Customer Reviews

Way to Salvation

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I have wondered what the stuffed shirts at Atlantic Records must have had running through their minds when King Missile delivered their major label debut. Scattered songs that often just seem like prattling narratives only to pick up a couple songs later. Acerbic lyrics that are either bizarrely funny of insanely disjointed. A lead singer that does the majority of the album in sing speak. And nothing that even remotely sounds like a pop single.

My guess is they crapped themselves.

As for me, the first time I heard "I Wish" on legendary alt-rock station WHFS, I was hooked. John S. Hall's lyrics often came across as brilliantly smartasch, and the songs often were utterly without melody. But when the words coming at you at 100mph included such non-sequiturs as "I have clairvoyant paranoia," melody wasn't important. One imagines a young Beck hearing "Life" or "I Wish" in the years before "Loser."

The politically correct kick in the crotch "The Indians" is the perfect example. A native American tom-tom pumps away as Hall chats about corn, maize, Columbus and cockroaches. It makes little sense in bits but is a terrific whole. You can see on "The Way To Salvation" how Hall would eventually make his move into the world of Poetry Slams. But King Missile was a heck of a band. Drummer David Ramirez, Guitarist David Rick and secret weapon keyboardist Chris Xefos gave Hall everything from punk rock blasts to artistic cacophony worthy of Frank Zappa to lay his words upon. On "The Way To Salvation" (and for the follow-up "Happy Hour" and the near hit "Detachable Penis"), this is the album that King Missile had their act down.

The first time I ever heard King Missile, it was at an outdoor July 4th show in Reston, VA, sponsored by WHFS. They played many songs from this album, as it had just been released. I was a religion major in college, getting a BA in "BS", during the rise of "Political Correctness" on the university front. When I heard King Missile play, I knew that we had a common goal in life.

I had to have this on tape and since I have played it to death I am about to purchase it on CD. This CD pokes fun at EVERYONE and helps us laugh at ourselves. And, they ROCK in their own special smartass way. This release is polished in comparison to their earlier stuff, but not as disgusting as their later stuff. Listen to the samples before you buy though... It's not up everyone's alley.

A friend let me borrow this CD, and after one listen, I had to have the damned thing. Hall is a foolish genius, who converses with the audience rather than singing to them, while everything from whirling caliope-sounding music to hard-driving pure punk rawk blasts out in the background. The music provides just the right mood for everything he's on his soapbox about. For instance, "The Indians" is a hilarious diatribe (pardon the pun) about how we messed up everything on the natives "because we're pigs", as a native drum pounds out a steady beat in the background. "The Story of Willy" is great as well, as it takes the philosophy "that would've been great, but things got messed up, so just move on."

If you don't know King Missile, they're hard to describe. Take a listen to the tunes and decide from there if they tickle your fancy. That's all I can say about 'dat.

John S. Hall, Esq
Partner

John is a cum laude graduate of the Cardozo School of Law, where he was editor in chief of the Cardozo Journal of International and Comparative Law. His academic concentrations were in Intellectual Property and in Constitutional Law and Rights. At Cardozo, He worked as a legal assistant for the entertainment law firm of Rosalind Lichter. John also did an externship in the legal department of DC Comics, where he helped defend the rights of Superman, Batman, and many other beleaguered superheroes. He recently worked as a legal researcher for the film No Precedent, a documentary about the Bush v. Gore decision.

John is also the lyricist and lead vocalist for King Missile, the germinal* spoken word-with-music band, whose hits include "[...]," "Take Stuff From Work," "Sensitive Artist," and many others. King Missile recorded three CDs for Atlantic Records and several independent CDs. In this capacity, John has dealt with lawyers, managers, accountants, A&R representatives, publicists, record producers, video directors, radio DJs, MTV VJs, independent promoters, record company presidents, and other "important" figures in the music industry.

John is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

* the word "germinal" is the gender neutral form of the word "seminal."

I still can't decide if Hall's lyrics are designed with real meaning or if they're just well-crafted nonsense. Whichever it is, he's funny. This music is offbeat and it will hold your attention. I also recommend all of King Missile's other material with the exception of Failure; it's not up to their usual standards.

I never ate lasagna and jumped over a church, but I did drink whiskey in a measuring cup, through a crazy straw....