Customer Reviews

Close Calls With Brick Walls/Mother of Mankind

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a huge fan of all of his previous work I was slightly concerned when I began listening to Close Calls With Brick Walls. It starts as something very un-Andrew WK like. I was skeptical at first, but soon Not Going to Bed begins and you know that he has not lost the ability to party at all. The rest of the album showcases a more mature and more musically diverse sound then one would immediately expect.

Disk Two, titled Mother Of Mankind is an odd mix of sounds that range from classic AWK party music to semi-psychedelic rock. There is even some stuff that sounds, to me, straight out of the 1980s. I found it to grow on me extremely quickly. More than once I felt I was going to dislike a song, but by the end I felt like I understood why it existed and why I am glad to have heard it.

A long time fan may find themselves disappointed at first because it is not as simple as "I Get Wet" but I highly recommend everyone give it a chance, because it is hard to no find something that appeals to you in this awesome collection.

When "Close Calls with Brick Walls" was released in 2006, being such a big fan and not being able to have the album was out of the question. I ended up importing it for about $35 and I was so psyched to listen and I was not disappointed at all. Far from it, actually. "I Get Wet" and "The Wolf" are among my favorite albums, CCWBW shows alot of growth and progression that Andrew has gone through as an artist, while still maintaining the energy and partynessity we love about him. There are alot of solid, AWK style, energetic, crazy good songs like "Not Going To Bed", "You Will Remember Tonight" and "I Want To See You Go Wild" and alot of songs that are alot different, but still VERY good songs. And there is actually alot of singing on this album. There is also alot of very nice piano work worked into most of the songs, especially "The Moving Room" (which also has Andrew singing as well).

But since I already imported this cd in 2006, the main reason I bought this box set is for the rare/unreleased collection "Mother of Mankind". I was able to find a few of these songs a while back in the AWK archives to listen to, but there are a TON of great, rare and improved songs here. Listening to this album is like finding lost AWK treasure. There are some really excellent songs on this album and there is alot of variety, fast songs, some softer ballad-type songs, some songs with singing, some songs with screaming, some with crazy guitar solos, songs with lots of piano, even songs with ACOUSTIC GUITAR...great album.

If you are a friend (fan) of Andrew W.K, this is a must buy. Also if you ever have an opportunity to meet him, catch a lecture or piano show, he can turn a piano recital into a party. Also, he's one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

Andrew WK's first record, I Get Wet, ranks among my all-time favorites, and I have eagerly greeted each new outing. Putting aside his valiant efforts at performance art at NYU, his piano album, some other jazz material, and his television show Break Stuff, Duct Tape Stuff, Break Stuff, I am mostly in it for the music, and have long hoped for more in the vein of I Get Wet.

The Wolf was a solid, if un-ambitious, follow-up to I Get Wet, but it was good enough for me. I held off on buying the third record, Close Calls With Brick Walls, at the import price in 2006, settling to listen to the stream on the AWK web page and waiting for an American release. From that first listen in 2006 the record did not make much of an impression, but Mr. WK had still earned the benefit of the doubt. The dual Close Calls / Mother of Mankind seemed to be my reward for waiting. Sadly, I find the third album a poor imitation of the fun, rocking, free-spirited sound that started with I Get Wet and has steadily degenerated with each new album. Worse, it seems derivative, both refusing to break new ground and failing to encapsulate the brilliance of I Get Wet.

Mother of Mankind promises b-sides and rarities over a ten year period. The early material delivers a similar tone to AWK's first album (and his excellent EPs) but reminds one that b-sides are not often hidden gems, just songs that were properly left out. I am not sure what qualifies as a rarity any more as I assume most of this stuff was not found in an Egyptian tomb, but it packs little punch other than as a curiosity to the most staunch AWK historian (even in that case I am not sure how many spins I will ever give to the disc).

