Customer Reviews

Universal Juveniles

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For fans of metal/prog and general LOUD, well-played, well-arranged, sensible rock, this album achieves the pinnacle of quality.
Battlescar marries two entire legendary bands: RUSH and Max Webster TOGETHER! That's right, two drummers, two lead guitars, two lead vox and enough wattage to dim the lights around Toronto when both bands played Maple Leaf Gardens New Year after New Year. This is Canadian Hard Rock at its most beauty, eh. While Mitchell's playing is awesome on this CD, the best Max Webster album stands as "High Class in Borrowed Shoes." "Juveniles" gives the listener the last fond look at ear-splitting power chords and stadium rock before the pouffy-haired eighties bands softened it to mushy schlock (if you like Journey, or even later inceptions of Triumph and Van Halen, this is too much "muscle" for you.) Comparatively, "High Class in Borrowed Shoes" offers more progressive ideas and shatters the then-emerging image of heavy metal as a "simple" music.
"Juveniles" is a great listen and was a great tour (I saw Mitchell when he was still in Webster...and am glad of it.)
Highlight songs: Check, Battlescar)
"Feel the way I-I-I ...FEEL!"
Rock on...

Ah yes, the album that was played at volume level eleven. This CD is a must have for any heavy metal fan. It is chock full of great guitar runs, good lyrics, distortion, and solid drumming by none other than Gary McCracken. No one quite belts the vocals out like Kim Mitchell himself. At times, he sounds like his balls are in a vice. But this sound is one of animal instinct, not of someone who is about to lose his gonads. While Battlescar, with Geddy Lee's vocal accompanyment, smacks you in the mouth, the song Check makes you jump out of your pants like a shotgun blast that wakes you up in the middle of the night. This album led me to other MAX albums, like A Million Vacations, and Live Magnetic Air, which made me a permanent Max fan. Kim Mitchell's solo stuff is pretty good, too. It's too bad he doesn't get to the states that often. He occasionally plays in Buffalo, NY, but most of his shows are throughout Canada. I'm glad I saw them with Rush in Milwaukee during the Moving Pictures tour, or should I saw during the Universal Juveniles tour! MAX ON!

UNIVERSAL JUVENILES is Max Webster's best album up to this point in their career. All of the songs are great, and the playing of the instrumentalists compliments Kim Mitchell's singing well. Any serious fan of rock & roll should order this one.

I have been searching for this in CD for many years.I can finally frame my original album I bought in 1981.Battle Scar,what can I say,Kim Mitchell and Geddy Lee!I can only listen to this album one way-LOUD.Still ranks #1 on my heavy metal list!!!Just Do It.

The first time I heard this album, I was absolutely breathless. Even more amazing to me, I've been absolutely stunned to find (a) NO American I've ever spoken with over the past 25 years has EVER heard of Max Webster (except for my close friends, with whom I was with when we 'discovered' Max), and (b) ONLY 1 Canadian I have asked (out of perhaps 50) HASN'T heard of Max Webster. Bizarre.

IN my humble opinion, SIDE 1 of the album version (In the World of Giants thru Song 5, Battlescar) is the greatest album side of hard rock of all time. And the entire CD, in my opinion, is, as my title says, Just Incredible.

For those who don't know Max (and there are plenty in the States, for sure), they're really hard to describe beyond 'hard rock'. There is an extremely interesting musicality to everything they've written...and listening to all of lead singer Kim Mitchell's follow-up solo albums suggests the style was his. They use chords and chord combinations you simply won't hear anywhere else. On a business trip to Toronto some years ago, I went into a record/CD store and asked the girl if she had anything else in the store that I could buy like Max Webster. She looked off into the distance for a few moments, then turned to me and thoughtfully provided, "I don't think there IS anyone else like Max Webster." And she was absolutely right.

Unlike some other reviewers, I'd suggest picking this one up first, if you haven't heard Max. Universal Juveniles' recorded sound quality is the best of all Max CDs...and the musicianship is simply astounding. In short, if you're going to 'take a chance' on any new unheard CD, this is THE one to do it with!

This album is a mind-blower! All of the tracks are interesting and inventive. I love the 'stream-of-conciousness" style of the lyrics, courtesy of invisible band-member, Pye DuBois.If the guitar solo in the opening track doesn't give you goose-bumps, I don't know what will.A showcase for an awesome, almost mythical, force in Canadian music.This album has been a mainstay in my collection since I was a teenager.Miss it at your risk.

MAX WEBSTER managed to put out 5 studio albums and a Live LP during the years of '76-'80, and yet for some disgusting reason(i.e. fellow Canadian radio hogs RUSH) almost always go unmentioned when the discussion turns to 70's hard-prog rock. The bottom line is: MAX WEBSTER NEVER RELEASED A BAD ALBUM, OR EVEN A BAD SONG!!!! Kim Mitchell's guitar work(!!!) and vocals are mind-blowing, the lyrics are totally insane, the musicianship is almost TOO excellent at times, and like so many other tragically over-looked bands, MAX WEBSTER never got the fame they deserved. Now for the review of specifically "Universal Juveniles". It is an essential album for fans of hard-rock and late 70's metal, as well as a must for the prog-fans who enjoy the earlier MAX material. Every song on this album is a 10 outta 10. A true album to sit back and get stoned to!!! The biggest thing about MAX is that you really just have to give them a try. They're very hard to place in one genre, and as soon as you try, you've basically done a diservice to the band. They were all over the place, but yet managed to release a PERFECT catalog(unlike RUSH) and create a CONSISTANT sound(despite being eclectic) . If you're a young metal-head, buy this album. You will be amazed at the virtuoso guitar insanity(Kim Mitchell could waste Eddie Van Halen with ONE arm!!!) and the heavy riffing. If you're into progressive rock or drug rock(Hawkwind,Yes,Rush,etc.,and even CBGB "Prog-punks" Television or Talking Heads!!!), buy this album(and all the others, as the further BACK in time you go into the MAX catalog, the MORE progressive the style gets). Not to end on a over-used phrase, but this album truly must be heard to be believed!!! And it's funny, most Rush fanatics don't even know G. Lee does some guest vocals on one of "Universal Juveniles" best tracks, 'Battle Scar'. Take a chance and experience a truly unique band that should have been as big as Rush and Led Zepplin COMBINED!!!! In the world of giants, MAX WEBSTER ARE still the largest!!!

Oh my God !!!! Just got delivery of this from Amazon. I last heard this back in 1982 ( ish ) when I left school and it is still fantastic. Being a long time Rush fan ( the early stuff ) I was introduced to Max Webster via Battle Scar - truly a brilliant, powerful song. But there is more than just a passing interest for a Rush fan , opening with 'In the World of Giants' the album launches itself out of speaker ( play it loud !!! ). April in Toledo is a great radio friendly song. I could got on for hours - not a bad track on it. Buy this ( even if it's only for Battle Scar - it's worth the money for that track alone ) . If you don't like this album you have no soul !!!

I first heard this in Scotland, back in '81. The first notes of "In the Land of Giants" totally blew me away. Great guitar work, excellent songwriting, great vocals. I've been looking for this on CD for years. A truly classic hard rock CD.

This is a MOST excellent album, I first heard it many moons ago, and haven't heard it in a while, but, the music still runs through my head now and then, it is kind of cerebral, like RUSH, but, like RUSH, it is, OF THE BEST Heavy Metal music you will ever hear... I've got the album (vinyl), and want the CD, I saw 'em once, open for RUSH (EXCELLENT! ) I HIGHLY recommend it... Buy it, you won't regret it!