Customer Reviews

Saigon Kick

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I were to lose all of my tapes and CDs, this is the one I would miss the most. I've listened to it over and over, and it never seems to get old. This is one of those debut albums that a band can almost never top...its by far their strongest and most interesting release. Don't be too quick to write these guys off as a hair band or one hit wonder! There is not a bad song on this album. Really. The harmonies are amazing, and the music is deep and well-written. I enthusiastically give this one five stars!

I am the owner of over 1,600 CD's, and this debut is one of the jewels of my collection. I've been into metal/hard rock for 21 years now, and I have yet to be more awe-struck than the first time I heard this album. From the hypnotic tribal intro of "New World", to the Kings' X like harmonies in "Colors" and "Love of God", to the absolute gut busting riffs in my personal favorite "I.C.U." there is just non stop magic. They are one of my favorite bands even now that they have split up. Jason Bieler is the most gifted songwriter in the buisness and it's obvious here. It's a shame they never broke big onto the scene. Check out the rest of thier albums too, they are all worth it. Trust me.

Awesome harmonies, heavy guitar, deep lyrics, and a dose of humor keeps me hooked. Never taking themselves too seriously, these four guys from Florida know how to turn someone on their ear. Ranging from Metal, Pop, hard rock, and somewhere in between it all, you really cant put a label on them...and most likely its why they cant get as much recognition as they deserve...still going strong today though! Do yourself a favor...if youre looking for something other than the same old stuff being put out most of the time nowadays, get this CD...youll instantly fall in love with it.

Seriously. After almost 20 years since the release of their debut album, Saigon Kick still owns. If you don't own this album or have never heard it, sucks to be you. What else needs to be said.

Do yourself a favor and get this one. I think that this is their best effort (just edging out The Lizard) and is a must for any fan of ~alternative/hard rock. These guys may never get the recognition they deserve. This cd was groundbreaking and influenced more artists than you may imagine. I've listened to it for years and it's like an old friend. Trust me, you'll love it.

When Saigon Kick was originally introduced to me, I mistakenly placed them in the ranks of other acts that thrived within the 80s/90s rock scene. This was because I heard a small sampling, tasting only "Month of Sundays" before buying it, and forget about the release for a few weeks before falling into a listening habit that I haven't been able to kick for years. The reason for that is because of the versatility - a word that should be incorporated into more than power drills and kitchen appliances as a descriptive tool - of the band and the talent of the two singers involved. Within the ranks of their works is a little bit of everything, from the angst and rage felt by legions of walking through their mundane lives to the heartfelt adoration that seeing someone close to you so often brings about. It is these lilies of the field they've planted throughout albums I would highly recommend (The Lizard, Water, Devil in the details) that keep me listening, something they showcase in even this, their earliest work.

As I said before, I was introduced to the more driven sounds of "Ugly" and "Month of Sundays" and mistakenly thought that this self-titled release would be something along the heavier vein of music traversing the times. Still, after buying the release and inspecting it as a whole, I found that this was far from the case and that my first impressions of the album had been a bit too hasty. The variety of flavors, ranging from motions on the emotive factors of love and devotion to the stellar clashes within one's self on the ideology of hatred and revenge, all circle through this releases on many levels, letting its listener know the joys of kazoo solos that mingle hand-in-hand with the hardest hitting tempos of guitars. This births an album that holds many interesting notions that defied the musical atmosphere of the time, from the mockingly bitter "What do you Do?" to the notions of love professed in "Colors."

For people wanting a variety that encompasses the word rock and still manages to go beyond that as well, Saigon Kick is a good album to pick up and the band itself is a giant step in an interesting direction. They have an interesting take on many a subject, professing their interests in the darker sides of the exotic rainbow as well as the deeper sides of love and devotion, leaving many to wonder exactly what, if anything, their all-encompassing hands don't touch on. Its a highly recommended dose of musical savvy for whatever ails you!

I've enjoyed this so much since it first came out. The band may not be together any more, but their music lives on...This album, ok, CD has something for everyone, awesome combination of melody, balls, crunch, and Jason absolutely shreds on guitar! Get this, you won't regret it!

There are albums that are popular & fall into the must have category. But, this album was never popular but is essential listening for any fan of harmony's and bombastic grooves. Saigon Kick's debut album is by one of the best albums off all-time. The first single/video was "What You Say" an excellent track that was just as much pop as rock. Lyrically the song is upbeat & positive with a sing-a-long chorus tailor made for 20,000 seat stadiums filled to the rafters. As the album progresses so do the different styles. That is one thing the band did well was change styles like a chamelion. "Colours" is another wonderful song with strong vocal harmonies & a brilliant chorus. Phil Varone's superb drumming holds this album together from track 1 to 14. He's just as much a part of the musical landscape as the vocals & Guitars. His playing is not typical of the era or genre. He's always doing something interesting or tasteful but never oversteps his presence. He's quite amazing as drummers go with his skillful playing. Saigon Kick was a band 10 years or better ahead of their time. If they were to release this album in 2006 they would be taking the world by storm. "Down By The Ocean" takes a pure pop song but toughens it up with blazing guitars. The bass line is excellent and proves that this band really knows what the hell they are doing. "For The Love Of God" is a top 10 modern rock hit today. It has all the trappings of what is good about that genre. Again I have to mention Jason & Matt's phenominal harmonies. Now my personal favorite track is the brilliant (did I say brilliant?) song "My Life". Catchy as hell verse's with a gigantic chorus. A good batch of lyrics along with the best lead kazoo solo of all-time! Yes I said Kazoo! This album is an undeninable success. The songs all work in one way or another. This is the start of what was for a few years a run of excellent albums. If you like this album your only gonna like the next three even more.

Saigon Kick's debut album may be out of print but is well worth finding. I will put this along with their underated album 'Water' as being one of the best rock releases to ever come out. The music is diverse and does not get stale for a moment. You have the great opening song "New World" that would be a great one to start a concert with it's slow building up going into great harmonies,guitar and drums getting heavier as the song goes on. Of course the single "What You Say" is classic Saigon Kick all the way with a catchy layered chorus intro. I won't get into all the songs but will say that in my opinion some of the best stuff they have is unreleased songs.

Overall a great debut album by a band that deserved to have more attention. Bands like this have a good fan base that seems to think on it's own and realize that some of the best bands around don't get radio play. Just ask EnuffZNuff, another band that has put out some of their best albums in the last few years. Anyway, this album is sure to please those who like great harmonies,loud guitar, drums and great songwritting.

Stand Out Songs: "New World" "Love Of God" "What You Say" "Down By The Ocean" "Come Take Me Now" "I.C.U."

Saigon Kick's debut album is in my opinion a classic. A debut this good should have put the band at the top. Other reviews have said the same-why didn't Saigon Kick go on to be big? Other's seem to miss the obvious, they never made another great album. The Lizard was half a great album, Water was 2 songs a great album and so on.... I loved this album when I first heard it, it just rocks, still listen to it all these years later. I bought the following albums hoping that it might be as good as... but always came away disappointed. I recently bought Matt Kramer's (original vocalist) debut solo, while not as good as this, it is better that any Saigon Kick album after. Check out Matt's album, you may be very suprised!