Customer Reviews

Puzzle

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Puzzle is the debut album from Dada, one of the best and most underrated bands to come out of the 90's. It's too bad that most people wrote Dada off after "Dizz Knee Land" saturated most radio stations to the point that it drove listeners to despise the band. If you only know Dada from "Dizz Knee Land", you are really missing out on one of the best bands to come from a decade of not-so-great music (with a few exceptions, of course...) Dada was the first concert I saw right after American Highway Flower was released. My friend and I were already huge fans, and seeing them at a local Junior College was a great first concert experience. There weren't many people there, so it made for an intimate concert, and we even got to meet the guys afterwards, which was excellent. OK, so I had been made a permanent Dada fan afer that point.

Mike Gurley is a phenomenal guitarist who has only improved drastically with every release. I could watch him play for hours and hours and still be amazed at the sounds he can produce with a guitar. The man knows how to rock, plain and simple, though it never shows as well in the studio. I would strongly recommend seeing Dada live for the full effect on Mike Gurley's awesomeness. The way Gurley and Joie Calio mesh with the vocal harmonies is really something to hear. Calio's bass work is tight, and he's a great singer also when he takes the reigns on vocals. Dada is one of the only TRUE rock bands to come out of the 90's.

The tracks on Puzzle:

1) Dorina-great lead off track, starts out mellow with some excellent solo work. 5/5

2) Mary Sunshine Rain-more of a straight up rock song with some nice acoustic guitar and pretty harmonies. 4/5

3) Dog-Another rock song, which I consider one of the weaker tracks. Has a good verse melody and kind of a 60's vibe. 3/5

4) Dizz Knee Land-We all know this one. I still love this song, it was the first song I heard by Dada. 4/5

5) Surround-A quieter but quick paced acoustic rock song with more of that 60's feel. Very pleasant. 4/5

6) Here Today, Gone Tomorrow- Good stoner rock. The spoken verse works well for me. Heavy on the flanger. 4/5

7) Posters-The Dada drum solo song. A fast paced rocker that Dada does so, so well. Awesome! 5/5

8) Timothy- A ballad complete with strings and some interesting lyrics. One of my favorites. 5/5

9) Dim- I believe this song was fleetingly popular also. Quick straight up rock song with a typical 90's sound. 5/5

10) Who You Are- A solid Joie Calio/Mike Gurley song with some awesome guitar licks and rockin' bass. 4/5

11) Puzzle- The title track; a slow spacy trip with swirling guitars. Kind of a 70's lo-fi sound and a great sing along chorus. 4/5

12) Moon- My favorite song on Puzzle. The Joie Calio ballad which builds to the end and finishes with a nice guitar solo. 5/5

Overall, I give it a 4/5. Very solid and competent debut album, nowhere nearly as good as El Subliminoso, but worth checking out. Definately see Dada live if you get the chance, it will be well worth it!

What a fun album this one is. The production is squeaky clean and bright, the playing unerringly melodic, the guitar solos truly brilliant yet concise, and most songs well within the pop range of 3-5 minutes. The lyrics themselves help set this band apart from the rest. They're not content to just warble shiny happy tunes or wax miserable and frustrated. Instead, the lyrics are razor sharp wit. References to psychics on La Brea, Lolita, and Jim Morrison reveal this band's bent toward decadence -- and that's only on the record's arguably best track, "Posters." The song is basically an update of "Norwegian Wood," but much saucier and more visceral, with tight, TIGHT drumming and great guitar solos. More decadence is found on "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," a great tale of a Catholic school boy turned wild hipster -- again, references to Hugh Hefner and (obliquely) William Burroughs. You get the distinct notion that the future members of Smashmouth were listening -- very closely.

What else to say about the rest? Pop hooks galore. Listen to the way the second verse leads into the chorus on "Dog," or the stunning electroacoustic strumming on "Mary Sunshine Rain." Or the excellent dynamics on the gorgeous "Dorina."

Perhaps there might be a few quibbles. The slower, more thoughtful songs drag a bit, though the final, elegiac "Moon," which bemoans a a friend's suicide, truly hits home. And if you're not one for cleverness, beware -- these guys border on being too clever for their own good.

And, yeah, these guys did hit the charts. If you were anywhere near a radio in 1992, you'll recognize "Dizz Knee Land" immediately. Not far afterward came the wilder "Dim." Altogether, a wonderful pop near-masterpiece.

Puzzle has remained one of my all-time favorite discs since I bought it the year it was released. There are many reasons. First, it's rare that you find an album in which you love every song on it. This is one of them that I can say this about. Mary Sunshine Rain is to this day still my favorite song (John Mayer's 'Why Georgia' is coming up the rankings quickly) with every other song on this album pushing a close second to the next. I still get goosebumps every time I listen to Mary.

