Customer Reviews

Mind Bomb

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Not often, but once in a great while, a truly fabulous work of art is created. It is not a feat that is only achieved by artists who are known to be great; as evidenced by The The's "Mind Bomb", it is sometimes done by artists who are little known at all.

Ranking very near, if not at the top, of the greatest albums of the Modern Rock era, 1989's "Mind Bomb" is not merely a collection of eight songs, but a seamless, flowing journey through the darkness and light of the human condition. Matt Johnson, an emotive vocalist and lyricist at his worst, shows here that he can reach deep into his own soul to retrieve and give voice to sentiments and suspicions that are rarely touched upon in polite company, but are commonly held by many. The objective of the album, achieved completely, is the taboo act of tearing away the shrouds that guard religeon, race, sex, society, and love. The whole world is laid bare at your feet in "Mind Bomb", a testimony to the desperation and cynicism that people enforce upon themselves in order to rise above nature. It is at first not an easy listen, but one which will eventually become a part of the listener's being; that is, if he or she is sympathetic to the cause of finding some shred of meaning in life.

While the star of this show might not be a household name among those who were fortunate enough to grow up in the amazing alternative rock culture of the late eighties and early nineties, one of the supporting actors certainly is. Johnny Marr, former guitarist of The Smiths, is far more in the background here than in the places we know him best, even appropriately adding background vocals to his repertoire of enormous musical talent. Only in the one song co-written by Johnson and himself, "Gravitate to Me", is any sign of Marr's signature guitar style obvious and near the forefront. That is not to take anything away from his contributions to the work as a whole - quite to the contrary; they are ever present, only very different from what we have come to expect. Moreover, the music of "Mind Bomb" is symphonic in nature, and not centered on the guitar-as-primary-instrument. Far more prominent are sounds which do not typify the everyday music of that time, or in truth, anytime.

Point in fact, Mark Feltham's harmonica and Wix's piano and organ contributions create the ambience that defines this album's feel. There are also horns and strings, shadowy vocals both evil and ethereal, odd percussions... all special and necessary, lent by almost innumerable guest artists. David Palmer's drums are as polished and perfect as could be, not generally dictating the meter of the music - but instead adding punctuation to the poetry of the arrangements. James Eller's bass brings elements of warmth and simplicity which balance well against the occasional harshness of both the music and the message. Together, they all speak as one.

Of course, it cannot go without mention that Sinead O'Connor performs a haunting duet with Mr. Johnson in "Kingdom of Rain", which is the last scene in the first act of a two act play; meaning it is the song that would in another time have been called "the last song on side one". A gentle comedown from the fear and anger of the first three tracks, it is our resigned introduction to sadness through the broken dream of dying love. The song though, excellent as it is, is not the standout. All tracks are standouts here; all are equal to the album, and form together the essence of a story.

After over a decade of consideration, I am still grappling to understand exactly what that story is; that is, in my opinion, the true genius of "Mind Bomb", beyond the music itself. After listening to it in it's entirety what I would estimate to be about 3500 times, I am still fascinated by it. It is aptly named. Perhaps there is nothing more than essence, maybe no story to tell at all. But few albums make the listener perceive one in the way this one does. I won't make any suggestions regarding what I believe that story to be - every person should be entitled to their own. But do listen, and find it. It is life changing and profound, while still sounding new after fourteen years.

In summary, The The's "Mind Bomb" to me represents one of music's finest hours. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the towering Modern Rock works of that period, like U2's "The Joshua Tree", The Cure's "Disintegration", The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magick" or Nine Inch Nails' "Pretty Hate Machine", it is one of those albums you simply MUST own. When ultimately I die, it will be one of the CD's(?) that play in perpetuity in my mausoleum; I could never find peace without this music.

Thanks for reading - Love to All.

