Customer Reviews

God of Love

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

 

 

Not one of their best records but it was nice to see HR back in the line up. The track " Justice Keepers" is a great track but most of the others seem to lack the intensity of their previous work.

A fact that many people don't admit (or don't want to admit) is that Bad Brains are no longer, and no longer want to be, a hardcore band. This has ended in the alienation of much of their fan base. This album is filled with their peace love vibes and it isn't bad, but at the same time it lacks the energy that mad Bad Brains great. It is about half reggae. The reggae is good but not excellent and the hardcore lacks feeling. Why four stars then? They still do it better then anyone else, just not as good as before.

let me begin by saying i am not a thrash fan. the early bad brains is not for me. i came to know bad brains as HR when i saw them on stage playing reggae. let me also say that i am a musician for Jah Kings reggae out of michigan.

that said, this album is one of my favorites. "rights of a child", "overs the waters", and "to the heavens" are conscious reggae classics at par with any artist. it is, of course, american reggae. so it mixes the influences of r&b and rock. Bad Brains / HR is the only band i know that had mixed these influences well. (except, of course, Jah Kings :-) i even like the non-reggae cuts on this album. just heavy enough to get the blood going without distorting the music, you can still understand the words.

i also recommend HR's "Charge" album.

This is an underrated album. Maybe not the best Brains (It is short on hardcore/heavy tunes and BIG on reggae and HR sounds like He's dying on a couple of tracks) but worth having for 'Justice Keepers',Long Time,& 'Thank Jah'. 3 Great songs in their respective styles. Overall 4 Stars for just being Brains.

Evidently some here don't like this LP, but I think it's a superb outing. I saw them perform on this tour, and it was stunning. It's their usual excellent blend of reggae and rock (really metal on this album instead of their punk roots), and nobody can touch them at this game. Production is crystal clear, too. Title track is a standout. Get it.

The absolute worst Bad Brains album. I would not waste the time, or the money. If you like bad metal meets dance hall it's perfect though.

'Complete and utter disappointment" is the words you'll likely hear from any true Bad Brains fan, after inquiring about this album.

It's not the move to a major label--better distribution and better studios/production, how could we complain? Add to that, the reunion of all the original members (H.R. could never be replaced, let's be honest), and it probably seemed like a good idea.

And it would have been, even going (as this album does) the "Quickness" route and maintaining a metal stance as opposed to their earlier thrashy sound, but the songwriting just isn't there, and the conviction is lacking.

Is it better than "Rise"? Sure, but not by much. While I'm happy they could get together for one more album, the truth is that it doesn't hold up to their earlier releases, and outside of a few listens, you won't be tempted to slip it in your discman that often.

This album is pretty much hated among old-school Bad brains fans, and yes, it is very different from their early speedpunk/hardcore stuff. While far from a great album, it does have its moments which keep me from brushing it aside. As a reggae fan, I'm pleased with the plethora of reggae tunes here, and why they are by no means at the level of Burning Spear or Jimmy Cliff, they're not at all bad. The over-the-top cartoonish thrash of "Justice Keepers" always brings a smile to my face and makes me wanna jump around the room, making it a guilty pleasure of mine. A few of the songs, like "Rights Of A Child", are outright annoying, keeping this album from getting much time in my CD player. However, I'm glad I own it and can pull it out when I'm in the mood for some of their positive vibes.

The Brains are the most perfectly rocking band (at least that I am aware of)...
After half a decade without HR and his bro Earl Hudson (who dedicate their time away from Brains to rootz reggae side projects), the original Brains re-united in 1995 and released 'God of Love'.
This album is about half reggae... Quality, ambient reggae... and half pristine rock, with some thumpin ragga melodies - 'Long Time', and lovesongs - 'Darling I Need You', 'How I Love Thee'.
Don't expect the ultra-thumpin, speed-core soundz of the underground that the Brains perfected throughout the 80s, nor the aggressive dub-reggae that we typically think of as quintesential of Bad Brains... This album has lovely female backup vocals and horns.
The soundz still help me feel really positive - not in the exilirating sense of being crowded into an underground club with a manic, young dread doing back flips off the amps and stage diving (as older Brains fans are accustomed to) -
Rather, the album gives the sense of waking up to a bright, colourful morning on a mountain with HR and bros yantin along with mother nature - and how wonderful it is to have a copy of God of Love, with such a wide range of songs of praise to harmonize my day with - from elevating tracks like 'Cool Mountaineer', 'Long Time', 'Justice Keepers', 'God of Love' to statements of RasTafari faith - 'Over the Water', 'Big Fun', 'Thank Jah'...
Thank the God of Love for anything these geniuses have ever released and are still releasing - as Soul Brains... -Sebas.

I don't care what any of these so called Bad brains fans say, God of Love is an awesome album and I can't believe it has to be sold as an import. It's very innovative and hard. Songs like Darling I Need you and Cool Mounaineers remind us of the early Rock for Light stuff but mixed with the more metal sounding Quickness era. In fact I would say that if you're going to introduce someone to the BB, the best thing you could do is let them hear God of Love and the Omega Sessions- the purest hardcore BB ever put on tape. Scoff if you like but I've been a true fan since highschool in 96 and God of Love is one of their three best albums!! The other two being the Omega Sessions and Rock for Light (and yes I do think it's better than S/T. Long live the Bad Brains!!