The second reason is because the stylings of Dada are like nothing else you have heard before. They push the envelope of rhythm and melody without sounding weird, and it really works.

Another attribute of true Dada style are the guitar licks. The chops laid down on these tracks are as important to these songs as the lyrics. It's as if the guitar melodies are talking to you. It's amazing. Get excited about buying this CD. It is not over-produced like today's pop and rap. It is down to earth and real, yet put together like a puzzle with all the pieces perfectly fitting together. What was the last album that you purchased that you didn't FF past a song you don't really care for?

Finally, this album is timeless. I can pick it up today and get the same feeling from the songs that I did when I first fell in love with it. Honestly, I think another label should pick up the rights to this disc and re-release it and promote it like the original releases should have been.

After being out of print, this amazing disc is back. Great song writing, great singing, and great guitar playing. There is no filler on this disc. Each song carries it's own weight. I grew up

listening to Skynyrd, Clapton, Hendrix, Blackmore and a lot of other excelent rock and blues guitarists. I feel that Michael Gurley can play with anyone. From the range of dynamics in Dorina, to the blasting solo at the end of Dizz Knee Land, this guy is hot. After you hear this disc, you'll be out buying the rest of DADA's music. Trust me.

This is one of those surprise albums that you come across. This band never got any push and I stumbled upon the CD when trying to fill out a record club order back in 92. Recognized the single Dizneeland from the local college radio station I used to listen to so I ordered it. I have this CD out all the time. I'm a certified Midnight Oil nut and love Crowded House stuff but I continue to listen to this over and over. I have suggested this album to many people and have never had anybody say they didn't like it after just one listen. Buy it! You'll be glad you did. I am.

This album doesn't fit any of the genres of early 90s rock, and perhaps it benefits today by not falling into the old stereotypes. A lot of the songs are thick with vocal harmony, and a lot of them are minor dirges (such as "Mary Sunshine Rain" and "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow") that evoke a more reserved and sophisticated sense of cool than most rock bands.

"Dizz Knee Land", of course, was the primary radio hit, and the guitar work on that song is typical of the rest of the songs. In other words, it is fantastic throughout. The other radio song was "Dim", which now might plausibly be mistaken for a Gin Blossoms song, even though they didn't come along until later.

Some of the songs that deviate from this style are "Posters", which is a quasi-blues romp. (Someone with more than this album might testify otherwise, but in the context of this rather sophisticated album, an attempt at a raw blues song is a stretch.) Another song, which I think is quite good, is "Timothy", in which the multi-layered violin arrangement may bring echoes of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby". Maybe it's "Luka" revisited, maybe it's not. The comparison doesn't bother me too much.

The last song ("Moon") also deviates from form, as it's an heartfelt ballad with just the singer and a guitar accompaniment. I'm guessing that this song, along with a few others, has to do with a breakup of a relationship. All in all, the musicianship is great and the lyrics are sophisticated enough to match. The album would be worth the price in any era.

Of the hundred and fifty or so CDs that I own, this one reigns as king of the hill. The band does just about everything you could ask for on one album by exploring different styles with almost every track. From the ethereal guitar laid over an almost subliminal bass line in Dorina, to the straight out rock of Dizz Knee Land and Dim, to the acoustic simplicity of Timothy, to the jazzy funk of Who You Are, the band does it all. Michael Gurley is one of the best guitarists of the decade, and his playing combined with tight vocal harmony with bassist Joie Calio and percussionist Phil Leavitt only get better with repeated listening. Do yourself a favor and click the Add to Cart button for this baby. You will not be disappointed.

This album is a classic, and those who own it know it. And as great as I think it is, their best is the "lost" classic "El Subliminoso". Find that record, and you shall find salvation!

This CD is a must have. This is clearly the most under rated rock band of the 90s. I only hope no one else catches on though since I seem to stop listening once the radio stations have saturated the air waves with something. As a guitar player myself I can REALLY appreciate the hard work these guys have put into their songs. The harmonies are hard to believe some times. This is only a three person band!

At the time of this album's release, Dada was the best new group that I had heard in at least 5 years. The guitar work of Dorina is all anyone needs to hear to be convinced of Mike Gurley's viruosity. The rest of the album etches this notion into stone. Personally, I like the two follow-up albums even more. All three are burned into my soul. Does Dada have any on-line connection? Please E mail any Dada related info to my address. Dada is the essence of all that is right in rock and roll.