Customer Reviews

Pocket Full of Kryptonite

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This will be brief......Pocket Full of Kryptonite is one of those albums I pull off the shelf every so often when I need a "fix" of Stratocaster ear candy. Obviously, Jimmy Olsen's Blues & Two Princes are the cuts that have catchy grooves and "feel-good" nuances. But the reason I decided to enter this Opinion was for listeners to focus on the guitar playing of Eric Schenkman. He's got some terrific riffs, cool harmonics.......but what really grabs you is some of the intricate chord structures /textures he creates on that Strat! If you're into guitar......you'll know where I comin' from. That alone is a reason to own this album. Oh......and you'll hear all of these elements on the disc's final cut --"Shinbone Alley/ Hard to Exist". Trust me.....it's wonderful Strat magic!

Pocket Full Of Kryptonite was easily the Spin Doctors' best album. Although this album made the band huge mainly due to the singles "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes", two of the catchiest singles of the early-90's, their success was brief as their preceding albums lacked the hooks and memorable tracks that were featured here. Every track here is good, with the aforementioned hits, "Off My Line", and the killer jam "Shinbone Alley/Hard To Exist" being the best. Other great and catchy tracks include "What Time Is It?", "Jimmy Olsen's Blues", and "More Than She Knows." The ballad "How Could You Want Him", the dreamy "Forty Or Fifty", and the hard-rocking "Refrigerator Car" are also strong tracks. Although lead vocalist Chris Barron was the focal point of the band, the star here is Mark White, whose funky bass playing really carries these tunes. This is far away their best album, although their live album Homebelly Groove...Live! is pretty decent as well. But unless you're a huge fan, this is all the Spin Doctors you'll ever need.

I really like this album and the biggest reason is that I like the other songs better the two that are on radio most of the time. "Jimmy Olsen's Blues'" shows that Jimmy gets a little bit of love from good comic book fans. I think it's hilarious, though, and completely understandable. Some songs have a real jam sensibility and I like their version of that sound. It's too bad that they weren't able to follow this up very well and have been wallowing in obscurity ever since in terms of radio support, but have been given props in Colorado and other places based on the quality and success of this material. Truthfully, I don't think that they will ever put out a better collection of material than this. If any of the band members pop onto amazon and read this, consider this a challenge your next time out. I like your stuff and I want to hear more top notch stuff. Peace

I was cleaning out stuff as "Pocket Full of Kryptonite" fell from the pile, in cassette format, no less. I hadn't heard the album for two or three years, so I loaded it. Fifteen years after its release PFoK remains intensely creative, funky, wonderful, and carefree.

In all honesty The Spin Doctors, with this their debut album, delivered so much more to hang on to and stick with than, say, Cold Play today. There's not a dud cut from beginning to end, and seven or eight cuts are simply top notch creations.

I know The Doctors were not able to continue at this level, but this one album alone was practically an entire career.

Look, I'll level with y'all...I don't give a damn about greatness or musical movements or how much this band is like that band or what the songwriter really intended. I'll gladly listen to anything that's fun and easy on the ears. That's Pocket Full of Kryptonite in a nutshell. About the only negative thing I can say is that the lyrics don't always hang together (no different for any number of other non-mainstream rock bands). Everything else is just fine. The pace is always lively, the instrumentation blends together perfectly and...aw, heck, it's just plain entertaining. Didn't I say that already?

One of the ultimate college dorm albums of the 90s, the Spin Doctors' 1991 debut is one of the great albums (see Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Prince's Purple Rain) that manages, with simple and consistent sound and style and nothing more than great rhythms, achieve incredible listening value and a great feeling of Coolness. For a band noted for their live performances and long jams, the Doctors' debut is extremely tight and focused (except maybe the last track), but the very live sound is still there, with terrific funky rhythmic grooves and energetic guitar and drum improvisation.

