Customer Reviews

Boil That Dust Speck (Remastered)

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

 

 

The work of a virtuoso type like Mike Keneally is frequently found only in the dark corners of specialty record shops, where musical elitists clad in dirty jeans and stained Rush t-shirts argue for hours about the ideal King Crimson line-up, pausing only when it is necessary to inform everyone in earshot of their own Herculean abilities behind the guitar, bass, drums, etc.

I consider this a great tragedy for America. Why leave all the truly great and innovative music for the fusion fans alone? I have personally never played a guitar, I don't know the first thing about the techniques of music production, and I know for a fact that even with my life on the line I could name no more than two members of Yes (was Bill Bruford in there?). The bottom line is... when it comes to Keneally fans, I'm as close to the common music fan as you are likely to find.

Common man... Buy this CD and let Mike Kenally blow your mind!

I generally prefer more traditional pop/rock bands (seriously, I own the entire Spin Doctors catalog... no joke). However, I also have a great affinity for more off-kilter acts such as Zappa, Self, Radiohead, and Mike Keneally (all of whom actually plug into conventional musical models much more often than one might initially think).

I say all this because Mike Keneally deserves a broader audience. If artists as experimental as Beck or Trent Reznor can capture the hearts of the American public, why not give Mr. Keneally a chance as well?

Keneally is a true gift... both fusion fans and common folk should rejoice that someone is out there destroying boundaries with such intelligence, humor, and showmanship.

Broaden your horizons -- BUY THIS CD!!!

...probably because his music is impossible to categorize, especially in this world of radio formats and programming pinheads. Keneally first drew attention in 1988 as a guitarist/keyboard player/vocalist on Frank Zappa's final world tour. Since then, he's been quietly releasing wild, quirky, breathtaking albums that display his eclectic tastes.

"Boil That Dust Speck" is the follow-up to his debut, "hat." I wasn't a huge fan of that first album. It's certainly not bad, it just didn't seem like the ideas were fully formed. BTDS has more concrete songs, including heavy rock ("Scotch," "Weekend"), quirky Zappaesque instrumentals (the "Dolphins" medley), guitar showcases ("Bullys (sic)")and more. Much more.

The album has a much darker feel than its predecessor, mainly due to the loss of both Frank Zappa and Mike's father during the writing and recording process. It's a musical catharsis for Mike, digitally preserved for our musical pleasure.

One of his finest works, no question.

this stuff is beautifully executed, as are all of this polished musician`s effort`s. mike keneally is truly a gift to the world of music.

'Keneally' has truly got to be one of the most prolific multi-instumentalists/songwriters of our time in contemporary music. With 'Boil That Dust Speck' you get a bit of everything: sophisticated fusion, heavy prog., quiet acoustic pieces,great musicianship and amazing songs. Furthermore, this guy is very experimental and not repetitive. Sure, the 'Zappa' inspiration is there (played with FZ in 88'), but there's nothing wrong with that. This is original stuff. What more can i say ? Oh yeah....'Mike Keneally' is extremely underrated !

This should get zero stars.

I found this CD in a used bin years ago. I've tried to listen to it twice. This represents the absolute worst of Frank Zappa's legacy. It's just... wow. Words can't even describe it. The only thing I can think of is that it's worse than _The Man from Utopia_.

I should have left it in the bin. At least now that I have it, nobody else can be subjected to this.