n roll. Anyway, this album is worth your money and we both know you deserve the best! Right!

This is not the type of album that will blow you away the first time you listen to it, but it grows on you with time. " Evil eye " is the best of the bunch, but nearly all other songs are good. A good alternative to, well, alternative music.

I've always thought Fu Manchu had the songwriting skills and pop hooks to achieve mainstream popularity. All they'd need to do would be to make their songs a little tighter and add a little variety to Scott Hill's vocals. But they just don't seem to want mainstream popularity - and thank goodness for that!

Can you imagine if they edited out the long solo at the end of "Saturn III"? What a loss that would be. No, these guys seem to play what they like, and what they like is '70s style guitar rock. Sure the Sabbath comparisons are apt - but Fu Manchu are far from Sabbath clones. For one thing, Scott Hill sounds nothing like Ozzy.

No, Fu Manchu have their own distinctive sound and some sound it is. They don't always hit the mark on this album, but their great songs, like "Urethane", the title track, or the aforementioned "Saturn III" to name a few, more than make up for it.

This is music for drives out on the open highway or for late nights around the apartment. There's plenty of mainstream rock out there if you want it, just don't expect Fu Manchu to be playing it.