Customer Reviews

Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Back in '96, I heard "Banditos" on the radio and immediately went out and bought this disc. On first listen, I liked it all. Since then, it's become an essential part of my collection. A true desert island selection. I have my favorites, including Down Together, Mekong, Girly, Banditos and Nada, but the beauty of this album is the flow. The whole album works together beautifully, conjuring up very realistic images - images of the southwest, of Mexico, of real people living their lives during the good times and the harsh. You can almost smell the dust in the air while listening to Nada, feel the pain of lost love in Girly and taste the beer in Mekong.

This was an incredible rock band and I'm still bummed out that they are gone. Great recorded sound, excellent, cohesive musicianship, the whole nine yards. Essential stuff.

I think it's certainly possible that FFBB (as we in the "know" like to call it) is, at the very least, the most underrated album of the 90s. The songs on FFBB sound as fresh and real and often brilliant as they did a decade ago.

Much is made in some of the Amazon reviews about the "humor" of the Refreshments' lyrics, and while it's true that there are some laugh out loud moments if you really listen to the words ("European Swallow" surely has its moments), the Refreshments are more genuinely clever than just "funny" when they keep it light, and downright contemplative when they dig a little deeper, as they do with "Nada."

FFBB also contains what I consider one of the best love songs ever. "Down Together" is another of those clever songs, but its so much more than that. It's truly a rare example of a pop song that actually gets love right. It's not sappy, and the sentimental turns ("Your breath, it smells like wine, I like that a lot, especially when I kiss you") feel so genuine that it seems almost like eavesdropping on a slightly tipsy conversation between to people who are deeply in love. Honestly, I could deconstruct this one song for hours, and never begin to touch the heart of it.

Just buy this album, go out and see Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers (pretty much The Refreshments V2.0) if they come to your town, and consider that this is what rock and roll should always feel like.

I'm mostly a punk and metal fan, and yet I have only two things to say about this album: 1.) It should be issued at birth. 2.) Buy two copies in case one ever gets lost or ruined.

This is actually one of my favorite albums. Once it gets into my car stereo, it tends to stay there for weeks. I bought it for the well-known "Banditos" and the rest just grew on me. Some of the songs should be on b-movie soundtracks (and would help you like the movie). Some are just poignant - "Mekong" reminds me of all the business travel I've done where the hotel bar was the only place to go and meet your new best friend who is doing the same thing. I've always considered this one of my desert island CDs because it's solid cover to cover and no matter how many times I play it, I still really love it.

One night I laid down in my bed and closed me eyes and really listened to "Nada". I can count two or maybe three other songs that have ever given me the same evocative shivers I felt that night.

"Nada" is the end of Fizzy's journey, and it works so well as a closer simply because Roger is playing with the listener's mind that perhaps this song is indeed a summation of what must be considered a stunning concept record. Even when the words themselves drift an arm's distance away from the Mexicana, the music behind them never seems to stray. Gems like "Interstate", "Blue Collar Suicide" and "Suckerpunch" appear superficially autonmous, but even after a hundred listenings, it is hard to picture Mr. Clyne singing them without his hat.

Lyrically, the record is a touching, twelve stanza poem, often funny, always gifted. The humor is easy to appreciate because it is wickedly clever, and Roger sings with the kind of detached conviction that makes these songs sound at once both earnest and light-hearted. He demonstrates humility in "European Swallow" which seems almost intentional, and yet we cannot help but smile when he gets punched in the face after insulting his enemy's girlfriend. Sometimes the comical feel of the album is obviously contrived, as in "Girly" and "Banditos", yet at other times it is funny simply because it isn't trying to be, such as the "Down Together" line: 'I could give you a star / You could give me one, too / And that way we'd be even.' The smart humor scattered throughout this record is one of its many charms.

The musicianship on Fizzy is exhilarating, but the stringwork stands out more than anything else. It is absolutely flawless, and solos like that found on the wonderful "Mekong" inspire bathroom mirror air-guitar fodder by nature. It isn't just the solos either... numbers like the melancholy "I Don't Wanna Know" illustrate a true master of the craft at work.

