Customer Reviews

When Pus Comes to Shove

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Simply put this CD is FABULOUS! A listen is worth a thousand words so I'll be brief. John Myung: this release shows his versatility in ways Dream Theater's tunes can't. He works everything from a simple, tasteful blues groove to a lilting, melodic McCartneyesque progression and of course he serves up a nice helping of the driving complexities of his Dream Theater work. Ty Tabor: Smooth vocals, edgy at times, with perfect harmonies and guitar work that is as good as anything going and better than most. His lyrical work is perfect. Not trite or pretentious in any way. Thoughtful and evocative at the same time. Derek Sheridan: This guy is brilliant. He knows when to lay back and when to cut loose. There are moments when the keyboard work kicks hard and others when it is felt rather than heard. Rod Morgenstein: A textbook for aspiring and professional drummers alike and pure pleasure for the rest of us. Unlike a lot of other side projects, these guys have written great SONGS. Too many solo projects just end up as overindulgent collections of 15 minute yawn fests punctuated with bursts of thirty-second or sixty-fourth note frenzy (the initiated will know exactly who is referred to here!). A perfect combination of instrumental virtuosity and songwriting.

4 out of 5, why? short album, barely 45 minutes, John's bass is also very low in the mix... OK, on with the compliments.

I am a huge King's X fan and would say this album appeals more to my KX taste buds than "show me chops" material from Dream Theater. If you're only looking to be impressed by "musical wizadry" this may not be the album for you. That said there is some outstanding material here. "I'm With You" might be one of Ty's best released songs vocally. "Willie Brown" is a kick ass blues driven roller coaster ride - AWESOME. "Blue Plate Special" is as smooth as silk, really has great atmosphere. Rod's drumming is solid throughout this platter (not as dynamic as The Jelly Jam though imo). This album is a lot of fun, has plenty of mood changes (see: 'chimes' which slowly builds into ty doubling the keyboard part on guitar). A great album to not take too seriously - just have fun with it, good stuff. Definitely the better of the 2 Platypus CDs (although some would argue that Ice Cycles is not as "all over the place" as this one)

The artists are well known from their primary jobs at Kings X and Dream Theater, and dinosaur Rod Morgenstein sure needs no introduction. Okay, and what do they achieve? I think, a good very enjoyable CD. Those who like "harder" rock (more close to Kings X than Dream Theater), and prefer more complex songs and twisted layers of harmony, yet with a solid poppy catchy feeling, will get it here. This of course implies, that the style varies and meanders a bit (not much). But for me it does it in a very decent and consistent way, nowhere loosing its overall feeling. No chaos but creativity. The overall feeling for me is positiv, melodic, powerful and exciting. I think, these artists had a common vision for this CD, so guitar, bass, drum and keyboards are very motivated and for me in parts are even beyond the work in their main bands. Even the vocals are well done, no hysteric yelling here. And surely there is no oversinging here, as many parts are pure instrumentals. So, I like this CD like any of Kings X. And sometimes even more. If there is a bad thing here, than it is that Myungs bass is most often hidden in the mix. If you know DT, you are already used to this sad fact. I would really like him to go more in front and proove he can play. Well, all in all this CD is a "side project", so nothing new nor groundbraking. And I don't expect this from a side project. But for me, it is a surprisingly good, uplifting and catchy no brainer, with enough character to stand on its own. An addition to their main bands (mostly Kings X), not an replacement. Just enjoy it!

This is about as close to pop music as I get. The songs are very accesible with a progressive edge. The musicianship is excellent, except for the fact that the bass is buried in the mix. (That seems to be the way John Myung likes it!) There is a lot of variety here: some instrumentals, some pop songs, and Willie Brown - a song that starts off with a killer 9/8 riff! Highly recommended. This CD practically camped out in my CD player when it first came out.

Honestly, this CD was a lot better than I thought it would be. They mix the tunes up well with instrumentals peppered throughout. If you're a fan of Ty Tabor of King's X, this CD is a must. Compulsive fans of Dream Theater might need this CD to complete their collection. I'm definitely interested in their next CD.

When I first heard about this "Super Band" that was being put together, I didn't know what to think. Then I bought it, and all I can say is this is such a juicy piece of music, that I'm sure any rock fan would love to have it in their collection. It's musically amazing.

Platypus is an all star progressive rock / metal project that features Ty Tabor (Kings X), Rod Morgenstein (The Dregs, Winger), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X, Alice Cooper) and John Myung (Dream Theater). I have always enjoyed Tabor's work with Kings X and he seems to be the main man behind this project. The material is a mix of vocal and instrumental stuff that sounds a lot like you would think these musicians would sound. The vocal songs are all in a similar vein as Ty Tabor's solo albums and the instrumental songs are mostly heavy and rocking. Highlights in include the slow build of "Chimes" and the roaring keyboard heavy "Platt Opus". Very good stuff.

4 1/2 Stars = Minor Masterpiece

Platypus is another offshoot of Ty Tabor's (guitar), from King's X. Platypus is basically the same band as Ty's Jelly Jam, only with keyboards.

Platypus is a heavy prog band, & with "When Pus Comes to Shove," a phenomenal effort, they sound like everything from ELP & Kansas, to Rush & fusion, to a more prog sounding King's X. Of course you get the great Lennon like vocals & harmonies you'd expect from Ty & company. "PLatt Opus" is the stand out cut here, an intrumental, souding like ELP & Kansas on steroids with a heavy taste for 70's fusion. Just a killer, killer, instrumental!

Not a wasted note on nary a song! "When Pus Comes to Shove" is an essential album for anyone who loves prog, fusion, & King's X!

Of all the albums I bought in 2000, this is the one I keep coming back to. It has it all: monster rock grooves, awesome vocal harmonies, tight songwriting, cool themes, and complex Dregs-like instrumentals. As such, it is wildly inconsistent: the vocal songs are VERY hooky and melodic and awesome; but the long, proggy instrumentals are excellent in a different way. This makes for tough going if you are not used to listening to different styles of music. But if you are enlightened, and like the Dregs and/or King's X (not much Dream Theater influence apparent), you'll dig this one. By the way, this disc contains what may possibly be the best rock song ever recorded: Standing in Line. It's a short little number that takes no prisoners, has an incredible hook, and it absolutely KICKS. Check out the snippet online and see for yourself. Too bad the follow-up album didn't have anything like Standing in Line.

If you buy this expecting to hear more Dream Theater-like music you'll be disappointed. If you expect to hear more King's X, well.. you'll like a couple songs. If you expect a Magna-Carta-like generic "prog" fest you'll be disappointed. But this is a *side project.* A group outside and apart from the other groups its members happen to be in. Put aside expectations, accept it for what it is, and enjoy it. It's good advice for life, not just music.

Ok - that rant aside, this is some really enjoyable stuff. Some of DT's heavy side. Some of KX's pop sensibility. Some of Sherinian's classical influence. Some Deep Purple-style keyboards and powerful guitar hooks. True, Ty's lyrics aren't at their best here. The vocal songs are enjoyable in themselves, but it's on the instrumental half of the album that the heart of the group comes through. Upbeat and energetic, this album is simply an earful of fun. Crank up on a sunny day and enjoy...