Short Bus

Filter | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 25, 1995)
• Original Release Date: April 25, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000002MX5
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (85 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,565 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #25 in Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial > Industrial > Alt Industrial

Editorial Reviews

Guilty pleasure alert No. 2013: Filter absolutely, positively would not exist without the dirty, gritty musical formulas laid before him by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. The on-the-edge screams, the heavy industrial rhythms, the full-frontal guitar sounds--it's all been done before. And if that weren't enough, vocalist-guitarist-rhythmatist Richard Patrick lived a pre-Filter life as a touring band member in an early version of the aforementioned Nails. Indeed, Short Bus couldn't get more plagiaristically preposterous, and yet--oh, the guilt--this is the perfect disc to primally purge by. From the disc's crunchy opener hit "Hey Man Nice Shot" through to the oh-so-Trent-y "Under" and the slow, stalking beats of the hilariously tagged "Gerbil," this disc is 46 minutes of fiery fun; you could spend time being pissed off at its lack of originality or you could just enjoy it for what it is--sheer walls of white noise. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Industrial Album, September 20, 2003

By 

Zero "www.burningfreak.com" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Short Bus (Audio CD)

In my mind, Filter has always run about 50/50. Half their songs are real good industrial rockers ("Hey Man Nice Shot" for example) and the other half are 'just ok' at best. The debut album is no exception, but that doesn't stop it from being a great album for industrial fans.

The best song on the album is, of course, Hey Man Nice Shot. Part of what makes it great is the contrast between the slow, quiet verses and the roaring, sonic-assault choruses. The album is eight years old and I still hear that song played in the background of movie commercials (even more often than Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People"). Other great tracks to check out are Under and Gerbil. The rest of the album ranges anywhere from 'just ok' to 'pretty good', but all-in-all makes for a good listen.

On a side note, I somewhat resent Amazon.com's review, which implies Filter is just a rip-off of Nine Inch Nails. As a huge Nails fan, I can tell you Filter does not sound that similar. Trent Reznor neither produced nor contributed to this album in any way. If Filter's sound is somewhat similar, it's because it is, after all, an industrial band, not to mention that Richard Patrick was a member of Nine Inch Nails at one time. Every industrial band has, at one time or another, been accused of being a NIN rip-off, which is entirely unfair. Nine Inch Nails popularized the genre, but does not encompass it. Lead singer Richard Patrick's voice does not sound that much like Trent Reznors; Richard's voice is much higher. I also think Nine Inch Nails is much closer to being what I'd call 'pure industrial', while Filter leans more towards industrial rock. If anything, Filter has much more in common with band like Stabbing Westward and Gravity Kills than Nine Inch Nails.

Getting back on topic, I you do enjoy bands like Nine Inch Nails or Stabbing Westward, Filter is definitely worth a shot.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Debut, July 21, 2001

By 

"mcdonaldben" (Glasgow, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Short Bus (Audio CD)

Filter's 1995 debut album, Short Bus, is a fine example of industrial rock (although Richard Patrick doesn't like the term) at its best. I find the criticism Rich has received regarding Filter's similarities to Nine Inch Nails to be absurd. I am a fan of both Filter and NIN and they are both very different. Trent Reznor relies heavily on electrical methods (which I do not condone at all), whereas Rich's music is a lot more rock-based. "Hey Man Nice Shot" is the song that stands out after the first listen (partly due to the fact that its the first track), but repeated indulgence reveals the raw skills of Patrick and Brian Liesegang (the other main musical contributor to the album). The gritty music and Patrick's often lazy vocals add to the album's edge, the former being highlighted in "Under" and the latter in "Stuck In Here" and "So Cool". A must-buy for people with ears.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-HAVE, November 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Short Bus (Audio CD)

This is one solid piece of music. The former NIN guitarist can do a lot on his own. SHORT BUS is better than Filter's second release, TITLE OF RECORD. Their hit, "Hey Man Nice Shot" is one of the best industrial songs ever written (Did anyone else notice that Godsmack stole the bass line from that song to create their hit "Keep Away"?). If you like industrial music (NIN, Ministry, KMFDM), you have no choice but to buy this cd.