Hard Grind

Little Axe | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 11, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fat Possum Records
• ASIN: B000066RKR
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,961 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Most Welcome Return!, July 17, 2002

By 

F.N. Wright "musichead" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Grind (Audio CD)

One question: what is that "official" reviewer (not) smoking? To say "this meandering, formless sonic splatter painting is terrible" is not only completely unnecessary, it's just plain wrong! He must have some personal grudge against Sherwood or else is just completely clueless about On-U Sound in general. Maybe both. Any fan of Sherwood/On-U Sound, and of the first Little Axe CD in particular, will love this CD. I have been a hardcore On-U Sound freak for many years, starting with African Head Charge and now encompassing pretty much the entire On-U catalog. "Hard Grind" is awesome, combining the Tack>Head crew with the dubwise sounds of Dub Syndicate and the "captured sounds" and chants of African Head Charge -- following up "The Wolf..." nicely. I had feared that "The Wolf That House Built" was a one-off project, but man am I happy to now have this disc in my collection. The only real difference between "The Wolf..." and "Hard Grind" is that the new one is definitely more laid-back, with more slow to mid-tempo grooves and slightly more restrained production. But it's a very small difference. Bottom line: This CD is killer, and is absolutely a great follow up to "The Wolf...". Take it from a true On-U head.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOMETHING TRULY DIFFERENT!, July 22, 2002

By 

deepbluereview "deepbluereview" (SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Grind (Audio CD)

A couple of years ago, Skip McDonald took a break from his Tack Head duties and, together with Adrian Sherwood, produced and released "The Wolf That House Built" the first so-called "ambient blues" project. That CD was a dark mix of blues artists, sound sampling, dubs and tape loops. The result was fantastic. However, because many reviewers panned the CD, sales were dismal and the disc quickly faded from the scene and is presently difficult to find although rewarding if you can get your hands on it. "Run Here Boy" is very typical of what you will find on the first release. As such, I was surprised that McDonald would once again return to the same format that had such dismal results the first time out. I for one am glad that he did. While the songs here are as dark as on "The Wolf" CD, those tunes are, at the same time, refreshing and should be welcome by anyone with an open mind. It is true, that this is not your typical blues and you will not be driving down to see this performed in concert anytime soon but at the same time, it is truly an interesting listening experience which mixes Reggae rhythms, with blues and gospel music. This is anything but traditional blues and is recommended for the adventuresome only. One thing is for sure, this will be one of the more controversial releases this year and will play to some very mixed reviews.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blues Dub - A deep dark road that's original and enjoyable, June 21, 2002

By 

D. Mauer (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Grind (Audio CD)

... It's like criticizing a batch of Lee "Scratch" Perry dubplates for being "meandering" and not following straight song-based reggae. The dubs were meant to be something different, a stretching out of studio effects that take elements from songs and weaves them into something new and - often - much cooler.

Even though the record is on Fat Possum, it's not intended to be a typical blues album. Little Axe uses blues as a starting point for a rich mixture of textures, moods, and yes, dub effects. The album makes more sense when seen through Adrian Sherwood's musical history than through Fat Possum's tamperings with straight blues. Little Axe would be out of place in the blues section of a record store.

Skip McDonald's guitar playing is tight and solid throughout Hard Grind, while weird sounds circle about his head like ghosts. Yes there are a lot of samples woven through the record, but together they form a more varied and interesting record than say Moby's new one, which seems plastic, dry, and weak-kneed in comparison. But really there is little in common with the two records despite several reviews that have lumped them together. Moby is starting from the POV of a guy with a computer and stacks of old vinyl. Little Axe features actual musicians who first started playing together as the house band for Sugar Hill Records (!) and their understanding of the music is only sharpened by a skillful producer who keeps the pace always moving, never boring, and very rewarding.

I would highly recommend this for fans of bands such as Primal Scream, 70s reggae wizards like Lee "Scratch" Perry, African Head Charge, and yes even Moby's blues experiments. I would not begin to recommend it to someone looking for a straight Fat Possum blues album. It's easy enough to see if you'd like it though: Just listen to the samples. enjoy.