Customer Reviews

Over the James

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What can I say? This album is perfect! If you can buy only one Avail CD, buy this one and protect it with your life. You will not be dissapointed.

This CD, like most of Avail's stuff, will get in your head and stick there. If you haven't heard them before, buy this cd, and if you like what you hear (you will), buy One Wrench and 4am Friday. These guys put out the effort to make pounding, emotional music and you can hear it in every word and feel it in their instruments. They've got it down tight and they know how to make their sound match how they feel and deliver that to you with fury and sadness and fantastic music. Check them out!

i'm a long-time fan of hardcore, going all the way back to the early days of JFA, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, etc and this album is one of the best hardcore records i've ever heard. i put it up there in the pantheon of classic American punk albums. a juggernaut that has no weaknesses. excellent, muscular riffs, a singer with a powerful voice (in the tradition of Ian MacKaye and Milo Aukerman), intelligent lyrics, and punk passion. my cup o' java.

I'm a metal guy, but there are a few hardcore/punk bands that I really enjoy. Richmond's Avail is one of those bands. Avail combines melody with aggression, which sets them apart from the rest of the hardcore/punk scene. Avail is certainly loud and fast enough for most hardcore/punk fans, but they are also a band that fans of Social Distortion and Bad Religion can get into.

Over the James is the band's fourth album, and the final in the Jade Tree series of Avail reissues. It's also the absolute best album the band has ever released, and for my money is the best hardcore album ever. A bold statement I know, but I think this album is worth it. Beyond the fact that the band has never sounded better musically, the lyrics just seemed more personal and meaningful. This isn't just a collection of songs; it's a freaking mission statement that speaks to your heart and your head. My favorite songs are "Deepwood", "Nickel Bridge" and "August", but honestly you'll find yourself screaming along with just about every song on this incredible album. I really can't recommend this album highly enough.

Over the James was already perfect, but the 2006 reissue makes it even better. The album has been digitally remastered, so it sounds even better than before. Plus, they've added four bonus tracks - a (sort of) acoustic version of "Lombardy Street" and covers of Embrace, Elvis, and of all people Billy Joel! It's a bit light on bonus material compared to the Dixie and 4AM Friday reissues, but I can hardly complain. In addition to the extra songs, the booklet has plenty of new liner notes, photos, flyers, etc. All in all, the band gives you plenty of reasons to replace your old copy of Over the James. I just hope Satiate receives the same deluxe treatment someday.

Over the James was the first Avail album that I purchased, it was recommended to me by a co-worker. I walked out of the music store and placed it in my car stereo, rarely do I immediately fall in love with an album, this along with every other Avail album, save for Satiate (Which I now love) was the rare exception. I cant remember my music life before Avail, nor do I want to.

Buy this album, cherish it, never loan it out and listen to it alone, because some people dont understand and refuse to hear good music and this is most definately GOOD music.

...and that's become disappointing. It took awhile but I've gotten to the point where I see a formula to the bands music. I can time the solo, I know where he's going to break it down, I know how the chrous is going to go. Bad, bad, bad thing. If you like Avail this is exactly what you've come to expect. It seems that they've stopped growing. Which is the first sign of a band in decline. Hopefully they'll come out with something shakes things up again.

"Take heart, all of you who've mourned the absence of Avail from the Richmond scene these past several years. Freeman, a new band who've been around for the past year or so, reunites 3/5 of the classic Satiate/Dixie lineup of Avail, bringing them back together for the first time in fifteen years. Guitarist Joe Banks is still technically a member of Avail (since they are technically still together), but drummer Erik Larson left after 1998's Over The James, and Avail bassist Chuck McCauley, who is playing rhythm guitar in Freeman now, last played with Avail in 1994. Along with former Wheelbite vocalist Freeman Martin and former Mason Dixon Disaster bassist Chris Rigo, they make up Freeman . . . celebrating the release of their debut LP, It Doesn't Matter. The album is currently available . . . and it's pretty excellent, bringing that same driving, melodic, somewhat emotional sound that Avail always had together with more overt hardcore influences and Freeman's voice, which is reminiscent both of Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan and of Dave Smalley during his Down By Law days. The album definitely continues in the tradition established by Avail's classic 90s albums, and Freeman should easily win a place in the heart of that band's longtime fans."

Without a doubt, the best Avail album ever. This album is what created melodic hardcore. This album is melodic hardcore.

These guys rock. If you aren't living on the East Coast you probably haven't heard of them... but you should have.

I first got into Avail many years ago when they came out with Satiate. That album is good, but it never really stuck with me. I didn't buy another Avail album for years. But, I realized from their Satiate album that they had potential, and on a whim while looking through old CD's decided to see if Avail was still around. Boy, were they ever... they've put out a ton of albums since Satiate! So I picked up "Over the James" and "Dixie," since they seemed to be the most widely-referenced albums when making comparisons among their other albums.

Not only do I think "Over the James" was the better of the two, it is now currently one of my favorite albums. I like hardcore punk, and these guys can DO the hardcore thang. I also like a bit of a pop element to be in there, and although they don't really have that exactly, they do slow down from time to time. The singer is very good... sings with heart and never at any point comes close to sounding "whiny" (god I hate whiny singers in "punk"!). But best of all, these guys have that intangible anthemic energy that separates the good from the great. This band can get you moving.

This album in particular is just fantastic... there's no other way to put it other than the songs are just great from beginning to end. No weak point at all. No songs to skip. Nothing at all to complain about, anywhere.