Blues for Red Sun

Kyuss | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (June 30, 1992)
• Label: Chameleon / Wea
• ASIN: B000001A3I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #998,685 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Thumb

2. Green Machine

3. Molten Universe

4. 50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up)

5. Thong Song

6. Apothecaries' Weight

7. Caterpillar March

8. Freedom Run

9. 800

10. Writhe

11. Capsized

12. Allen's Wrench

13. Mondo Generator

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blues for the Red Sun - A Landmark Album, April 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Blues for Red Sun (Audio CD)

If you're unacquainted with Kyuss, this is the place to start getting acquainted; Blues for the Red Sun is more mature and deep than Wretch, but not quite as psychedelic and sprawling (in terms of track length) as Kyuss (Welcome to Sky Valley). Ignore the constant comparisons to Black Sabbath -- Kyuss rocks more than Ol' Man Ozzy could ever dream of rocking. In fact, Kyuss rocks more than pretty much anyone could ever dream of rocking, and the same can be said of this record.

"Thumb" starts off with a quiet but ominous riff and slowly builds to a bludgeoning swirl of guitar, bass, drum, and visceral vocals. Kyuss only lets up sporadically throughout the rest of the album, playing softly just long enough to lull the listener into a comfortable position and then -- WHAM! -- they assault you with thunderous guitar riffs, explosive basslines, and pounding drums. It's truly something you have to experience to appreciate.

A lot of people criticize John Garcia's vocals as "unoriginal" or "unimportant." Maybe singing and lyrics were (and are) not the point of Kyuss; still, his vocals add quite a bit to the songs. What would "Thumb" be without John Garcia's primal roar? What would "Allen's Wrench" be without his grabbing yells? What would "Thong Song" be without him? John Garcia is a vital component of the music and truly an underappreciated singer who can do it all with his voice.

Another incredible thing about this record is that the band members were in their late teens and early twenties when this was recorded. Josh Homme, Kyuss' guitar god and primary songwriter, was a mere nineteen. To write music this complex (music that puts practically every other artist out there to shame) at nineteen is unbelievably. Josh Homme (as well as Brant Bjork, the wonderful drummer) is truly one of the best artists out there now. Before he's done, he may be this generation's answer to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hendrix, Clapton, and Page.

Another criticism about this album is that it's heavy on instrumentals. While it's true that almost every other song is an instrumental (or close to one), the instrumentals serve as bridges between the other songs, as well as some of the album's most interesting pieces. Try not to like "Apothecaries' Weight," I dare you. Try to tell me that "800" is a throw away track. The instrumentals are great, just like everything else on here.

As for standout tracks, everything here rocks. When I first bought this record, I hated "Thong Song." Now it's possibly my favorite song. It starts slow and turns into one of the most crushing songs on the record. "Freedom Run," "Mondo Generator," and "Thumb" are other top picks that'll have even the most steadfast music fan rocking out.

To sum it up, this album is very highly recommended.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cali style, December 25, 2002

By 

RxxktheVote (maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blues for Red Sun (Audio CD)

This is the album that put Kyuss on the map back in 91, the fuzzed out meisterwork that spawned a million imitators and turned young children across the country onto generator powered, marijuana fueled grooves of the southern california desert. Although I prefer Welcome to Sky Valley, Red Sun is a classic in it's own right.

For the uninitiated, Kyuss played fuzzed out, reverb soaked, Sabbath tinged metal, and were one of the most important bands of their 90s. Describing their sound w/out relying on stupid metaphors or labels is fairly difficult, so I'll just say that they kick arse. A lot of it. Atlantic records signed them in the early 90s and dropped them after a tour w/ metallica failed to help them catch on to the mainstream. Posthumously, their legend and influence grew and now they have a huge cult following and many side projects, most noteable of which being Queens of the Stone Age.

Blues for the Red Sun contains many classics, the most prominent being Green Machine, a stoner anthem if there ever was one, a burner that sounds like the Stooges on overdrive. Thumb, Freedom March, and (my personal favorite) Writhe represent the jam nature of Kyuss, particularly Josh Homme's fuzzy, droning guitars and John Garcia's (one of the best vocalist all time IMO) searing vocals.

So if you want to get to the roots of stoner rock and take a 50 million year trip, pack your bowls tightly and let Kyuss work their magic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Defining stoner rock album., September 6, 2004

By 

Shotgun Method (NY... No, not *that* NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blues for Red Sun (Audio CD)

[NOTE: This is mostly just a repost. I wanted to correct my original four-star rating since this is a truly awesome release and definitely worthy of highest marks.]

If the members of Blue Cheer had parked their giant Marshall amps in the middle of the Mojave desert during a sandstorm, they would sound something like this. It's oppressively heavy and even FEELS hot; images of being stranded in Death Valley with no water come to mind when I play this disc. In my opinion, Blues For The Red Sun is the pinnacle of Kyuss' criminally neglected output (though Welcome To Sky Valley and swansong When The Circus Leaves Town seriously challenge that assertion).

I learned of this band through the spinoff group Queens Of The Stone Age, and figured I would like this. Josh Homme (guitar) and Nick Olivieri (bass) are both present here, but from that point the similarities end. The vocals are handled by John Garcia, who is a much raspier singer than Homme, and Brant Bjork's crashing percussion provides the backbeat. What Kyuss lacks in QOTSA's subtlety and diversity, it more than makes up for in heaviness. Homme's guitar cuts through the bass-heavy sludge and fuzz with some truly inspired playing--there's a standout melody on every track, something that doesn't always come naturally to bands in this genre. It's hard to believe that he was only 19 when this album was recorded, because most guitarists would KILL to play anywhere near Josh's ability.

Blues For The Red Sun opens with the collosal Thumb, and then changes gears with the more uptempo anthem Green Machine. Following that are a lot of instrumentals (Molten Universe, Apothecaries' Weight, Catepillar March), the hilarious Thong Song ("I hate...slow songs"), the sinister Writhe, and the thrashing Allen's Wrench. The centerpiece of the album is the 7 1/2 minute Freedom Run; not much to say, it just RAWKS, as does the rest of this album. The only soft moment comes with the beautiful acoustic interlude Capsized, but it doesn't last long before the electricity and distortion return to beat you down. The closer Mondo Generator (yeah, I know it's not the last song but the last track's an obvious joke) is one of the few tracks I used to think was subpar; now it's one of my favorites. Olivieri's vocals are distorted into an echoey, ghostly scream while the band powerfully rocks out behind him. It's atmospheric, almost creepy.

Fans of QOTSA, stoner rock fans, and anyone wanting a heavy, rocking album will definitely find Blues For The Red Sun extremely appealing. Essential, as is the rest of Kyuss's work (barring Wretch).