Customer Reviews

Dandy Warhols Come Down

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before 2000's "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" came out and had Dandy Warhols songs in TV ads for everything from Michelob beer to Nissan automobiles to pretty much everything else, "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" was winning accolades as being one of the most entertaining videos to run on MTV since the glory days of Russell Mulcahy's work with Duran Duran, "Boys Better" was spicing up the soundtrack to "Good Will Hunting" and "Every Day Should Be A Holiday" was adding a touch of class to "There's Something About Mary" (admittedly not so difficult to do).

"The Dandy Warhols Come Down" marks Portland, Oregon's most enigmatic (yet sonically accessible) band's major-label debut with Capitol/EMI, and considering the massive wave of neo-psychedelic indie-pop that flooded the music industry in 1997 (not in the least among the stand-outs being Cornershop's "When I Was Born For The th Time" and Primal Scream's masterpiece "Vanishing Point"), it is probably understandable that "...Come Down" managed to slip beneath the radar of most music fans. However, those who have made the effort to experience this CD are seldom regretfull for doing so. From the dreamy and extended introduction of "Be-In" (the song used to open most Dandys live shows to this day) to the experimental soundscapes of "Pete International Airport" and "The Creep-Out" there are a vaiety of trippy grooves and joyful summertime pop tunes, including the afforementioned pop hookfests "...Last Junkie...", "Boys Better", "...Holiday", as well as the aural equivalent of a flower opening its bloom and facing the sun, "Good Morning" and the name-dropping hipster chic of "Cool As Kim Deal".

Just to prove it's not all about catchy pop songs, the Dandys can navel/shoe-gaze with the best of 'em with songs like the two-chord simplicity of "I Love You" (surely one of the most honest love songs ever written), the Sergio Leone/Ennio Morricone-inspired "Whipping Tree", which segues not quite seamlessly into "Green"...as well as "Orange", arguably the first great song to be written (and performed?) under the influence of a bottle of Ny-Quil.

I had bought "Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia" before this CD, but it was buying this CD that convinced me that the Dandy Warhols were one of the few bands in the music business whose name meant quality with no questions asked; after listening to this album once I knew that anything with the Dandy Warhols name on it was worth buying sight unseen (or sound unheard, as it were); they are just that good, and this CD represents them at their best. If you're at all curious about what this band is about, start with this CD...you'll be a most willing convert afterward, I promise.

The Dandy's second release is one of the greatest records in the 90's...by far. The sonic grooves the Dandy's take you on again and again leave a listener exhausted and overwhelmed by feeling. From the beginnings of the feedback rumbles on "Be-In" to the closings on "The Creep Out", a note is hardly wasted. Stand-out tracks are "Be-In", "Boys Better" "Minnesoter" "Good Morning" "Green" "Hard On For Jesus". The Dandy Warhols can trip you out, and swell your mind in 10 different directions, then chill you out with 4 minutes of pop perfection. Mr. Taylor (now Taylor-Taylor) is a brilliant songwriter, and Pete Holmstrom pushes the guitar and its sonic textures beyond belief. The music is hard to describe with words...the textures and the sounds are amazing. If you take the best melodies from the 60's, plus the darkest moments of the Rolling Stones, plus 70's rock bravado, plus 80's new wave creepy-isms, plus 90's studio and technical mastery, you've got this album. It grabs and utilizes the best moments from the past 4 decades...without sounding pretentious. Truly an amazing rock record. Do yourself a favor and buy it.

After hearing the catchy radio tune "Not if you Were the Las Junkie on Earth", I rolled the dice and bought the album. Greatestinvestment I ever made. Hypnotic guitar riffs and smooth, flowing British sounding beats. The harmony of this music is unexplainabley beautiful even when it's layed down hard. A must have of an album. You can get lost in "Orange" the more you listen to it. Their new album came out yesterday and I knocked over 3 people en route to the music store....so far sounds unreal. Bring the Dandy's to BOSTON!

