Customer Reviews

Welcome to Discovery Park

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Trying to compare the group called Brad's third album to either one of their previously two releases is like trying to compare sausages to airplanes.

Their first early 90's release 'Shame' is totally groove oriented. It's something fresh, new and alive, and you can tell these guys had a blast making it.

Then in 1996, Brad releases 'Interiors' - a much more polished and produced effort. I believe it was their atempt to be a commercial success. Songs like "The Day Brings" and "Lift" will stand the test of time. However, the songs generated little radio-play and, as a direct result, this album did not achieve the heights it should have reached.

Now, we have 2002's 'Welcome to Discovery Park'.

Let me interject here by saying that though Brad is seen chiefly as a Stone Gossard side-project by "those who do not know" - this is basically Shawn Smith's band. And the members - Gossard (guitar), Regan Hagar (drums), Jeremy Toback (bass) and Mike Berg (bass&keyboards) - know it.

'WDP' is a much slower album than 'Shame' or 'Interiors'. This album moves like smoke flowing out into cobblestoned streets from a lonely bar on a moonlit night. If you're expecting what we know and love to be Brad, you're going to be disappointed, but there are two or three songs you will still probably enjoy, namely "La, La, La" - a strong, pop-fused playful romp that will have you begging to see them live.

On the other hand, if you're a Shawn Smith fan, then this is just your cup of tea. I could see many of these songs easily being on his "Let It All Begin" album.

For the new listener wondering whether to spend your hard earned dinero on this - I can only say that it depends on your taste. The closest Smith has gotten to the mainstream is when the Lo-Fidelty All-Stars did a remix of a song called "Battle Flag" which was originally released on Pigeonhed's 'The Full Sentence" album. I really can't recommend listening to samples of songs because, to me, samples are not good examples of group progression. Instead, go to ... and take a listen to some of the full tracks. If you dig those, buy the album.

Shawn Smith.

Do you need another reason to buy this album? If so, you get one more. Brad is the modern equivalent of Temple of the Dog. A Seattle supergroup, made up of guys you may have never heard of before. Stone Gossard, Pearl Jam guitarist, you've heard of, and I understand your trepidation. You bought the Mike McCready solo project. You don't want to go down that road again. I assure you, it's not the same.

This is Brad's third album. They tour, they interact, Stone doesn't write the majority of the material. Like Satchel and Pigeonhed, this is the Shawn Smith show and he always delivers.

This album is about peace and retrospection. It's about the 70s and the 90s. It's about waking up and wanting the world to be different but not getting discouraged when nothing has changed. For the most part, Welcome to Discovery Park is a slow drive. Tracks like Revolution bring up the fuzz and tempo, while Brothers and Sisters and Make It Good reassure the signature voice and lyric that Smith provides.

While markedly different from 1997's Interiors in theme, the latest chapter of Brad has much of the same feel and vibe. Ideal for intimate settings where the quality of Smith's voice can be appreciated.

Hmmmm, I've been a fan so long now I almost expected to like anything touched by Shawn Smith. This is the long awaited third album from Brad. If you read some of these other reviews, you will know some of the history to this long awaited release. Sadly though, I am dissapointed. Given the talent of these ultra-fine musicians, I was surprised to find that even after repeated listenings, this effort is definetly lack-luster. I am still a fan though, and will continue to give this album a listen, just in case I have missed something. There are some good tracks, but over all compared to the kind of material they have given us in the past, this is mediocre at best. After 10 years I still like Shame best, and the Satchel albums are quite a treat too, not to mention Pigeonhed, The Twilight Singers etc...

I will eagerly await the next and hope for a better mix and the sound that made me a fan to begin with.

I must disagree with the earlier negative reviews. Found this CD today in a bargain bin. Overall a quality product with some very interesting tracks. A more mature direction for the band. Perhaps, this is the reason for the dissatisfaction with younger listeners. I like this CD better than "interiors" and recommend it for those looking for a melodic and somewhat serene listining experience.

When Pearl Jam's TEN came out, I thought it was the best album of all time. As a matter of fact, even today, I still believe that it is one of the top albums ever. Anyhow, I followed the whole Seattle scene at that time, and was very interested in 1993 to hear Stone Gossard's side project "Brad".

I remember thinking it was crap the first time I heard the album "Shame", but the more I listened to it, the more I liked it, until it actually became another of my favorite albums. It's hard to say exactly what it was that made me like it so much, but I'm going to guess that it was the pure originality of the whole thing. They weren't like anything else I'd heard before.

That originality is very much still alive and well on their latest release "Welcome to Discovery Park". And although right now, I don't like it as much as Shame, I think I probably haven't listened to it enough yet. I'm sure that once I've given a goo 4 or 5 listenings, that I'll love it just as much, because this music is like a fine wine, it's a refined and aquired taste.

Welcome to Discovery Park is a truly special album. More raw than Interiors and stuffed full of warm, shimmering, soulful songs that are easily up there with the best of the previous stuff by Brad, Satchel, Pigeonhed or any of the other projects Shawn Smith and his mates have been involved in before. In 'Sheepish' I think Stone Gossard may have penned the most moving song of his career so far. Outstanding!
And like Sean Murphy said somewhere else on this page - the house reviewer's comments and comparisons with other bands are completely irrelevant to this sort of music. It reads as if your guy skipped listening to the album, skim read the press release and rattled off a couple of vague lines to do with Seattle rock stereotypes. Or maybe I'm just cynical.

I think it is safe to say that a majority of music listeners that have discovered Brad were fans of Pearl Jam. Well thank God for Pearl Jam because if Stone Gossard never played guitar for them we might have never been graced with the brillance of Brad. Going back to their roots of the first album "Shame", this album is loose. Grooves will seep out of your speakers on tracks like "Drop It Down" and "LaLaLa". The soulful voice of Shawn Smith and the driving force that is Regan Hagar on drums fill your ears with some of the best tunes to come out this year. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up...it's gonna be another 6 years until they make another one.

Its been a long time since that last Brad album, maybe 5 years. This was one of my most eagerly awaited releases for this year, and it does not disappoint. It took a few listens to realize how good it really is. I think each bandmember has brought in their own influences to create a really solid album. Soulful, rockin', harmonious, folky, and beautiful. Stone has some wonderful melodic guitar work, and Shawn's voice is one of a kind. If you are already a fan, I am sure you will love this one too. It is not a radical departure from previous efforts, but it is a bit more diverse from song to song. One of the best bands around in my book. True musicians.

I have been a huge Shawn Smith fan for yrs. If you dont know he is you probably do. He has been the front man for many bands. This album follows what he accomplished in every othe cd that he has released. La La la is an up beat car cruising tune...You wont regret this cd.....Once you hear it you should then buy Satchel "The Family" and after that get any other cd he has collobrated on...Shawn is the man...there's no doubt about it...
Way to go guys......

I hate to say anything bad about Brad. So I won't. Their previous two top notch albums and amazing individual talents are unmatched... that being said, its not easy to find something great to say about Discovery Park. Only a fraction of what "Interiors" or "Shame" was, this album is more mellow, with emphasis on Mr. Smith's talents. When a song does pick up, its riffs and structures are rather simplistic. I appreciate the soul of Shawn's voice and piano, but I miss Gossard's rock guitar. I often listened to Satchel's "The Family" for a mellow groove, but I can add 3/4 of this album to that reserve. Best tracks: Brothers and Sisters, All is One, La La La.

Perhaps this album will grow on you faster than it has on me, but not as quickly as Shame or Interiors did. You be the judge.