I like Andrew WK. I really do. I have been drawn to everything the guy has done based on his effusive persona and the gem that is I Get Wet, but the disappointments are mounting up. If you like I Get Wet and find it to be as superior to his other material as I do, you may want to steer clear of this set. I'd recommend you take that money and track down AWK's EPs.

This music is perfect for when you want to listen to some sort of music, but cant decide, or really have no desire to listen to whatever is in your car. Though Close Calls with Brick Walls was only released overseas previously, I was introduced to it before hand, and I loved it. As for Mother of Mankind, a few of the songs make me wish he didn't try to experiment with hip hop. Otherwise, this album is also, wonderful, but definitely not my favorite. AS FOR STEEV MIKE: Steev Mike is a group of people who wished to keep their names anonymous on the record label, and helped him create this awesome music. Thats all 'Steev Mike' is, if people didn't look into his interviews. Just like every other musician, Andrew W.K. looked for help with the production and build of his album. AS FOR ANDREW W.K. SUPPOSEDLY BEING 'FAKE': Andrew W.K. said twice, that he 'is not Andrew W.K.'. People who didn't understand what he was getting at, accuse him of being a completely different human being. A man who looks, and somehow sounds JUST LIKE the other Andrew W.K.. However, this has been explained through numerous interviews of his, that this was also another Steev Mike miscommunication. What he meant by "I'm not Andrew W.K.", was that he had help with creating his music. He's not the only person who helped to create Andrew W.K.. Once again, like any musician, he had help from others to produce an album. If Andrew W.K. was a made up person, I'd think it's a coincidence that his birth certificate said back then, and says now, Andrew Wilkes-Krier.

Have to start this review off with this... I Get Wet was nearly ten years ago now... its time to get over it. If youre somebody who thinks a musician is going to be playing the same music they were playing ten years ago... then you must be acustomed to listening to some pretty uncreative musicians. Music changes, people change, and thats whats happened here. For anybody who hasnt already heard Close Calls With Brick Walls (because it was released four years ago), unfortuneately your development of Andrew WK is delayed. As far as I go, Ive had four years to enjoy the new Andrew WK that is heard on Close Calls With Brick Walls. Ill admit that four years ago I felt strange listening to it, and at times like something was going wrong. But after the first couple of plays the CD came around to be just as enjoyable as I Get Wet and The Wolf. Honestly, and I know this isnt a review of I Get Wet, but I Get Wet compared to anything is (along with The Wolf) one of the greatest CDs for me. A CD that for nearly ten years has not become any less enjoyable as it did the first listen. The energy in Close Calls With Brick Walls changed, but just because hes not shouting, and because the sound has changed, it has not taken any of the brightness and action away from it. Still packed with the feeling its always given me when I listen to it, close calls with brick walls is just an artists growth.
As for the exciting stuff for me, the second CD Mothers Of Mankind, I would love to know just what is from when. What is from '99, what is from '01, what is from '02 and what is from '06... and what did he just do? Thats no complaint as far as the layout of that, Close Calls With Brick Walls or the whole package is layed out. Honestly, I am impressed. Leave it to Andrew WK, a person I feel who does business in out dated ways, bringing on the two disc edition of a CD but releaseing them as two seperate releases... and with the picture box around it! Makes me feel like it is 2001 again. Great! You buy these on mp3's? Or download them? My suggestion to you is to get a life and support an artist and maybe it wont take him another four years to put out a CD... though with all the bulls**t that goes around Andrew WK maybe it will.
Either way, weather it will take another four years to give us what hes been promising every year for the last four or if it does take him no time at all to give us the next taste of his extreme I thank him for the great music hes made, and the way that music is packaged. Way to go Andrew WK, youve got a hell of a great thing here and Mother Of Mankind is a group of fantastic songs, a CD that could very well have passed for a CD recorded at the same time and not a compilation the smooth way the songs fit togeather... nearly better than Close Calls With Brick Walls.
Anyways thanks, and get your ass in gear for the next one... Frank Zappa said it best when he said that you have to feed the beast... so get to it.