Well, I know there are a million reviews. A lot are like 3 stars. I've owned this album a few years now and it's made me realize finally that the Dandy Warhols are a 5 star band. You know the deal - you go through different phases in your musical taste sometimes and the albums you once loved become meaningless. Well, my story is, I've owned this album and have been a Dandy Warhols fan since I heard "Boys Better", so I think that the Dandy Warhols and the Come Down album are timeless, incredible things. I have bought the album twice because my first one got scratched after long use. I also bought the double LP and casette tape. Seriously - this album was so good - I got all the formats available so I can listen to it everywhere and anywhere. This album is the definition of good rock music. I think the Dandy Warhols efforts are one of the few real rock and roll influences today. You can't deny the catchiness of "Junkie" or "Minnesoter". Seriously. I had my mother listening to "Junkie" on a regular basis. She doesn't like anything newer than stuff like the Ramones and Replacements! So, seriously, something is special about this band.

I've heard it dismissed as a 'all-sounds-the-same" album and stuff. I mean, its not some diverse "Midnite Vultures" Beck album with R & B and Hip-hop belended into it. It's more like a good Stones album like "Goat's Head Soup" or something. One of those albums with all killers and no fillers. I've heard the "Pete International Airport sucks, it's not even a song" and "the Creep Out sucks it's got no vocals and is 8 minutes of the same riff...." Jeez. Those tracks are awesome if you listen closer. Sure, if you're in the mood to boogie, perhaps PIA isn't the track to put on, but if you listen closley and listen to some of the live versions on the band's DVD's, you'll respect it more and realize it's a pretty interesting track with some guitar effects not heard elsewhere.

Maybe it's just at a day and age where good music like the Dandys and Jonestown Massacre just isn't fully appreciated. I think if you are looking into this band, start with Come Down or 13 Tales. And, hey - if you are looking into the band - you're on the right road. All you new music fans who listen to the Killers and Interpol, and Franz Ferdinand - give these guys a try with this album. It's almost 10 years since this album's recording! Where'd the time go? It's surely a modern classic now. I think anyone looking to dip into something they haven't heard of would love Courtney and the gang as they venture into anti-heroin use, sexually intimidating women, and ego-rock.

You're gonna listen to it over and over. First it'll be "Junkie". Then you'll like "Cool As Kim Deal". Then "Boys Better". Then from there it'll be all the rest of the tracks. If you are a super poor high school or college student and don't have the money, go the dandy's official site at www.dandywarhols.com and stream the videos for a few songs to hold you over. Or if you aren't positive about the band, go to Itunes or something and download "Good Morning" and "Minnesoter" to get a taste of the album. I will also recommend the Black Album (available on the dandys site for 30$) and the Boys Better Part 2 single (with a great Lightfoot cover). So, yeah, the band is cool and the album is cooler than cool. Enjoy it.

Right away, the feel of the classic "The Dandy Warhols Come Down" is that of a mood, not just some pop album with a rush of plastic songs or a cliched, guitar-driven rock album that everyone's heard before. "Be-In" begins as a soft and meandering mix of keyboard sounds and faraway guitar that are aching to get rumbling in fuller force. When the guitar strums finally do get going, you can tell "Come Down" is gonna be one special album. The thumping, somewhat muted drums by Eric Hedford also add to the communally mellow vibe. In typical Dandy Warhols fashion, "Be-In" turns out to be an arena-ready sing-along gem that leads off the CD perfectly, complete with gooey synthesizers and laid-back vocals by Courtney Taylor. The fun keeps progressing with "Boys Better," an even better tune with similar attributes: warm drums that don't get in the way, soft but in-charge vocals, addictive synth and a beat that is almost suitable for the club dance floor downtown.

