Customer Reviews

Mezcal Head

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

. . . the better it gets. I was introduced to Swervedriver through the Playstation game Road Rash, and I came across Mezcal Head in the Used section of a local music store. The only songs I wanted were Duel and Last Train to Satansville, but when I listened to the whole album, I was blown away by the summer-dusk feel of the music and the gritty, hopelessly passionate textures interwoven throughout. It makes no difference where I am; the moment I stick in this cd, I am instantly transported to a convertible '69 Vette blazing down a lonesome highway in Arizona with the waning sun setting fire to the land, turning rock formations into golden sculptures. My favorite songs include Blowin Cool, Never Lose That Feeling, and Duress, although the whole album is excellent and has a cohesiveness and thematic intensity that many albums seem to lack nowadays. Duress is a stunning, ultrapassionate panorama of steamy love on a dense, vivid night in July, when time moves sluggishly through the dank air and the sound of the insects and the scent of the summer air binds up all the past and future into one sweltering moment of passion. You will not be disappointed if you buy this album.

Along with OK Computer, this is the most memorable album of the decade. Gets better with age - if you listen with headphones, tracks you thought you knew like best friends reveal new wrinkles and surprises (just like best friends).

If i ever have kids, they'll be begging me to turn this one off in 2025.

I went for two years without this record and my life wasn't the same...Swervedrivers everywhere will appreciate the ability this band has to express the feeling of the wide open road through hard-hitting grooves and sweeter-than-honey melodies. Quoting great surf rock as equally as the Beatles, this album has the singular ability to make life seem understandable. Inspirational, and satisfying, any true rock fan will LOVE this record! " Harry and Maggie " is the defining song of the spirit of passionate love whose closest second is " Never Lose That Feeling ". Both songs express the intangibility of love while inspiring the soul to go figure it out by doing it! I wont live again without this album!

Swervedriver was my favorite band during my high school/early college days. The most underrated band of the 1990s by far. I cannot believe these guys never became huge! Mezcal Head was their second album after their excellent, albeit muffled-sounding, debut. It sports improved production after Raise. It also is a heavier sounding album. That I rank this album Swervedriver's third best is not a knock on the album, it is just a demonstration of how awesome these "shoegazers" were (and maybe still can be). The first two tracks blow the roof off! "Blowin' Cool" would have made a wonderful single. It has a very accessible sound, with a catchy chorus and, surprisingly, nice vocals. "Last Train Satansville" was a great single (you can just feel that engine rumblin' down the tracks!) but, here, it drags a little bit. The vocals end around the three-minute mark, but the band rides that locomotive for a full 6:45. "A Change is Gonna Come" and "You Find It Everywhere" are two more catchy tracks. "Duress," although a fine song, takes 3:00 to really get going. The final track is another great Swervedriver track but, like "Satansville," the instrumental ending goes on, and on. This jazzy one continues for over six minutes! This is an awesome album. Without the long, drawn-out tracks, it would rank up to, and maybe even surpass the brilliant Raise! As it is, however, I don't think it's as solid as Raise for the very reason that I have to skip through almost 12 minutes of music to get to the good stuff. Raise set a very high standard finally broken with the un-freakin'-believable 99th Dream (if you do not have that CD, get it now!). Mezcal Head didn't quite reach it but is damn good and re-established Swervedriver as one of the most under-appreciated bands of the 1990s!

I was never a huge fan of Swervedriver, although I first heard them when they were still releasing singles prior to the release of their debut album. I have the singles, I have the first three albums, and while most of them are gathering dust on my shelf, I still find myself popping 'Mezcal Head' into the player every now and again. In spite of their label as a 'shoegazer' band, and in spite of the reviews that cite their car-culture themes, this album is simply one of the most consistently good, catchy, and rockin' albums I've ever heard. It's a paradise of minor chord harmonies, laid-back vocals, and straightforward rock. I'd have to agree with Amazon's house reviewer that Swervedriver got short shrift when they were new, but what might be more remarkable is that they still sound so good in the 21st century.

This cd is an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. If you don't know this band, Swervedriver is an odd but beautiful bird. They combine a heavy underground American wall-of-sound, with a British-tinted ethereal haze. On this record, they meld it together with a solid dose of South American psychedelia that I only realized existed after hearing this album. The songwriting is sound-based, lyrically intricate, and arranged brilliantly...taking the listener through vivid sonic landscapes. It might take you a few spins to really "get it," but it's well worth the time. To me, it's certainly in my top ten recordings ever. Enough said? Greg Ernst

Where do I begin?

I admit, my first taste of Swervedriver was through a PC game called "Road Rash". I loved 'Last Train...' so much, I thought the album might be worth checking out.

I was not disappointed!

This CD is a symphony of what stone, cold rock should have been through the 1990s --- instead of the campy, pop-esque junk that was shovelled onto a despairing public.

It has all the classic elements of a great rock album - great guitar work, throbbing bass, thumping drums work and interesting lyrics. The vocals might need some work - but they don't detract from the over all effort.

From the dreamy "Duel", to the semi-ballad "Blowin' Cool". The epic "Last Train Satansville" (perhaps Swervedriver's finest effort ever) or the sanguine, ethreal beauty of "Duress".

And who can forget the closer "Never Lose That Feeling/Never Learn" ? A progressive-rock-esque closer that stretches for a little over 11 minutes - a perfect closer to a brilliant album.

If you love good old rock - get this album. You won't be displeased.

I know I heard some tracks off their 1st LP 'Raise', but hearing my local alternative station play 'Duel' made 'Mezcal Head' the first Swervedriver album in my collection. They have since become my favourite band; and trust me, I don't geek out over many groups. Stand-out tracks on this album are... well... every single one!
If by chance you've never heard of Swervedriver... BUY THIS CD!!! ...and get 'Raise' too if you can. But if I had to pick only one to take for that deserted island question, it would be this, just from the better production and clearer sound.
All of Swervedriver's stuff has recently gone out of print, so the only easy one to get now is the new anthology 'Juggernaut Rides' which is a great cross-section of their music and includes many of their best b-sides, and a few unreleased songs. And NO ONE makes better b-sides then Swervedriver, only The Cure comes close.
Find out why so many music critics call these guys the most underrated group of the 90's, buy 'Mezcal Head'! Then you'll know why everyone reviewing this album is giving it 5-stars.

This is a great CD, from the opening to the close. The songs "Duel" and "Last Train to Satansville" make the CD worth the price by themselves. The other good songs on this CD make it worth even more. It's too bad that Swervedriver is/was so underrated. They're really a great group.

Get this CD, especially if you're a fan of groups like Soundgarden.

this is the best album ever, i'm not kiddin