K

Passionate, insanely evocative and provocative, Matt Johnson's The The create their masterpiece, 'Mind Bomb', with the help of ex-The Smith's genius guitarist/songwriter, Johnny Marr. It manages to achieve the accomplishment of not only being The The's best album (which is saying a lot), but one of the best complete works of music of both the 80's and 90's. As others have suggested, it is incumbent upon you to put on a fine pair of headphones (I recommend the studio-standard Sony MDR 7506's, which run around $99, but really, you have not heard music until you've listened through these specific headphones), turn the lights off, get comfortable, smoke one if you got one, (but not too much!!), and listen to this CD, or at the very least the first song, Good Morning Beautiful, and both Kingdom of Rain and Beyond Love. By the time you hear the swirling, gravel-shifting harmonica groans of the first song, Good Morning Beautiful, and the lightning shell crack of David Palmer's snare drum (have you heard a snare drum sound this good in your life?), you should be sufficiently seduced by this song's lyrical brilliance, Johnson's world-weary, sneering whispers, it's originality and it's aural genius. Gonzography's Amazon review of 2004 hits the nail on the head in describing the timelessness of the lyrics, particularly those of 'Armegeddon Days' (the 'Islam is rising' line is indeed chilling and prophetic). The joyous upbeat shuffle of the 'Armegeddon', and tongue-in-cheek spoken intro rave-up, as well as the faux-Arabic melody motif, belie the truth and seriousness of what the Western world and the Muslim world faces nowadays. In lyrics written in 1988. Listen to Kingdom of Rain, and if you've ever disliked Sinead O'Connor, or considered her an ineffectual singer, prepare for her to snap your head off with her soul-baring, gut-wrenching performance, and have her hand your head back to you, tears streaming down your cheeks. The first time I heard this song, I shuttered at some of the graphic sexual imagery and candor, but then the realization hit me that the shock of their naked truth was simply that no songwriter has been able to communicate these human feelings into such stark lyrical form that I'd ever heard before. Who writes such mature, dead-on descriptions of the emotional, physical and mental toll of two lovers who were deeply in love and lust once, who now must painfully part and seperate? And the lyrics to 'Beyond Love' again show that Matt Johnson can encapsulate relationship in graphic, refreshing truths, like nobody else. In words, with perfect melodies and the perfect tone. I must also point out the wonderful understated horn and trumpet work, particularly in Beyond Love. Goosebumps are certain.

As for Marr? He gets to do it all, strumming gorgeous acoustic (Kingdom & Beaten Generation), tear it up on electric, slide and effects. Marr can do it all. His rhythm guitar has always been sorely underrated. Listen to Beyond Love, for his hauntingly transcendent arpeggiating, which appear in later verses of the song. He could not have come up with a better rhythmic guitar choice, and the arpeggiations are nearly a song in themselves.

And Johnson? His vocals move from God-fearing evangelist from hell, preacher, prophet, to bitter, wounded, vulnerable and resigned lover. He tackles the BIG subjects, and somehow presents them back to you in a way that all makes sense. This is rock-n-roll for grown-ups. Remember when Lennon, or Gaye, or Dylan, or Mitchell, or Simon, or Gabriel, or Marley, or even Bono, would write lyrics that seemed like they were informed by a higher being and opened your eyes to the world? Isn't it great to have someone smarter than us help us make sense of this messed-up world sometimes? To articulate the complexities of life, to let us know we're not alone when we face these painful truths of life? Not many of them out there. It's great to hear Matt Johnson tell us like it is.

Still, in my opinion, Matt Johnson's finest album without doubt. The opening track "good morning beautiful" is one of the best rock tracks ever made by any band.
The hard driving bass and drums, and soaring guitar of Johnny Marr are a perfect foil for Matt's "only too true" lyrics, that are now more relevant than when it was written back in 1989. The album goes on to discuss the social condition of humanity, religion and love with a clarity and eye for our weaknesses and hypocracy that is truely "mind blowing".
The mood of "shining a light" on the human condition is consistant throughout and delivers some of the most amazingly prophetic - "Armageddon Days", and genuinely beautiful - "Kingdom of Rain" (a duet with Sinead O'Connor) tracks you will ever hear.

After the events of 9/11 it seems a more relevant record now than when it was released, and the finest of production values used in the recoding ensure its quality hasn't dated at all.

One of the most lyrically insightfull albums ever, and a "must have" for any lover good solid rock music.

When Matt Johnson penned these songs in 1988 did he have an inkling how relevant they would be 13 years later? This album starts out with a Muezzin calling Muslims out to prayer and has repeated themes of the conflicts between the world's religions.

The music itself is still brilliant. With heavy bass grooves, saxes, piano, harmonica and a wailing Johnny Marr on guitar, this doesn't sound dated at all. Sinead O'Connor sings the lovely duet "Kingdom of Rain" also. Of course the only track that got radioplay in the US was "Beaten Generation". As brilliant a song as this is, this album has much more to offer.
A must have!

This truly is a Mind Bomb. Matt Johnson's powerful lyrics and Johnny Marr's ambient guitar are an unbelievable combination. Johnson has much to say about about politics, religion, love, and lust - and the music perfectly complements the messages.

One of my favorite all-time albums.

I've followed The The for close to 20 years now, and just as it was when I first heard "Mind Bomb" there is no disputing that the concept was pure genius. If the truest test of art is that it stands the test of time, all you have to do is read the news today to see how prophetic these words were: "Islam is rising/The christians mobilising/The world is on it's elbows and knees/It's forgotten the message and worships the creeds." And to think it was released in 1989. Too often we overhype the "genius" label on to musicians, but Matt Johnson and The The live up to the label.