Not till the fourth song, "Orange," do things drift from the hazy pop-rock perfection of the first three tunes. If "Orange" and the repetitive "I Love You" seem a bit stagnant at first, give them a chance; their presence on the CD adds to its overall drugged-out, faraway aura, which really worked for the Dandy Warhols in the early days. Amid the echoed, lulling guitars and Taylor's bored vocals is some truly good stuff. Things really pick up on the middle of the album: The upbeat "Not if You Were the Last Junkie On Earth" and "Every Day Should Be a Holiday" are perhaps as good as the Dandy Warhols have ever sounded. Each song is catchy to the point of ridiculousness, and both tunes contain a gleeful sound that's both fun and contagious. When I first heard "Last Junkie" on the radio, I remember thinking this was going to be the most popular band the world ever saw. Though that premonition never came true, I still have amazing respect for this band's talent, especially Taylor, who basically writes all the songs.

As great as the first half of the CD is, I give the band credit for veering toward a more ethereal sound on the last half of the album. "Good Morning" begins cautiously and sluggish but eventually turns into one of the more romantic songs you'll ever hear, complete with Taylor's deep, rather rugged vocals and those warm-sounding keyboards and drums. The sarcastic "Cool as Kim Deal" and smooth-rocking "Hard on for Jesus" muster out the band's peppiness before the rest of the CD turns into a complete wasteland of weaving synth and then a carefree rock jam.

Besides just its tunes, what's great about "Come Down" is its flow and cohesiveness, the fact that it's an actual ALBUM with a real aura in mind. Though a wide portion of the CD meanders with what some may label as spaced-out "filler," I actually kind of like those moments. They probably don't equal the greatness of many of the CD's radio-ready songs, but putting experimental material on a major-label debut showed that the Dandy Warhols were determined to do things their way and forge ahead accordingly. After all, if you're writing the world's catchiest songs, you ought to have the right to experiment a bit on the side.

When I first bought this album nearly eight years ago, I bought it solely because I was familiar with the single "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth". It's a good poppy song. At that time, the rest of the album didn't do much for me, and I soon neglected it and lost it.

Years passed and the Dandys put out a few more records that I really enjoyed. I found myself missing my copy of The Dandy Warhols Come Down, so I ponied up the money to buy a new copy. I was amazed how I had forgotten and neglected some of the gems on this album; I had learned to appreciate a wider variety of music since I was 15 (who doesn't?). In Europe, the song "Boys Better" was a huge success and if you keep your ears open, you'll hear it in commercials and various movies in the states. Equally pop filled are "Everyday Should Be A Holiday", "Cool As Kim Deal", and "Minnesoter". The first and last tracks, "Be-In" and "The Creep Out" are great grooves.

Since having picked up this album again, I picked up the Dandy Warhols "Black Album" which is a two disc venture into some of their early works. Many of the tracks were meant for Come Down, their major label debut, but didn't fly with the label execs. The funny thing is, I like some of these early versions better than the ones that made it on to the album, especially "Good Morning".

It's two years or so that I have this CD and I'm not yet tired to listen to it. I could define their sound as a mix between Velvet Underground, Nirvana and Charlatans UK with some psychedelic breakouts.But, anyway, they're great, you immediately fall in love with their songs, since the first time you play it. One of the best albums of the 90s from an Oregon band that sounds a little bit Brit. Five stars.

The Dandy Warhols are the type of band that are exactly as their image represents them to be. So basically, if the name "the Dandy Warhols" sounds like the coolest, cleverest name for a band ever, you will love their music. You'll probably also crack up at their antic-riddled articles and interviews and marvel at how people who are so talented can manage to be as sexy as Courtney, Pete, and Zia. If you don't get the name, well, you're probably just as relieved that the band is pretty obscure in the US of A. Their second album--first major label release--represents both the best and worst of what the Dandy Warhols are capable of. While, personally, I think this album has more individual standouts than the later, more renowned "Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia", the latter has a larger number of good, even rock songs and coheres better as an album.

1. Be-in--The title is taken from those drug sessions hippies used to have in the sixties. This is a very long song with a long intro. It's pretty trippy, not surprisingly, and is about drugs. I've always imagined that this song would be a good theme song for a TV show about kids in some type of weird boarding school.

