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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"If you have a large check waiting for me or I won some sweepstakes, you can contact my manager . . . " Despite this wisecracking liner note, with his current band Guns N' Roses stalled, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson just gets on with it. Village Gorilla Head is his first nominal solo album after records with post-Mats outfits Bash & Pop and Perfect, and fits the modest mold of a guy who's always seemed happy just to be in the band: no worries about escaping the Replacements' shadow for him. Just as well, as Gorilla leans heavily on a conversational bar-band rock that'll ring familiar with All Shook Down fans. They'll delight in Stinson's pointed observations: "I heard about the things you done/From the dry cleaner's girlfriend's son.", "I couldn't wait to miss you, but I couldn't wait to kiss you.", "You took a turn at Silverlake and now you're calling it your home." Maybe not a sweepstakes winner, but Stinson remains a one-of-a-kind. --Rickey Wright
Product Description
Tommy Stinson is a founding member & bass player for the seminal rock group The Replacements & bass player & musical director of the new Guns N' Roses. This is Tommy's first solo record under his own name; post-Replacements he has put out records under band names Bash & Pop & Perfect. Village Gorilla Head was recorded over two months in a studio owned by friend Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black of the Pixies); the album includes contributions from A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese, Jason Freese on Saxophone, Catholics & former Jack Logan guitarist Dave Phillips, former Perfect drummer Gersh, & GNR guitarist Richard Fortus & keyboardist Dizzy Reed.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
With all due respect to Mssrs Westerberg, Mars and Dunlap: all have produced great work since the Replacements folded. Chris Mars made some great one-man garage rock, with heavy echoes of '60's grunge (early Kinks, etc.). Slim Dunlap released the best Replacements song that never was ("The Ballad of the Opening Band"), and Paul has given us album after album of, well, trademark "Paul-ness." Heartfelt sandpaper vocals, ragged-but-right playing, sometimes reflective, sometimes fun, most often inbetween. And just for the record, I play all of their solo stuff pretty often, along with my Replacements records.
But Tommy has been different. Not content (or confident enough, maybe?) to be a solo artist, he formed Bash and Pop way back when, and released the great Faces/Stones inspired album 'Friday Night Is Killing Me.' Promptly dismissed by Sire records when the album didn't do well, he turned to old mate and Twin-Tone founder Peter Jesperson to release an EP by his second post-Mat's band, Perfect. The resulting 'When Squirrels Play Chicken' is a great slice of loose, garagey hard rock and punk, capped by a sloppy cover of "Crocodile Rock." By the time Perfect had recorded a follow-up, Jesperson's Medium Cool records was in limbo, and so was the album.
We all know what happened next: Tommy joined Guns'n'Roses. A few shows and A LOT of studio time later, G'n'R has yet to release more than one song, but Tommy got a record deal, and not only does this mark his de jure 'solo' debut, he has produced what is possibly the finest album by an ex-Replacement so far.
Why, you may ask? First of all, he breaks new musical ground and finds his own identity. The variety of styles on this album run from Big Star-esque plainative songs ("Without A View") to Dylanesque folk-pop ("Hey You") to good old fashioned pop-punk that made the Mat's what they were ("What's Your Motivation").
Second, he's finally got his own songwriting voice. Gone are the Westerbergisms of earlier efforts (ok, there's one, but it's minor), replaced with his own sense of song structure, heavily influenced by everyone from Alex Chilton to his current employer.
Third, this is easily the most heavily layered album by any ex-Replacement. Musically, it accomplishes what 'Don't Tell A Soul' only hinted at: complex, rocking, fully explored electric music with a bonfire in its belly. 'Don't Tell A Soul' mostly failed in this regard. 'Village Gorilla Head' fulfills the promise of that long-ago record: A hard, driving album, deeply complex, with massive intelligence and passion behind it.
I buy a lot of music, and I've got to say that this is possibly the best album I've bought in a year. As Jim Dickinson once said, "Tommy Stinson IS rock'n'roll." (And folk, and pop, and punk, and lots of other things.)
Buy this record. Tommy needs the cash.
But Tommy has been different. Not content (or confident enough, maybe?) to be a solo artist, he formed Bash and Pop way back when, and released the great Faces/Stones inspired album 'Friday Night Is Killing Me.' Promptly dismissed by Sire records when the album didn't do well, he turned to old mate and Twin-Tone founder Peter Jesperson to release an EP by his second post-Mat's band, Perfect. The resulting 'When Squirrels Play Chicken' is a great slice of loose, garagey hard rock and punk, capped by a sloppy cover of "Crocodile Rock." By the time Perfect had recorded a follow-up, Jesperson's Medium Cool records was in limbo, and so was the album.
