Customer Reviews

The Amazing California Health And Happiness Road Show

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An intoxicating mix of swirling, multi-layered guitars, rolling, jagged rhythms and "ocean-inspired" songwriting, The Mermen meld influences as diverse as Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd and John Coltrane into an album that is cinematic in its grandeur, and at it's strongest, an utter work of beauty.

More than just a collection of songs, The Amazing California Health and Happiness Road Show unfolds like a dream, conjuring musically the infinite images one could envision from its lofty title. "Unto The Resplendent" swells and breaks like the mighty Pacific viewed in slow motion, while "Merry Go Round" takes the listener to the southeastern California desert, burning hazy and endless in the blistering sun. On "Walking The Peach" and "Burn," Jim Thomas, a modern day guitar-god, reinvents history by channeling Hendrix and having him sit in on the Endless Summer sessions. His masterful guitar and songwriting abilities find the perfect union on the stark and beautiful "To Be Naked & French Is Always Hard," transforming surf music into something that might be described as California electric folk, quintessentially Californian and wholly inspired by the indigenous coastal experience.

While surf might be the muse, The Amazing California Health & Happiness Road Show, is so much more. For the highway, for the bedroom, for a toke, this record is sure put you in the right head.

The day that Jim Thomas and cohorts the MERMEN released the incredible album "Food for Other Fish" that combined the best elements of instrumental surf, the sonic assault of punk and the depth of Stravinsky back in 1993 surf music as a genre was forever changed for the better. The Mermen releases that followed this groundbreaking cd occasionally rose to but never were able to capture the power and beauty of Food for other Fish. WIth the long awaited release of The Amazing California Health and ... The MERMEN have again raised the bar. From the opening riffs of "Unto the Resplendent" thru the almost pop snarl of "Sponge Cookie" Jim Thomas's masterly guitar work and songcomposing prowess will hold you the listener mesermised. Sonically the Mermen's sound has never been this accessible or diverse.

I've been following this band since their days playing all the small clubs in San Francisco. I worked for BAM Magazine and became acquainted with Jim Thomas, their guitar player. I too play guitar (29 years), and I can tell you that Jim Thomas is the real deal. Their music on "Health and Happiness" is melodic, hallucinatory and extremely captivating. Jim has a gift of being able to compose fluid melodic songs that manage to surprise, relax and invigorate the listener. His use of varied styles and techniques supplies the band with a much "bigger" sound than you would expect out of a trio. Jim's playing is so original, most musicians or bands could never "cover it." It's simply not possible... I know, I tried.

Buy this CD today, before they run out of them.

No, you don't have to live in Malibu to dig this evolved, surf-inspired experience. You don't have to live in the So Cal sun to totally wig out on these dudes.

"...Health and Happiness..." is near the top of my list. It's like Dick Dale meets the Bunnymen with a dollop of Vibratron and a couple shots of head swirling psycho-reverb. First listening is cool and it just gets better.

Although it's been WAY too long since the Mermen put out an album (EP in 96, full length in 95), this record may be well worth the wait.

This is one of the best "sounding" albums I've ever heard. Jim has been able to capture the incredible tones of their live show on a studio quality CD. This record sounds more like Food for Other Fish and Songs of the Cows than Glorious... less feedback riddled.

Bottom line - if you're a Mermen fan, this will fast become your favorite Mermen record... if you're a fan of Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Rush, or just a "guitar fan" you'll quickly be won over.

Buy this record!

I have 1700 cds... I have 900 vinyl.... over the years the culmination of releases may reach over 5,000 but never have I liked a cd so much for so long. I really liked Glorious Lethal Euphoria and their other releases, so I bought this the day it was released. Generally after 6 plus years, some things lose their luster. Not this cd. It has the effect on me of a great drama movie, where one scene makes you sad, another makes you happy, and maybe another makes you want to take on the world. If there ever was a band in a league of their own, it is the Mermen.

Another great release from this San Francisco trio. Psychedelic surf music is the best description of their music. If you like drifting, beautiful psychedelic rock(Bardo Pond, Jimi Hendrix) you should try this. Lead guitarist Jim Thomas should be a Guitar magazine pinup. Almost as good as the awesome 'A Glorious Lethal Euphoria'.

3 intense beings together form an intensely blissful aquatic organism that pulses and throbs in a hypnotic display of bioluminescence. One of those rare unique experiences that constantly evolves the more you interact with it. Deeply beautiful music...you should own this recording!

The other customer reviews already do an excellent job of extolling the virtues of this extraordinary album. But I'll add that it gets better ever time I listen to it. The variety of styles and sheer originality make this one disc that holds up extremely well to repeated listening. Oh, all of my surfing buddies seem to feel the same way about this disc as I do. :)

I love the Mermen. They are my favorite band. To truly understand the Mermen--you have to visit Ocean Beach, CA, and surf there. Or at least sit and watch the waves, and those that do try to surf there. Watching the sun set over the Pacific, when the phosphorescent plankton is beginning to trace the ocean currents, and the beach is shrouded in darkness, but the pink glow is out there at the furthest limit of what the eye can see. In that atmosphere, it is possible to begin to understand what the Mermen are expressing. In other environments, it is more difficult. the Mermen are a band that requires the right ambience, and the right frame of mind, to truly apprecitate. Every Mermen recording is different, and every one is a unique statement. This is no different. Stanislav Grof pointed out that every birth is the death of our life as an aquatic creature--with the Mermen, we seem to recapture that realm.