Customer Reviews

Catnip Dynamite

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When Roger Joseph Manning Jr. released his Solid State Warrior tracks a couple of years ago many viewed it as the next best thing to Jellyfish while others saw it as a pale imitation. I've heard it said that if you took "Sebrina, Paste and Plato" from Spilt Milk and recycled it a bunch of times you'd end up with most of Roger's most recent pop output. I find that attitude both uncharitable and a bit distant from the truth. Yes, most of the songs are cheesily penned lyrically, and Roger's voice makes any song seem like a Partridge Family outing to see the highlights from a contest of harmonies between Queen and ELO, but that is the genius behind Catnip Dynamite and it is the main reason Andy Sturmer was able to balance his own musical sensibilities and create such outstanding music with Roger.

01. The Quickening (10/10) - A fantastic tune with that classic over-produced grandeur common in the 70's. The beat is something out of Gary Glitter's repertoire. Replete with space-age synth sweeps and even a cowbell, it has some marvelous ELO moments that are stunning. The super harmonies and musicianship are all typical in RJM's work.

02. Love's Never Half As Good (7/10) - Showcasing Roger's piano skills, this song is the equivalent of "I Wish It Would Rain" from Solid State Warrior. This is one of those soft, AM radio friendly songs that has Roger performing several background vocal tracks. While this is not one of my standouts, it is still quite good with plenty of happy, sappy moments. The name of the song sums it up pretty well... It does have a "Chorus Line" moment toward the end that really came out of the blue for me.

03. Down in Front (10/10) - It is really hard to describe this one... The verses tick along quickly to a keyboard rhythm that supports a snappy synth beat, but the bridges between verses and verse and chorus are these blistering blasts of great glam guitar. A fine T-Rex moment, again with a Glitter foot-stomping beat thrown in make this one an absolute winner.

04. My Girl (6/10) - This one actually pushes the boundaries of sappiness in a pop song. A slow-ish beat with a banjo being plucked to offset the saloon-style piano jangling is a little much to take unless you are ok with not having anything that will set the pulse racing or the foot tapping. Cute, but that is where it ends.

05. Imaginary Friend (9/10) - This one has the same keyboard stylings that bands like Smash Mouth, Inspiral Carpets and the Caesars used to great effect. A nice solid beat that is more 60's than 70's in it's inspiration, this particular song actually plays down Roger's vocals and just sets a go-go tone. It could be a b-side for "Dragonfly" with the slightly Austin Powers feel.

06. Haunted Henry (7/10) - A piano influenced tune that rolls along sadly. Not a rocker by any stretch, and somber in it's tone it comes complete with bell tolls and is set to a minor key throughout. Any song about a crazy person living locked in his crazy mind is sure to fall short of upbeat.

07. Tinsel Town (5/10) - I gave this a 5, though it has some Country & Western sensibilities that I find disturbing. I will be skipping this song, which is something I didn't do at all on Solid State Warrior.

08. The Turnstile At Heaven's Gate (9/10) - This one redeems where Track 07 failed. It has some complex moments and ultimately plays like a song from the same recipe book that spawned some of the better Wings and Queen moments. It changes gears a bunch of times and has no hummable chorus, but it really has an epic feel to it.

09. Survival Machine (6/10) - This is the stepchild of "Sandman" and "Sleep Children". If you like the harpsichord-laced stuff and get a kick out of Roger's voice hitting the upper registers, this song is for you. It has a pretty anti-war theme, so if you are into Freedom Fries and Walmart, you might want to steer clear. A little reminiscent of the "Butcher's Tale" from The Zombies Odessey and Oracle but with Roger's super-sweet voice carrying the story.

10. Living In End Time (10/10) - A heavier tune with a more rock 'n' roll tone. This one actually plays up some guitar work that is absent in many of the others. This one is not as readily recognized as a style Roger is known for. Still, it is pretty fun and about halfway through it it has some downright Jellyfish sounding moments.

11. Drive Thru Girl (7/10) - If you could imagine how Beatles fans felt when Paul did "Honey Pie", you might have an idea how this song throws a wrench in the gears. It has a stage piano as the primary instrument with hand clapping and a kazoo as the only other instrument. It is fun in it's way, but is an odd one after Track 10. It is supposed to emulate an old fashioned stage show or tavern piano act. It succeeds there...

12. American Affluenza (10/10) - A fun song that again uses that go-go mode with the short, choppy keyboards and some Beach Boy harmonies. You could frug to this one with the electro-flute and tight drum beat. An upbeat song about American excesses set to a swingin' beat with Roger's voice again somewhat subdued save for the harmonies. A good ender in that it closes on a high note.