We all know what happened next: Tommy joined Guns'n'Roses. A few shows and A LOT of studio time later, G'n'R has yet to release more than one song, but Tommy got a record deal, and not only does this mark his de jure 'solo' debut, he has produced what is possibly the finest album by an ex-Replacement so far.
Why, you may ask? First of all, he breaks new musical ground and finds his own identity. The variety of styles on this album run from Big Star-esque plainative songs ("Without A View") to Dylanesque folk-pop ("Hey You") to good old fashioned pop-punk that made the Mat's what they were ("What's Your Motivation").
Second, he's finally got his own songwriting voice. Gone are the Westerbergisms of earlier efforts (ok, there's one, but it's minor), replaced with his own sense of song structure, heavily influenced by everyone from Alex Chilton to his current employer.
Third, this is easily the most heavily layered album by any ex-Replacement. Musically, it accomplishes what 'Don't Tell A Soul' only hinted at: complex, rocking, fully explored electric music with a bonfire in its belly. 'Don't Tell A Soul' mostly failed in this regard. 'Village Gorilla Head' fulfills the promise of that long-ago record: A hard, driving album, deeply complex, with massive intelligence and passion behind it.
I buy a lot of music, and I've got to say that this is possibly the best album I've bought in a year. As Jim Dickinson once said, "Tommy Stinson IS rock'n'roll." (And folk, and pop, and punk, and lots of other things.)
Buy this record. Tommy needs the cash.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By NiTRO
Format:Audio CD
Not to sound too redundant but Tim (9/08/04) really nailed the essence of this record in his more lengthy review.
This is an imaginative, creative, diverse and well produced rock record and I agree that this is absolutely one of the best albums of 2004! The sad part is that this is one of those projects that will go largely unnoticed.
VGH is a very palatable record that would be enjoyed by a vast audience if it were exposed. Tommy is not at all trying to recreate the Replacements althoguh there are a few songs that will remind you of why the Replacements were so great!
This is an imaginative, creative, diverse and well produced rock record and I agree that this is absolutely one of the best albums of 2004! The sad part is that this is one of those projects that will go largely unnoticed.
VGH is a very palatable record that would be enjoyed by a vast audience if it were exposed. Tommy is not at all trying to recreate the Replacements althoguh there are a few songs that will remind you of why the Replacements were so great!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I love this CD. I 've bought everything Paul Westerberg has released while neglecting Tommy Stinson's work. Now I'm eagerly awaiting Stinson's next project. He is terrific here; thoughtful adult songwriting plus some raved up flat out rockers. I've been humming these tunes ever since I recieved the CD. It's great to discover new music again. I didn't know what to expect and now I'm a big fan.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album!!
This just keeps getting better and better for me over the years. Songs that I was not as drawn to immediately are now really the best on the album. It is just that good. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Music guy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tommy Stinson- Village Gorilla Head
Tommy Stinson makes great Rock & Roll with a snear and attitude.Everyone should some in their collection. Buy it while you can.
Published 14 months ago by John P. Ladshaw
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tommy Stinson is a great recording artist!
Tommy Stinson proves once again that he can easily stand alone and sound great. I just got this album last week and it sounds great. It's so much of his influences in his music. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Fact Not Opinion
4.0 out of 5 stars
Altmusicforum.com Review - Tommy Stinson - Village Gorilla Head
This album kept showing up on my "if you like that, you'd like this" lists. Since I consider The Replacements to be one of the most remarkable artists of the past 30 years and was... Read more
Published on March 12, 2010 by Mark L
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not too bad...
There are about 4 or 5 decent songs on this record. The song OK is excellent. The rest are fair. The only real problem with this record is it sounds dated, like it was realeased... Read more
Published on February 29, 2008 by Andrew Gaebe
4.0 out of 5 stars
very good cd. Tommy is growing up
So I first saw Tommy Stinson in Lincoln Nebraska in 1982. He was pretty young, i'd guess like 15 to 17 years old. Read more
Published on January 31, 2006 by Richard E. Horan
4.0 out of 5 stars
I'm impressed
As I was strolling down the music aisle of Border's at ten o'clock on a thursday night I stopped dead in my tracks. There on the shelf was a Tommy Stinson album. Read more
Published on September 11, 2004 by Danielle Whittle
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