2. Boys Better--One of the hits off the album. Very catchy and powerful. Definitely wakes the listener up after "Be-in".

3. Minnesoter--A brassy, sassy number that reminded some critics of Oasis. It has a raunchy sound to it and raunchy lyrics as well--although I have no idea what the song is actually about and am not one hundred percent certain what `finding one's way to Minnesoter' is a metaphor for. Do I want to know?

4. Orange--A slow, hazy song with less texture than "Be-in". Not one of the better songs on the album.

5. I Love You--Another trippy song yet Courtney Taylor drone becomes almost hypnotic as he numbly repeats over and over again "I love you, I love you, I love you". Apparently this song is also used as the background music for a Pontiac car commercial.

6. Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth--The BEST song on the album! Basically a tongue-in-cheek poke-in-the-eye to the heroin chic culture. Yet there's something oddly poignant about the eye-rolling way in which Courtney Taylor insists, "Heroin is so passé" over the guitar-strumming. The Dandy Warhols didn't do another song this strong until "Bohemian Like You". The video for this song is well-worth checking out--come to think of it, all the Dandy Warhols' videos are. The scene is a psychotic game show in which junkie contestants compete for prizes such as car crashes and tombstones, including dancing syringes.

7. Everyday Should Be a Holiday--Another fast-paced track with a really good dance beat. Apparently it was included in the soundtrack for "There's Something About Mary". Don't miss the slipped-in self-reference, "Super cool, the Dandies rule, okay!"

8. Good Morning--A slow, haunting song. The lyrics, which describe a "good morning" seem to be contradicted by the eerie music which seems somewhat depressing. A quiet gem on the album.

9. Whipping Tree--Another, quiet song. Courtney Taylor kind of mumbles in this one and it strikes me as kind of bland, although I'm sure many people can empathize with the lyrics.

10. Green--Similar to "Whipping Tree" only with more emotion. "I only believe what I want to believe... yes it's because I'm greener than green." Clearly about inexperience of whatever variety.

11. Cool as Kim Deal--A very sunny, cool-sounding song extolling the virtues of ultimate rock chick, Kim Deal.

12. Hard On for Jesus--Definitely play this at your local Church picnic. You owe yourself and your pastor that much.

13&14. "Pete International Airport" and "The Creep Out"--these last two songs are probably the worst on the album and together make up fourteen minutes. They just consist of weird, spacy music and muted vocals. I can assume that "Pete International Airport" is some sort of reference to guitarist Peter Holstrom, but other than that, they both lack focus and I usually skip over them.

Half of the songs on this album showcase the Dandy Warhols' ability to make brilliant, satirical rock anthems like "Minnesoter", "Boys Better", and "Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth", while the other half can be classified as slow, trippy drug songs. These slower, murkier tracks aren't necessarily bad as a rule--"Be-in" and "Good Morning" are quality, but others, like "Orange", "The Creep Out", etc., just seem to be long drawn-out layers of music with no substance. In conclusion, the Dandy Warhols should be commended for being a band that has the guts to be edgy, funny, and produce quality music that isn't categorically dark, even if they occasionally miss their mark.

Far and away my favorite Dandys album. Better songwriting than their excellent eponymous first disk and rougher more appropriate production than 13 Tales. All the songs, wildly differing in style, are immediately catchy with pop hooks galore to keep you listening again and again. The lyrics are disaffected enough to give a substance and edge to their pop-ier numbers.

Buy it now...

I have a pretty large CD and vinyl collection and this is the best I have ever owned. The only other band I have enjoyed in their infancy as much as this was U2 and I was right about them. Believe me if this band doesn't self destruct into a black hole of self-indulgence......THEY WILL BE HUGE.

The best way I can describe this is Beach Boys meets Human League meets Hendrix meets The Byrds.

The first song Be-In almost caused me to drive off the road when I first heard it.The rest pure- melodic indie pop with and edge. there are some beautiful contrasts and shades here.