SUMMARY: Much less even than Solid State Warrior, this one still has enough to warrant a look from power pop fans and old members of the Jellyfish Army. The high price tag is prohibitive in that this release is really only worth the price tag if you are a collector of Roger's stuff or an ex-Drag/Jellyfish fan. I would not recommend this one as a starting point for those new to Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Solid State Warrior is much better in my opinion than the similarly tracked The Land of Pure Imagination, though the latter is cheaper by far. If you are willing to drop the money on Catnip Dynamite, you already probably know what you are getting into. It is Roger after all, so it is cleverly produced pop music with an incredible attention to detail and intricately built melodies and harmonies.

I've been trying to think how to best review this CD without writing a tome. I'll save us all a lot of time and just share some thoughts:
- There are many five star songs on this CD by Roger, and I've rated the CD five stars for this reason.
- Highlights for me: "The Quickening", "Loves Not Good Enough" and "Down In Front" are all a blast and can be heard on Roger's MySpace Page. "Turnstyle at Heavens Gate" is pure genius in an XTC way - truly seminal and full of surprises. And "Living In End Times" is pure Jellyfish at it's rocking best (and lyrically deepest).
- Some of the mixes are radio ready, which tells me there was a little more money behind this release. Roger deserves it, and the Japanese get kudos for their good taste.
- Spending some time with the lyrics sheet will reward you. It is clear that a lot of time and effort went into many of these ideas. It is also clear that Mr. Manning is a true "tortured artist" in every sense. Some of the quieter moments are very sobering, to say the least.
- If you have read this far, you are probably already familiar with this musician and his work. You won't be disappointed.
- Pardon me while I go press "play" again. Cheers!

Just got the "autographed" US version today and am loving it! IMHO just as good as LOPI/SSW which was one of my top all-time picks. After listening to each song a couple of times, here's my take:
The Quickening - Rock Anthem (think Genesis, Styx, ELO, but with better vocals)
Love's Never Half as Good - Supertramp meets Sedaka meets Brian Wilson meets Queen in this happy ballad. Vocal arrangement is beyond description. Composition is wonderful.
Down in Front - Power pop ballad with a driving melodic rock tilt. Upbeat, influences of Queen in the vocal arrangement. Composition is excellent. Roger throws in many more changes (takes more chances) than any of the mainstream songwriters out there. Possibly the best song on the album.
My Girl - A ballad Paul McCartney could have written around 1970. Simply done initially comes out very polished with full and lush breaks, outro is like Paul Simon.
Imaginary Friend - Sixties groove psychedelic ballad. British and LA influences. Like if the Doors did an album with the Beatles in 67.
Haunted Henry - Roger's signature piano sound dominates, Elton influences (Yellow Brick Road era) lush vocal production out-does Beach Boys or Queen.
Tinsel Town - California Country Rock Ballad with some unbelievable keys thrown in along Roger's incomparable vocal arrangements. Possibly the best song on the album. It's the only song on the album that isn't all Roger (pedal steel Dave Pearlman).
The Turnstile at Heaven's Gate - Remember The Who early 70's? (Who's Next, Tommy Quadrophenia) throw in some Supertramp and Beatles. Roger's vintage keyboards give it a retro sound, yet his composition is fresh.
Survival Machine - Eighteenth Century harpsichord ballad with flute/fife, organ gives this a cathedral sound. At almost eight minutes, most labels would never include this as a song on a CD, confirming Roger's outlaw status (good for him).
Living in End Times - Head banger rocking guitar beat might scare some away, but by 1:55 you hear what you were waiting for when Roger's vocals take charge. The ending is pretty scary though.
Drive Through Girl - McCartney-esque, sort of campy piano ragtime sing along, (think Rocky Raccoon, Oh-Bla-Di)actually has kazoo solo. "The Inventive Genius" proves he could actually carry a room by himself and a piano. So traditional and sparse for Roger, sounds like it could have been written way back when in the days of chorus and verse, though he does throw in the now expected RJM bridge to keep him honest.
Bonus Live Tracks: Europa and the Pirate Twins - a Thomas Dolby penned song I'm not familiar with.
You Were Right - from LOPI/SSW, surprised it sounds as well as it does, tough song to attempt live due to the heavy vocals and high expectations of studio version. Actually translates quite well live, Roger's vocals are quite good and in timing and key, really hard to do with the high falsetto portions whilst playing keyboards. Bravo!
Love Lies Bleeding (Funeral for a Friend intro) - Technically excellent. Tough song to cover and they nail it live.