They really had great rhythms; the Doctors actually had one of the best rhythm sections I've ever heard in a rock band, one to match the Police. With Aaron Comess on drums, Eric Schenkman on guitar and Mark White on bass, the Spin Doctors made each song on the album memorable and fun with a terrific groove, and the bass and especially drums are very accented. Comess's drumming is fantastic, and his jazz education certainly comes out on his jazzy-funk rhythms. Schenkman's solos and fills are terrific, always full of energy and life. Finally, lead singer Chris Barron, with his life-loving voice, quirky lyrics and winning personality, is the complete opposite of Kurt Cobain and his grunge comrades who also made it big the same year. The Doctors may have not created anything new, and in the long run they could never mean as much as Nirvana. But give me Pocket Full Of Kryptonite over Nevermind any day.

Some of the songs on Pocket Full Of Kryptonite are very funky and are damn near impossible to like. `What Time Is It?', `Little Miss Can't Be Wrong', `Refrigerator Car' and `How Can You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me) get me tapping my feet and playing my air-guitar every time. (for the musicians among you, whether you play guitar, drums or bass, Spin Doctors songs are a kick to play. I'd love to play `Jimmy Olsen's Blues' with a good drummer and bassist.) Two songs, though, stand out among the bunch: `Two Princes', for one, is a real modern classic. The drum intro is incredible, the song is simple and very catchy. The groove is unbelievably, well, groovy. And Chris's performance is spotless. My favorite, though, is `Jimmy Olsen's Blues', really one of my all-time favorite songs. All members shine on this great piece of funk, and the lyrics are a stroke of genius.

Heck, anybody can enjoy the Spin Doctors. There's not much though to be put into this album, it's perfectly enjoyable on first listen, and a great album to listen to while driving. Don't put it down, though - in its simplicity is its brilliance. The songs don't evolve nor do they break any new grounds - they're mainly repeating grooves and repeating lyrics. But these are some of the most amazing grooves I've ever heard! An album that's definitely worth your money.

I first got the album as a youngster & lost it along the way. I recently heard "two princes" on the radio & had to buy it again. Really is a top album. It's rocky, funky, bluesy & well crafted. Great debut album.

is undoubtedly their best work to date, and possibly will be forever (with Chris Barron's vocal paralysis, who knows?). Full of funky, catchy melodies churned out by Eric Shenkman (before his exit from the band) and bass marvel Mark White. Christopher Barron wrote and sang some fine lyrics on this album - each song has its own "message." Finally, drummer Aaron Comess pounds out non-stop funky beats (check out Refrigerator Car). The best tracks are Jimmy Olsen's Blues, Little Miss Can't-Be-Wrong, and of course the most outstanding: Two Princes. All the others are good, there is not one I do not like. Unfortunately, the quality on this disc remains unmatched by their following albums. But when all is said and done, this is a fine selection for fans of blues and/or pop-rock, or for just anyone who wants a bit of fun in their music collection.

The Spin Doctors' album "Pocketful Of Kryptonite" is sure to amaze and appeal to most people of even mediocre musical taste. This, their first studio album (and their most successful), gives the same bite as their legendary performances in the bars and smaller musical establishments of New York City. Buy it! Play it! Loan it to friends! You won't regret it! If you've heard "Two Princes" or "Little Miss Can't be Wrong" or even if you haven't buy it, there is more to this band than those two songs. This is a worthwhile financial investment (I even bought 2 of them!!). Have fun!

To say the Spin Doctors kick ass would be an understatement. Actually, to say that "If I jumped a speeding train in my Camino, it still might not be as cool as the Spin Doctors" might also be an understatement. Conclusion: The only way to make sure you're as cool as the Spin Doctors is to have a midget sidekick.

If you're wearing a top hat and monocle when you start to listen to this CD, prepare to have them BLASTED THE HELL OFF YOUR HEAD when these guys start musically demanding to know what time it is in their hit single, "What Time Is It?" Only these guys could make a hit song about something you might say if you woke up with someone else's underwear on your head.