Rush Hour

Wesley Willis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Alternative Tentacles
• ASIN: B00004Y6SW
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #433,835 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Wesley Willis' first album of new material for Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label (which had already released two Greatest Hits volumes), Rush Hour isn't a significant departure from Willis' previous recordings with a full band. The musical backing still sounds oddly subdued, even canned, and Willis still takes long pauses in between his recitations. Somewhat surprisingly, Rush Hour doesn't have the loopy celebrity tributes Willis became known for; he relies more on his imagination to conjure up lyrical scenarios. Other than that, Rush Hour is pretty much a standard Wesley Willis album, with enough bizarre connections to make it a slightly more amusing listen than some of his other records. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a funky white man, October 17, 2001

By 

Johny Bottom "Insane and lonely guitarist" (Jacksonville, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rush Hour (Audio CD)

I am a white man with funk
I like to listen to Wesley
Wesley sings like a gentle summer rain
He makes me smile

I'm a funky white man, I'm a funky white man
I'm a funky white man, I'm a funky white man

I really dig Mr. Willis
He plays his Casio well
I'd like to record with him one day
You can imagine his voice singing these words

I'm a funky white man, I'm a funky white man
I'm a funky white man, I'm a funky white man

Wesley is from Chicago
I'm a funky white man from Tampa
I admire his album covers
I like home made album covers

I'm a funky white man, I'm a funky white man
I'm a funky white man, I'm a funky white man

Roll over London, Rock on Chicago - Chevy like a rock

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tales of modern life, January 6, 2003

By 

"ablack_river" (Spokane, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rush Hour (Audio CD)

wesley willis is a true american poet whose writings are a painful summation of the harshness and banality of modern American Life. In undeniable kafka-esque fashion, wesley strips away the artifice through writings which reflect the bureaucratic nature of our destroyed emotions. His songs are brilliant parodies, not only of life, but also of the pop song structure itself. "Rush Hour" is a shining moment for Wes, featuring some his best songs ever, in my opinion. "King of Fire" "Creep Show" "Electric Eel" and "Electra 225" are some of the highlights here. I've had an admiration for this artist for quite awhile. Wes' combination of banality, harsh observation, and completely open honesty is refreshing in the extreme. Escape from over-produced pop fluff, buy Willis, and discover that some artists can rattle off nonsense with sheer brillance, thus making them genius. This also seems to be Willis' most spiritual album...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riding the streets with no music sucks., September 18, 2005

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rush Hour (Audio CD)

This is one of Wesley Willis' earliest albums. The songs have the same basic song structure as all his other songs. But the songs have different subject matters than his later songs. For example, most of his later albums have several songs describing concerts he attended. This album doesn't have any songs like that. Most of these songs are based on fantasies out of Wesley's imagination. Wesley describes getting attacked by electric eels, vampires, dragons, Batman and more. To be honest, some of these songs don't make a heck of a lot of sense, even by Wesley's standards. But that is part of their appeal. This is probably Wesley's best album, not counting "Greatest Hits" albums.