Huge Jellyfish fan here.
When I bought Solid State Warrior (Roger's last album), it was almost like JellyFish never left. That album was really great and I play it all the time. Absolutely brilliant record. I prefer the original version to what was released in the US.

Catfish Dynamite... musically, nobody can touch Roger. The guy's chord changes and harmonies are brilliantly crafted. His voice... not sure how to say it but if Karen Carpenter was a guy, she'd have Roger's voice. It's smooth, clear and has that Karen Carpenter purity. Love his voice and how he transitions from his normal voice to his falsetto voice so easily.

I think the problem I have with Catnip Dynamite is some of the studio tracks have some quirkiness built in that I don't really dig. "Drive Thru Girl's" lyrics and kind of fake live vibe (it's not live) just don't thrill me, especially when there are live tracks at the end of the record. "Love's Never Half as Good"- Great song until we get to the spoken "Put your hands together and sing along" section. Just too corny to me and doesn't fit the track. It's weird, but Roger's music always gives me that 70's... TV show vibe. His songs could've been huge hits for The Partridge Family. That sounds like a slam, but it's not. Some of those hits were written and performed by top writers and players. Some of Roger's music has that quality but on a current sounding canvas. Maybe this is just my opinion.

"The Quickening" is one of the coolest songs I've heard in a long time. The lyrics to "Down in Front" are awesome as it seems that public rudeness is at an all time high and the lyrics lament that. "Imaginary Friend" also rocks. Great song with a very cool hook line.

The live tracks at the end of the album are really where the album goes south for me. It seems that they were under rehearsed- or beyond his live band's capability to perform live. The version of "You Were Right" is just not 'there'. Dropped and flat harmonies just don't make it and they certainly don't improve on the studio version. The guitar solo on it is very cool though.

"Europa and the Pirate Twins"- this would've been a great studio track, but live, it doesn't work at all. Roger's vocal pitch and the harmonies are all over the place. The playing's decent, but vocally, things are not together.

His version of Elton John's "Love Lies Bleeding" is okay, but again, the harmonies are all over the place. Almost as if it was a board tape that wasn't mixed properly. Some harmonies stick out that shouldn't and I was surprised by this because Roger's vocals are always so spot on. I'd have preferred to hear 3 more of Roger's studio tracks and leave the live stuff to find in bootleg circles. The vocals on these live tracks just don't measure up.

The album does have some great moments and it's worth the price of admission. But I feel, especially with the addition of the live tracks, that this has a rushed feel to it.

As I look at another version of this album, there's something called "American Affluenza". I can only assume that this is another studio track that went on the original version instead of the live tracks. Not sure who's kind of cutting up Roger's albums for different markets, maybe it's Roger himself, but I would sure like that the album remains intact and true to what it was originally supposed to be. Kind of like what Capitol in America did to Rubber Soul and Revolver in the 60s. Leave the album running order alone and just release it as it should've been.

Buy this album. It's worth it.

This album is a wonderful treat for any Jellyfish fan. Even better than Roger's first solo release. Please read the detailed reviews on the import version for several well-thought track-by-track analyses of this album. The three live tracks are not as good as the one studio track "American Influenza" that was replaced on the U.S. release. However, the studio tracks on this release are all outstanding and this album is well worth the money!!! You will not regret this purchase.

If the Beatles are the epitome of what pop music can achieve -- and they are -- and if "Revolver" is the perfect Beatles album -- 14 fantastic songs, none of them alike in tempo, tone, orchestration or theme, but all equally imprinted with the same sonic genius -- then Jellyfish stands almost alone as the inheritor of that tradition. And with the last Jellyfish album coming 15 years ago, what does that leave us? It leaves us Roger Joseph Manning Jr., who has become the half that sounds as good as the whole. "Catnip Dynamite" is his second coming, after "Solid State Warrior/The Land of Pure Imagination," and it proves that the astonishing quality and variety of his first solo album was no fluke. In a musical wasteland where most best-selling albums are lucky to have one good track, and every song sounds the same, and whole radio formats consist of bands that are interchangeable and unlistenable, "Catnip Dynamite" shines like a mackerel in the moonlight. Creativity is not dead, folks!

Every one of the 12 songs here is a multi-faceted, carefully crafted gem that repays repeated listenings. Immediate standouts include "The Quickening," "My Girl," "Imaginary Friend," "The Turnstile At Heaven's Gate," and "American Affluenza." If I keep going, I'll end up listing every song on the album. Yes, it's that good. This is right up there with anything Jellyfish ever did.