This 2 cd compilation is everything you would expect from an artist who wants you to expect nothing.

Those interested in the performance art and intricate mind games created by the Andrew W.K. team will find even more subtle clues to help them unravel the truth behind the Steev Mike enigma. The thoughts and words between the lines coupled with the seemingly obvious and yet questionably obvious reality that he's constructed continue to stretch the minds of the fans that have become known as friends.

The truth is, if you're a remotely normal person you'll absolutely hate some of the songs on this album, you might even hate a lot of songs on this album....

Then something will happen...

You'll wake up then next morning with these anthems of joy stuck in your mind.

You'll start to build a relationship with not just the music, but something more powerful. You'll start to embrace, even if on a subconscious level, the feeling of unencumbered joy.

Your ego will fight you and tell you what horrible taste you have.

Your "friends" will mock you as their brains will have no way of understanding what is pulling at your heart and mind.

But the guilty pleasure that will become known as AWK will anker itself into the mental frames of your life. You will start to see that the distractions and the parties that seemed like blatant calls for mindless exuberance can also be subtle metaphors for a way to reshape your life.

challenger yourself to see this artist as philosophical satirist that's challenging you to take on your life and step out of the "reality" that the rest of the world has created. He's leading the way for you, he's telling you it's ok to be Totally Stupid. It's actually a good thing to put yourself in challenging positions that stretch your perception of "what is possible"

He's "asking" you to think about what matters in life instead of doing what most artists do by "telling" you what matters in life.

If this is the first album of his you purchase I would recommend purchasing "I Get Wet" as well. Listen to the first album with a fresh perspective to prepare you for this missing 3rd album.

Note to AWK... I must say that the choice to exclude the track names, album names, etc from the cd is quite annoying when trying to export to your mp3 player.

There has been a lot of artistic progression since The Wolf, but man, this is real, this is not a euphemism or a back handed compliment. Andrew WK has shown himself to be one of the few musicians out there that can evolve a sound without compromising what we liked about it in the first place. This album is less metal than the other two, more experimental. The experimental moments on here compare favorably to David Bowie and The Rolling Stones back in their respective heydays. Again, I am not foolin'. Close Calls still has that anthemic Andrew WK sound though. It's not like the party has stopped for the sake of artistic pretense, it's more like now this other stuff showed up and the party is more interesting.

This album is clearly for those who like to PARTY HARD! In true awesomeness style, Andrew WK uses the first two track of Close Calls with Brick walls, paired up with Mother of Mankind, to lure you into a hazy, sleepy, dreamy trap. Then, just as you feel your eyelids hang heavy, he asks a pivotal question: "Are you ready to go to sleep?" With an emphatic no and heavy punk riffs, the party begins! This album could seriously be left on in the background of your rock-n-roll houseparty and no one would suggest anything other...this is because it is a album made for partying. From the epic "Not Going to Bed" into the next track, "You will remember Tonight," it screams party. I'm also a big fan of "I Want to See you Go Wild," which boasts the epic line, "Sometimes you gotta go crazy. Other times you gotta go crazier."
As for Mother of Mankind, it's an awesome rarities sampling spanning his career, so you really get a cool look at the evolution of his sound. "We Party," "High Five" and "Lets Go On A Date" all set the stage for another epic party album.
Overall, this album, especially Close Calls, makes me want to pair Andrew WK with Dragonforce to create epic party metal. Word.

I'll try to keep this short. One of the things I love about AWK is that his music is brutal,fast,loud yet positive and not "woe is me." Well,that isn't the case on this album. But that is not a bad thing. Andrew steps out of his comfort zone to go for a less loud sound.And I like it. Not everyone will dig it, but I respect a man for trying new things. Close Calls is an AMAZING album and new side to Mr.W.K. Mother is a treat for any collector as it shows literally the evolution of Andrew W.k. You get to hear how it all started and how it eventually progressed into the man we know today.

I highly recommend this album for both die hards and new comers.