It is surprising that with the countless references to Mexico (including a beautiful song by that name and liner notes written in pseudo-Spanish) that the album doesn't even border on overkill. I cannot recall any other album so completely centered around one theme, but Fizzy's constant homage to the dust and warm beer that inspired it only makes the whole record stronger.

Which brings us back to "Nada", the best song on the record and, I suspect, the most meaningful to its writers. It is like a five minute movie, and somewhere inside our eyes we can really see Roger as the star. I envision him driving home, back across the border in that old truck, 'leaving the border far behind'.... leaving the very place that has been his muse for creating a fabulous and wholly satisfying piece of art. I see him watching 'the storm down in Mexico' from his rear-view mirror. And I see the chorus as his testament of love and longing for Mexico... his confession that maybe these songs, these stories, are real, and maybe not. "Nada" is about leaving. It is about going home. It is about the end of the journey, one that captures us and charms us and makes us feel good.

After quite a few years of buying cds, this album continues to be one of my all time favorites. Their melodies definitely stand out in your head, and they quickly become very easy and fun to sing along with. Some of the songs can be a little depressing, but the very soothing sound of Roger Clyne's voice and the beautiful melodies that back his voice up make you feel the emotion that the band is pouring out into their music. My favorite song from this album, "Mekong", stands as one of my all time favorite songs as well. Other faves from this album include "Don't Wanna Know", "Interstate", "Suckerpunch" and "Nada". Their slow songs are heart-felt and emotional, and their upbeat songs are very fun and easy to get into as well. So if you're into that regular rock and roll sound, which isn't heard too often anymore, then this is a must for you. It will become a favorite of yours as well, I guarantee it.

This is one of the best, if not my very favorite, cd I have ever owned. The entire collection of songs flows so awesomely from one track to the next. Every song is good, really good, REALLY GOOD - LET ME STRESS THIS - NOT A BAD SONG IN THE BUNCH. From Blue Collar Suicide it starts off right away with a catchy banging introduction. That song rocks. Down Together might be the best song of them all here - it is simply great. Banditos is the song everyone knows ("Everybody knows that the world is full of stupid people so meet me at the mission at midnight...") and rightfully so - it was a staple song of the 90s. Also noteworthy is the song Mexico that adds elements of humor accompanying a mariachi sound that is surprisingly VERY good. I CANNOT STRESS HOW GOOD THIS CD IS AND THE IMPACT IT HAS HAD ON MY MUSICAL TASTE. Everyone should own this cd but unfortunately the level of popularity the Refreshments achieved was far less than their potential and many fans of rock music never discovered them. They are truly one of the best bands of the 90s and this cd is evidence of their talent. It is the Refreshments (and 90's rock music) at their very best.

My daughter introduced me to the music of the Refreshments a number of years ago. I was amazed!!! I have heard some good songs in the last few years, but never a great rock album. You are lucky with most CDs if it has 2 or 3 good songs on it; the rest is trash. This is most definately not that sort of CD. Every song on this album is good; some are simply great! I really like the variety in the music. Some are relatively slow and mellow, but most simply ROCK. What really stands out is the clever tongue-in-cheek lyrics and an amazing guitar player. I have loved rock music since the 60's. This is one of the all-around best I have ever heard. It is a pity that the Refreshments are no longer around.

Like all reviewers, I panic when I can't find my "Fizzy Fuzzy" CD... but I wanted everyone to know that the band is NOT gone, they are now under the name of the lead singer, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. You can check out tour dates, etc. on their web site, it is azpeacemakers.com (AZ for arizona) ENJOY! Their new music is just as catchy as their old stuff....

To me, this album stands out as having a classic "American" sound. It is simple, catchy rock with good lyrics and singable melodies. It is definitely one I bring on every road trip to keep me going. Not every song on this album is peppy per se, but it is still good singable tunes. Lyrically, the subject matter is not always peppy either but some how the music is so good that it always makes me happy. The must-hear tracks on this album are, "Down Together" which is a funny sort of love song, "Mekong" which is probably the best track on this cd, and "Banditos" which is a humorous outlaw song and the perfect roadtrip song.