But the true genius of "Mind Bomb" isn't just that phrase or just that one song; it's the overall context into which the album descends. "Mind Bomb" reaches into God, Religion, Politics and Love with a frankness that is almost mind-numbing. These songs are not for the uninvolved, and I have always used The The as an example of how my generation "got it" with respect to the direction our society was taking.

The next time you want something "deep" to listen to, something that awakens the concept of life imitating art, something that speaks about the dirty little secrets we all accept -- give "Mind Bomb" a listen. Appearances by Johnny Marr and Sinead O'Connor provide a sonic richness that matches the starkness of the message. "But as silent as the car lights that move across this room/As cold as our bodies silhouetted by the moon/And I would lie awake and wonder/Is it just me or this the way love is supposed to be?" John Lennon may have spoken to a generation wiith "Imagine," but "Mind Bomb" is a complete work of art that swims in and out of the issues facing the modern world and the global forces effecting our world and relationships.

To wit: "And our youth, oh youth, are being seduced/By the greedy hands of politics and half truths/We're being sedated by the gasoline fumes/And hypnotised by the satellites/Into believing what is good and what is right"

Watch status quo election campaigning, a failed foreign policy and our staggering dependence on oil and explain how this album is still not relevant almost 20 years later. Please come back again, Matt Johnson, you still have a lot more to share.

Man was I disappointed. Mind Bomb is a terrific album and I bought this to replace my aging cassette. Whoever remastered this should be fired; they compressed the crap out of it and all you can hear is the digital distortion. I A-B'd this with my tape and the difference is astounding. I'm not one of those analog is better than digital wonks. Digital is a good thing done right. This is done wrong. Give this a miss and go digging through the used bins.

This album came out 2 years before Desert Storm and more than a decade before the current situation in the same corner of the world. This was the summer before even the Berlin Wall collapsed and European Communism with it. Matt Johnson doesn't even touch that part of the world, choosing instead to focus on the Middle East.

I was casually familiar with The The before this, notably Heartland and This is the Day. I first heard this album about two months after it came out in mid-1989. The new CD a friend of friend picked up that afternoon and wanted to hear before we went out that night to the bars. The rest of that night, ignoring the blaring music all around, I racked my brains trying to sort out what I had just heard.

Periodically, an album comes out that screams "CLASSIC" or "MASTERPIECE" before the disc is even done spinning for the first time. This is one of those albums. As immediate as it is, it expands, deepens, and feels different with every listen. Musically it has aged exceptionally well. Lyrically, well, it is prophetic to say the least.

Matt Johnson has almost spelled out the near future, to a T, on the first three songs. His songwriting never came close to this before or after.

Criminally underrated, this album is deeply religious but venomously blasphemous. He loves God but would never trust any religion to do the right thing by mankind. His love songs are as poetic as classic English literature.

This album is in my top 10 list of the 80's. I even discovered, purely by accident, a great early computer animation video that I synced up with this album, ala DSOTM w/ Wizard of Oz. What?...oh, no, I'm sorry, I ain't tellin' you the name. My special treat. Tee Hee!

Thanks for reading. Do yourself a favor.........

I first came across THE THE, when I picked up a cassette called "Soul Mining". Ever since then, Matt Johnson has been a lyrical and musical demi-god of dark, hypnotising and haunting sounds that I've grown to love over the past number of decades. Mind Bomb typifies this is every way. I recommend it to all. Go buy it now.

"Mind Bomb" roars with an urgent, energetic, dense sound as the songs detonate and the intelligent, prophetic, painful lyrics try to pin down the big issues of politics, religion, relationships, and egos. Listen to this CD instead of just playing it for full effect.

Whether one embraces fully Matt Johnson's gestalt or recoils in horror, "Mind Bomb" will keeps digging at life's issues without trying to espouse any particular set of answers or solutions.

The dense, lively music compels dancing or at least whirling about, underpinned by some strong drumming from David Palmer (formerly with ABC), punctuating bass from James Eller (also played with Nick Lowe) and the shimmering guitar of Johnny Marr on most tracks. Mr. Johnson is out front with his vocals never sounding stronger and he also adds various keyboards, guitars, and other instruments to the fray.

I've found that singling out a favorite track to be a futile exercise---it pretty much depends on my state of mind.

The The is/was Mr. Johnson's vehicle and the band's ever-changing lineup has generally worked well. That said, this aggregation and this CD remain one of my favorites. Factor in that this session was originally recorded in 1989, and this remastered release still sounds edgy and contemporary and explosive.