Customer Reviews

Zero [Japan Import]

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

 

 

Highlights of the album: Pits of Thunder, Van Morrison's Friday's Child, Sun, Sun, Sun, and Kissin' The Boo Boo, which captures some of the band's legendary energy on instrumental material. Songs are mostly by Robert Hunter, who wrote often with Jerry Garcia, and Steve Kimock, now touring with The Other Ones, featuring members of the Grateful Dead.

This is indeed quite a different direction of San Francisco's own, masters of improv. Zero, is well known for their Jazz/Blues/Space romps of just plain spell-binding, mind-numbing explorations of guitars, saxophones,drums and keyboards, that do not take a back seat to anyone. If you already know of their music, this CD is quite different to what you might expect from them.

With ten, not too lengthly songs with not as much jamming as normal, the Band is visiting Planet Earth this time around and not blasting your mind to the other side of Jupiter, as they would do on a normal day. Mr. Robert Hunter, has penned lyrics for eight of the ten numbers featured on: "Zero", and they are really nice. "Possession" is about, well it's about getting busted! The band's music keeps a sharp edge and all the regular stuff you would expect the Band to play is here as well, but this disc is about the songs, and the words are the stars on this record, as is the singing of Judge Murphy, who gets a real chance to shine here.

"8 Below Zero" is very far from say: "Gregg's Eggs", but it's nice to hear a wonderful ballad, that is still cool and real, {This music is not mainstream, in any way} and it doesn't try to be.

I know that some big fans of the band, are not big fans of this CD, and I understand that this was not what anyone expected. "Zero" is not a weak recording or a sell-out for AM Radio Play, it is just a little different from what was played before or since. It is interesting for the Band and for the listener to be thrown a curve-ball once in a while, and this CD does just that. Different can still be good, just drop in here and groove to what the band is up to, this is a really enjoyable CD, give it a chance.
Four Stars!!!

I had read rave reviews about these guys for a long time but never heard their music -- they don't get to the midwest much. The CD confirms that these guys can really play. Tight instrumentation and lyrics you actually want to listen to, courtesy of wordsmith extraordinaire Robert Hunter. Best of all is the guitar work of Steve Kimock. He is a gifted player and shows it on nearly every song. I can only imagine the live show these guys put on. Buy the CD, you wont be disappointed.

Only discovered Zero a couple years ago, religiously try to make it to every Bay Area show i can, was only entertained by their Fillmore show which they used as the bait for their new CD. The tunes are OK, but i'm sure they could have almost randomly picked any good live performances and slapped them together on a disc and have a commercial success. My main beef with this album is that they include the Zero yang to the exclusion of the Zero yin. They include the chord progressions, lyrics, and set up the song, then at 5:30 they fade out, leaving the listener deprived of the jams. Kinda like listening to Skeletons in the Closet. Great band, though, will continue to collect and support their live acts till i die.

This cd is an example of this groups extraordinary musical talent along with very varied listenable music. I am searching for their other cd's epxecting great things from this band. Their live performances more than compliments their talents.

This cd absolutely rocks!!,songs like "cry for mercy","one and only"and
"space shuffle" will have you bang'in your head.The rest are great.These
songs are my fave and have been put onto my Ipod.Get this if you can,you
won't be dissapointed.It's too bad these guyz did'nt make more,I would
have owned them all.

Who cares if Robert Hunter is associated with these guys. Their 1995 album was decent. This album is like Journey doing power ballads. SKIP THIS ONE!