China Gate

Va-Cul De Sac, Cul De Sac | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 1996)
• Original Release Date: May 28, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B0000057O4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,205 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guitar, drums, and synth instrumentals., September 25, 2000

By 

Yet another old guy (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: China Gate (Audio CD)

OK, let's try a more descriptive review.

This album is primarily intrumental electric guitar, bass guitar, somewhat jazz-style drumming, with various accompaniment by synthesizers and odd noises. This music does have a 60's and 70's 'spacey' sound to it, but definitely updated. It is closer to surf music than Hendrix. It certainly isn't Clapton. I suppose there are elements similar to mid-period Pink Floyd, but not as structured. Even though the guitars sometimes have some serious distortion, it's nothing like grunge. It is somewhat similar to the best intrumental efforts of Can or the Far East Family Band, if that helps anybody.

Um, let's see... the guitar intrumentals are melodic; I sometimes find my self humming parts of the tunes. Many of the tracks start out quietly with one or two instruments building up to something. This makes most of the tracks fairly long (not a bad thing in my opinion).

This is headphones music, not party music. Now that I think about it, it has some 'ambient music' elements to it. I tend to think about other things while it's playing.

If any of the above sounds like what you like, you won't be sorry. I doubt you'd ever hear any of this album on a radio station unless you live near a university. I gave 4 stars because I like other albums better, but I wouldn't sell this one either.

Just be sure to skip the short vocal tracks "China Gate" and the reprise. Eesh. Sorry, but that ain't music.

5.0 out of 5 stars Neo-psychedelic surf-punk!, March 31, 2011

By 

jmd123 (Oscoda, Michigan) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: China Gate (Audio CD)

...with a hint of Devo and a twist of 1960s spy movie thrown in for good measure! (There's even a song entilted "James Coburn", star of In Like Flynt and The President's Analyst - go look them up!) This is fun stuff. Get out your surfboard, drop a few hits of good clean acid, and get ready to ride! Just be sure to keep an eye out for Mao's secret agents tailing you! Churning guitar melodies, wild and bizaare synthesizer flourishes, intense and unrestrained drumming, and funky bass lines make this some of the best instrumental rock-n-roll I have ever heard. Some pieces are high-energy, like "Sakhalin", "Doldrums", "The Colomber" (I can't sit still, I just have to get up and thrash around the room!); others are more ambient, yet build to an intense climax like "Nepenthe", "James Coburn", "The Fourth Eye", and "Utopia Pkwy."; and still others are enjoyable, almost danceable rythyms like "...his teeth got lost in the mattress..." and "Hemispheric Events Command" (I can see a Soviet base deep in Siberia with huge surface-to-air missles and rotating radar dishes). And then there's "Virgin Among Cannibals"..well, you'll just have to hear that one for yourself. "Bowl of rice, bitter tea, is this all the good Earth has to offer me?" An amazing amalgam of the 1960s and the 1980/90s. "...mixed using the braille edition of the I Ching..."

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars unlikely, December 26, 2004

By 

Daniel Sanders "music pariah" (ATL, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: China Gate (Audio CD)

The above reviewer, unfortunately isn't in touch with the prog-rock scene. Cul de Sac is much like Godspeed, You Black Emporer or Explosions in the Sky--maybe a toned down Oxes or Lynx. They are reminiscent of some of Hood's later work (the instrumentals & Cold House).

Most notably I will insist that the listener pay close attention to the two vocal tracks, "China Gate" and "Reprise" since these are a direct nod to Sun Ra. Sun Ra (the man from Saturn) was able to do with jazz music many of the things that Cul De Sac are attempting to do with rock music--push boundaries, expand consciousness, explore.

This album is a great starting point for anyone looking for challenging music, music that demands attention.