House Tornado

Throwing Muses | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Original Release Date: March 22, 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002LDZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,901 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

CD reissue of the 1988 sophomore album (and first major label release) by this College Rock/Alternative band lead by guitarists/vocalists Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donnelly (later of Belly). This release found them maturing and expanding their unique sound, moving forward from their 1986 import-only self-titled release on 4AD. 11 tracks. Wounded Bird. 2006. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars addictive and beautiful, August 12, 2005

By 

landru141 (Planet Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House Tornado (Audio CD)

I bought the Ep cassette of "The Fat Skier" based on an interview in some low-rent alternative rock rag of the day. I remember reading how they would mock the then popular song of the day (won't name names) and think "These girls have something going on ..." When I bought the Ep I was really intrigued by the difficult nature of the music. Its complex and really simple at the same time, which while it might not impact you immediately, has a tendency to grow on you. So much so that I played that thing over and over and over ...

When House Tornado was released, I must have gotten it the first week of its release. No one I knew had a clue who this band were, but this album has remained one of my favorites for years and years. Kristin Hersh's lyrics are so impossible to understand, like some synaesthesias (A condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color.) nightmare vision of the tedium of daily life. Words and phrases that seem just thrown together that create an image in your mind. Add to that mixture Tonya Donnely's cute oddities, the feminine power of the band is undeniable. Until this time, I had wondered (in my post-feminist way) why there weren't any good girl rockers. The Throwing Muses are an example to them all. A real artist's approach to music.

Even today ... as I'm writing this in 2005 ... I am playing "House Tornado" continuously in my car. Normally I'll move on after an album ends, but this is one of those records that just demands continuous play. Almost as if it has no end or beginning and no matter how hard you try, you can never get to the bottom of the music to find a place where you can sum it up and put it away.

These two records will always be favorites of mine.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The finest incarnation of their finest album., October 12, 2001

By 

Ian Frearson (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House Tornado (Audio CD)

I heard "Juno" from this album when I was in 10th grade, and it totally changed the direction of my musical taste. I think I can safely say that "House Tornado" was the pinnacle of Throwing Muses' achievement, and proof that not everything that was recorded in the 80's sounds like the 80's. Superb lyrics and richly textured, quirky, complex music come together in a way here in a way that isn't heard on any of their later releases. The import version is WELL WORTH the extra $$$. The packaging is fantastic (bears no resemblance to the thumbnail photo here on Amazon, which is the US-only version), and it includes the very out-of-print "Fat Skier" EP, which is a must for any Throwing Muses fan.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 2-in-1 rockin' good time., October 28, 1999

By 

Michelle - See all my reviews

This review is from: House Tornado (Audio CD)

I would highly suggest picking up the import version of "House Tornado" so you won't miss out on its sidekick "the Fat Skier". Some of the best songs ever penned by Kristin Hersh appear on these two wonderful releases. Hersh writes the coolest, craziest lyrics and the music that accompanies them is amazing. It's not all poppy-sounding like their more recent stuff which is why I love it so much. There are so many energetic emotional songs on this disc. Oh I love it.