For me, though, the magnum opus on this album is an epic called "Survival Machine." I don't even know how to describe it. At nearly 8 minutes it has the sweep and scope of "Bohemian Rhapsody," though it sounds nothing like that song or Queen in general. The subject is the invention and use of the first atomic bomb in World War II. Somber stuff for pop, to be sure, but in Manning's clever hands it ascends into a more redemptive place. Swirls of harpsichord give way to organ and strings and the song almost literally floats off to heaven at the end. It's really two songs joined by an insane instrumental calliope-like bridge that could have come straight out of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite." Roger sings most of it in an unimaginable upper register worthy of Minnie Riperton, and I don't think he's singing falsetto. All in all, it's as ambitious as "A Day in the Life," and as mysteriously beautiful and hard to pin down. I call that the mark of a real artist, someone who is not afraid to risk sounding pretentious, who is always reaching beyond where others have gone. I don't care how expensive the Japanese import is, I would gladly pay five times as much for any album this good. Don't miss this one.

This album is a sonic extension of Roger's most recent solo album, The Land of Pure Imagination -- another excellent album. As such, it drifts further into sweeter and sometime quirky melodies. It's a little bit Phantom of the Opera and a little Josie and the Pussycats all mixed together. Roger's voice on this album is beautiful -- makes me think he should have taken the lead on more Jellyfish tunes. There is nothing like this album on the airwaves today -- it will take you back to 1967-1973 (the golden age of rock). Unfortunately, this album does not yet have a U.S. label or promoter, as Roger is a far, far more talented musician and composer than any of today's pop idols. In the meantime, the album is well worth the import price. I generally agree with the track-by-track analysis by the ealier reviewer. However, I do have a few differences, which I will note.

1. The Quickening (10/10) - I agree with prior review.

2. Love's Never Half As Good (9.5/10) - I like this tune more than the prior reviewer. I would have given it a 10, but for the brief spoken transition to the "Chorus Line" moment. Roger's voice is great on this one.

3. Down in Front (10/10) - I agree with prior review.

4. My Girl (6/10) - I agree with prior review.

5. Imaginary Friend (7/10) - The keyboards on this one are a little too "Austin Powers" for me. Sounds like a 1970s Saturday morning cartoon track.

6. Haunted Henry (8/10) - quirky and dark, but a very interesting track. Great chorus.

7. Tinsel Town (10/10) - probably my biggest difference of opinion with the prior reviewer. Country & western sensibilities aside, I also found psychedelic pop influences. A little Beatles and a little Youngbloods. The harmonies on this track are stunning.

8. The Turnstile at Heaven's Gate (10/10) - My favorite track on the album. Great chorus. Again, I could do without the spoken word "sports-cast" in this song, but it does not detract enough to give this any less than a 10.

9. Survival Machine (8/10) - Great anti-war song. Very dramatic. I love the carousel orchestrion and church organ effects. The best use of such sounds since Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.

10. Living in End Time (7/10) - good AM rock tune, but not a standout for me.

11. Drive Thru Girl (5/10) - I would give the music alone a 9, but the fast food lyrics detract from the beauty of this song. It's just a little too Western saloon for me. My least favorite on the album, but still not bad.

12. American Affluenza (10/10) - I agree with prior review.

In short, do yourself a favor and get this album. It will take you places in your mind that you have not been for years (if ever). Undoubtedly one of the best of 2008 and a must have for any Jellyfish fan.

It would be moot for me to go on and on about how incredible this collection of songs is. Just buy it. Really. Like - now.

okay, i am a HUGE jellyfish fan and consider spilt milk, TV eyes, imperial drag and jason falkner albums as "desert island albums", so i had high expectations of this album. that was the first mistake! Catnip Dynamite doesnt embarrass like "land of pure imagination" - it has a lot more edge, more guitars, - but i still think that the andy sturmer factor mustve been very important to the brilliance of jellyfish. This album is NOT spilt milk, TV eyes, or imperial drag, so be prepared. but on the up side, it is happy, fun and roger knows how to write great pop. I think he would benifit from letting some backing vocalists come in and work with him. the high pitch, sppy voice really gets annoying. so yeah, better than "imagination" but not even close to "TV eyes"

I saw great reviews for this album when it was issued in Japan and was not disappointed. I was beginning to think no one made interesting, tuneful music anymore. If you want more than four-minute country/pop/soul tunes, take a listen to this offshoot project from the Jellyfish leader. You will be amazed.