Interplanetary Escape Vehicle

STS9 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 7, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Landslide
• ASIN: B00001W078
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,724 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #37 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Funk Rock
  • #62 in Music > Rock > Jam Bands > Funk Jam Bands

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vibe Groove, April 29, 2000

By 

Moondog (northeast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Interplanetary Escape Vehicle (Audio CD)

Off the hook. These cats jam like no other. Smooth funk groove so tight and right it feels like it comes straight from the brain. Intense buildups and explosions. Deep liquid smooth funk baseline like butter, then up and slappin quick in an instant; fresh jazz vibe organ sounding keys, then fading slow and into some phishy tumbling keys, along with some sweet synth sounds every now and again; fast as light tiss tiss ca-tika-tatta-tat click clack tika tika drums on the Buddy Rich tip, with no lack of thump on the bottom; and a guitar that wika chiks and bends sounds up and down, while keeping up clear tones and do-de-li-doin' it up the scale with precision. Every song is distinct yet contains all the elements of the others, some licking bass, some jam meandering, some driving thump, it's all good. All that slapped together while keeping it real jam band style. Turn it down real low and it works like perfect background music, poppin up once and a while to make people say "good god, yall! whats this?"; Turn it up and no body stops moving. If you are a fan of any jazz, homwgrown jam bands, funk, or even techno or Eno-like ambient, this cd is a must have. One of my top 5 favorite cd's.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Blowing., January 18, 2000

By 

greg b. (atlanta, ga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Interplanetary Escape Vehicle (Audio CD)

I've been searching for a consistent jam band for years now and now I've found one that has me very excited. You get exausted just listening to them. Is is funk? Is it fusion? Is it jazz? Is it psychedelic jam? I don't know, but I know I like it. Sector 9 from Georgia has all the chops; guitar, bass, drums, keyboards...no singer...just very long songs (6-15 mins each!)that at times will simply amaze you. It has been in my cd player since my friend in Atlanta sent it to me 2 months ago. Words can not do this album or this band's live music justice, so you'll have to take a chance and give them a shot. I promise that you will be running to let your friends listen to Interplanetary Escape Vehicle and you'll be proud to say you were the one who gave them their first taste. Quality. Thank you, Matt C.!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SPLASH NINE, July 8, 2001

By 

Thal Ajoni (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Interplanetary Escape Vehicle (Audio CD)

Hello -

I wanted to write this review b/c of previous ones which criticized the band's "Mushy" lack of tightness and repetitive qualities. I almost did not buy this CD because of those reviews, but I am glad I did.

I believe that the "Mushy" quality comes from the taping, not from the band.

It is as if the instruments were recorded on the same input level, who knows if this was intentional. It is a good thing b/c I think David Murphy is a decent bassist. And it is not such a bad thing with headphones, because the guitar is on the left, keyboards on the right.

But the drummer's hi-hat is very loud, and opens more frequently on higher energy jams, masking the conglomerate sounds with a loose 'splash'. It is a little too much, almost as if he had just finished reading a book on 'Pensacola's Funk Technique for the Hi-Hat'.

I actually think it would work if the audio engineer had toned down the drums from an 9 to a 2, and the keyboards from an 9 to a 5, if that makes sense. I do not think I have ever heard such a loud and busy hi-hat as the one played by Zach Velmer on this CD.

So the previous reviews criticize this band for sounding "mushy". I think that criticizing the band because of a 'poor' recording is like not tipping your waitress b/c the chef burnt your steak...just not her fault.

I do agree with the previous posts regarding repetition. In this recording, Sector 9 had a tendency to overplay the rhythmic tunes they developed. I would not exactly call them melodies. Imagine 3 bars of a tonal phrase, and on the fourth bar add a button. Frequently on this CD, Sector 9 did this several times to each phrase before starting a new one.

In a way the organized structure sounds too restrained. It is as if the band members have become trapped inside their own creation.

But this is such a subjective call, because I think this is a 70's/80's Rock-Jam philosophy, and if you listen to this CD, then I think you will understand what I mean.

In my humble opinion, Sector 9 is a really solid group, and I would gladly see them on stage. I would buy this CD again, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes instrumental jams, and 70's/80's Rock.