Customer Reviews

Essential Pansy Division

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2 star:		(1)
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Get yourself into Pansy Division. You'll be glad you did. Others have. For starters, no less than Green Day took them out on the road as an early career opening act.

Gay or straight, Jon Ginoli, Chris Freeman, Luis Illades & Patrick Goodwin create flat-out great rock `n' roll. I've loved them since a record store clerk turned me onto their second album in 1994. Have bought each new release along the way. Seen them whenever they come to town. Collected numerous pieces of merchandise as well: A VHS tour diary, t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, even my car sports bumper stickers. Though for some time they weathered the "Spinal Tap-like" syndrome that used to affect the drum kit, thankfully, Luis seems to be there to stay. Regardless of who's keeping the tempo, the philosophy is & always has been: Queer punk rock is not an oxymoron.

They are at times humorous, provocative, sexy, politically correct & not, and often downright thought provoking. Amazon can print the song titles, but I don't seem to be able to refer to them in a review (I've tried 4 times). Take my word, they aren't just silly or irrelevant; they are also quite serious about life, as well as staying alive.

Jon (most lead vocals, guitar, chief songwriter) creates great, usually short, songs that leave so many others in their, um, wake. Chris (bass, occasional lead vocals & songwriter), while not as prolific, also contributes plenty [he's sort of the Mick Jones to Jon's Joe Strummer]. Luis (drums) and Patrick (lead guitar, recently replaced by Bernard Yin, who's straight) fill out the band with enthusiasm & verve.

And what a knack for album titles & cover art they have. Undressed (1993), Deflowered (1994), Wish I'd Taken Pictures (1996), Total Entertainment (2003) and the clever and truly inspired Steve Albini-produced Absurd Pop Song Romance make up the official releases, while Pile Up (1995) & More Lovin' From Our Oven (1997) collect various b-sides, compilation cuts, demos, outtakes, etc.

Unlike most career-collections, this has everything but the kitchen sink, but only because there is just so much room to work with. Added to the set is a DVD of television, live & promo video footage totaling 45 minutes. Even the cover here is both original & yet not. Want more? Create it yourself!

Advice: buy it directly from the band's website for no shipping! Then get yourself to a show when they are in your town!

I bought this one on the strength of Absurd Pop Song Romance (an amazing album - everyone needs to buy it), and while at times there's a certain randomness about the song selection on this CD, it's an excellent representative sample of Pansy Division musically and lyrically, from their early days to now. In the liner notes, Jon admits they had to skip some good songs (I'm surprised Sidewalk Sale, Wish I'd Taken Pictures, and *bleep* Buddy didn't make it), but at least they have a lot of good stuff to choose from.

The DVD does have lots of footage, including a couple of videos and t.v. performances, but I was most impressed by the concert footage and the Italian t.v. footage. In concert, once you get past a bit of a poor mix that swamps the vocals and the fact that there are people moshing to some ... lyrically interesting songs (it seems subversive in a truly punk rock way), they really tear it up; they sound great in concert. This is confirmed by the Italian t.v. performance, which is so good and so raging again I'm at a loss as to how they never really "broke" into the mainstream. They're fantastic musicians, which I think gets overlooked, and shouldn't.

Also, I'm still flabbergasted that "Bad Boyfriend" didn't become they're breakthrough single. It could have and should have. Perhaps in a better world, with more promotional push ....

A worthy purchace, and a worthy collection for a band that deserves to be much bigger than it actually is. Remember, you don't have to be gay to like Pansy Division.

I've been in love with this band for about 13 years now. I only wish I had them when I was a teenager. Their music is bright, fun, it's everything a gay kid needs.

Now, to upset Amazon, I'd order this from their web site so they'll get the most $$$. That is if it's working, it's down today. Goggle 'em and give it a shot.

This purchase was for me a gesture of support: whoever you might be, I would urge you as well to buy from out people.
That mentioned, I listened to the CD only once and doubt I will again. Why? It's flat out boring. There are no memorable songs; the playing is sloppier than the music demands; the vocals are uninteresting; and the theme of gayness is overworked (just as would be a collection of songs about being straight). The worst aspect is the lyric content: admirable though the sentiments might be, the lyrics are horribly inept, as if the composer were simply counting syllables rather than bothering to make the words actually scan and _be_ lyrics, rather than metered speech.
It's a shame, really, that a band that one would _like_ to be worthy is not: buy it and show off the cover, but don't bother opening it.