Customer Reviews

The Elephant Riders

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been listening to Clutch since '93, when Transnational Speedway League came out. I found their stripped-down sound to be great, but what captured my attention was the unbelievably clever lyrics. Granted, I had to follow along via liner notes as Neil Fallon's vocal chords seemed to be shredding on every other track. Clutch is, by far, the most original of bands as far as songwriting goes; they're like a white-trash version of Rush. Now with this album, it's true, much of the aggression is gone and this is far more mellow, but the witty lyrics continue to flow. 'Ship of Gold' and 'The Soapmakers' being good examples of lyrical prowess and also good jams. Lastly, if you think Clutch has taken a mellower tack, hey--I'm down with any band that can work a trombone solo into the mix. Let's see other bands do THAT! So what if they're not as aggro as they were in 1993? Hey, maybe some of 'em got married and had kids! I have since then. Leave us old farts alone!

Clutch is one of the most wicked and deliciously un-commercial bands out there, but with their underground status comes PURE GENIUS! Clutch is so misunderstood, but the true appeal of the band's uniqueness comes through on "The Elephant Riders," their Columbia Records debut.

Frankly, I'm amazed that Columbia even got what this band was about. Imagine taking everything you love about Black Sabbath and classic stoner Rock, update the production, write lyrics that are incredibly clever and make it hip for anyone who's ever dared to question what hip is. Clutch is everything a Hard Rock fan could want without an ounce of pretentiousness.

Clutch's lyrics sound like they were stolen from the script of "Deliverance," and their backwoods, fuzzy guitar tones will mystify with their hypnotic groove.

Clutch is one of the most under-appreciated bands of the decade - if you don't own this album, BUY IT. It's well worth the sonic pleasure it will bring.

True fans should seek out their newly released "Jam Room" EP. It's well worth the effort.

Jam metal isn't a genre that one hears much, but if Clutch is any indication, it has some serious potential. This album boasts an intense power groove that could easily lead to whiplash from excessive head bobbing. The title track and "Eight Times Over Miss October" stand out especially. Each song is led by Tim Sult's grinding, stuttering guitars and Neil Fallon's guttural vocal wail. The rhythm section backs the songs well with booming bass lines and infectious, propulsive drumbeats. Clutch excel at making heavy music that is also extremely catchy and groovy, with a jam element that is rare in metal. For fans looking for a band that rocks like no other, Clutch is a good place to start.

I don't understand the popular sentiment among Clutch fans that this album isn't up to par with the rest of their material. This is one of, if not their very best, album to date. For my money, Blast Tyrant is still their absolute best and one of the top rock albums ever made, but Elephant Riders is very close. Every song is outstanding and Clutch take some gambles here that really pay off. It is remarkable to see the transitions made in their first three releases, and the improvements they made to their sound in each. Elephant Riders, in my opinion, was the first Clutch album with cohesive song writing and really technical playing. With the Soapmakers, you have one of the greatest Clutch songs ever, featuring a totally different country rock feel, with a new style from Neil, and some outstanding riffs and lyrics. The brass accompaniment on the instrumental Crackerjack is really outstanding, while Clutch returns to some full on heavy metal with Dragonfly - hearkening back to their Transatlantic Speedway days but totally exceeding anything on that record.

I just don't understand why this album isn't seen as one of the greatest in Clutch's catalog because for my money it certainly deserves to be recognized as such.

I recently re-bought this CD. My original copy had a bad scratch in it. Needless to say I was bummed since this is probably Clutch's most solid release. The first three songs alone make this purchase worth it (which just so happens to be where the bad scratch was). Since I have repurchased this CD, I have been listening to it nonstop. I almost forgot how good it was.

The first song is Elephant Riders, which is probably the most straight forward, bad-a$$ song on the CD. How could you not like a song which has the line "On the way to Washington, where work is done by men with gavels..."? This is just an example of Neil Fallon's quirky sense of humor in his lyrics, which is present in pretty much all their songs. The chorus to Ship of Gold just gets me pumped! I can hardly keep my self from not grooving while listening to this song.

All in all, there are not any bad songs on this CD. It is a straight up hard rock CD that will have. If you are new to Clutch, this is a great CD to start off with. Other CD's worth checking out would be the band's self titled CD and Blast Tyrant.

This has got to be their best record along with their latest release. Every record Clutch puts out has a different sound and theme. Neil Fallon always has some great lyrics, and musically they are always tight like that. Fav tracks are, Elephant Riders, The Soapmakers, The Yeti, Muchas Veces, and Wishbone. Don't get me wrong I still love their first 2 records along with pitchfork and impetus but this is the best Clutch record.

If you're a hard rock/metal fan who actually listens to lyrics, and apreciates great guitar riffs... buy this album. I don't think there's a metal band out there with more clever (sometimes comical) lyrics. And talk about a voice to fall in love with! Mean, deep and f-ing cool! No more whiney nouveau "punk" vocals giving you a wicked headache. It's all just wicked, minus the headache.

I've never met anyone who didn't like the band on first review. They're just too cool for that. And they need YOU to spread the word because they're way too overlooked.

I particularly enjoy listening to this album. The Elephant Riders could best be described as an alternate reality in which the Civil War was fought by men on elephants. The funny thing is, this could have happened. During the war, the king of Siam offered Lincoln a division of war elephants. He declined...after all elephants are very costly to take care of. Each CD has one of three bonus tracks-- David Rose, Gifted & Talented or 05. All of them rock! Lastly, on much of the promo material you see the cavalry patch for the division with a "414". This was actually the release date of the album, April 14, 1998. You could say I'm obsessed. I guess the point is that Clutch put a lot of thought behind this album and it truly is quite a masterpiece.

Clutch have had a hard time finding a niche in today's metal market as characterized by bands like Korn and Machine Head, though their sound isn't entirely dissimilar. The difference is that Clutch drops the macho posturing altogether, loses the overdriven distortion in favor of clean, downtuned grooves, and has a lyrical snap that makes dimwits of the rest of the scene without nailing itself down for interpretation. This is both a good and a bad thing. Though the music kicks ass throughout with no lapses in quality, the lyrics and general theme of this album left me quite perplexed about what to make of it all. Now, it's not unusual for a band these days to have nonsensical lyrics, but vocalist Neil Fallon fills the songs with such a sense of earthy descriptiveness that it's hard to believe there's no point underneath it all. For instance, consider this: "Once around the stump then twice around the ceiling/ Now eight times over Miss October is out for me... Once again I'm denied my joy." As it turns out, the band's new home in West Virginia has imbued in them an appreciation for history, and much of the lyrics are based on real-life incidents (though no doubt with a significant poetic license). That aside, it's worth repeating that no weak tracks are to be found on "Elephant Riders", though nothing is as immediately classic as "Spacegrass" or "Binge And Purge". But the fact remains that Clutch just seems like a band outside of all time and place, meaning they're always likely to threaten off any mainstream popularity that could befall them. I'll drink to that. There's also a pretty good multimedia supplement that goes a long way toward clearing up some of the obscure lyrics, although in some cases it adds even more mystique to the songs. The whole thing is set up like a journal, with pages written by vocalist Neil Fallon on each of the songs with accompanying sketches. There is even a magnifying glass feature that, when placed over certain areas on each page, reveal hidden photos and drawings. All of this just adds to the apparent theme that nothing is as it appears. Of course, it wouldn't be multimedia without a couple of videos to go along with it, these being clips of two live songs("Driven" and "The Wheel") from a club gig in 1991.

One of the best, if not THE best Clutch album. Rich groove-oriented compositions, entertaining lyrics, and excellent musicianship, make this an album worth listening to hundreds of times.