Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who is your OrangeWorker?, September 19, 2001
While most rock bands of the 90's will sell themselves off as going through "hell" to reach their stardom, the band For Squirrels went through it but unfortunately didn't come out the other side. Simply put: this band is the best band you've never heard of had it not been for a tragic car accident that claimed the lives of all but one of the band's members. The band knew how to mix energy, harmony, and lyrics in a blend which would make many of today's "one hit wonder" rock-bands crumble under the sound of For Squirrels. Despite receiving air time on MTV and plenty of radio air-play, much of the bands best music was *never* released. These include 8.02pm, OrangeWorker, Under Smithville, Disenchanted, and Eskimo Sandune. The band also had enough of a 'pop' blend to it's music which would allow them plenty of crossover to mainstream radio stations. Straight rock, and almost a punk-like feel can also be experienced in the textures created by Example. This CD is my favorite 'rock' CDs that I own and it's depth and breadth would rival such albums as Radiohead's OK Computer and U2's The Joshua Tree. From top to bottom, Example is an amazing testament to the talent which this band displayed. The band was robbed of their lives and music fans were robbed of additional music from this underappreciated and unknown band. (PERSONAL DISCLAIMER: A personal friend of mine died in the accident that claimed the lives of most of the band. Whether this detracts or adds to my review's credibility, I'll leave that up to each individual reader to determine) Moving in Stereo - d.i.roberts
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sonic masterpiece, May 17, 2002
I am so grateful I found this album. It remains one of my all-time favorite CD's, and shows off the great variety and talent these guys possessed (to do both a frantic screamer like 'Long Live The King' and a happy bouncy song like 'Under Smithville' for instance.) I have not heard "Baypath Rd." which was the collection they released BEFORE this one, but I understand it was very good - If it ever is re-released, I will definitely snap it up. I sincerely hope this CD remains a word-of-mouth favorite of an increasing number of happy listeners for a very very long time - it surely deserves to be. (As others have said here, it should have been much, much more famous and well-known - Proof I suppose of the quirkiness of our existence on earth, the hopeless least-common-denominator attitude of the mainstream music industry, or perhaps both.)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An album well worth rescuing from obscurity, October 20, 2005
If life were fair, For Squirrels would be one of the most well-known bands in American music, they would have recorded several albums, and half the songs on this album would be radio classics.
But....
Instead, this is the sole album For Squirrels ever recorded, back before a tragic accident took place that cut this band's sure path to fame and success short forever.
The band was en route to Florida from New York, when their van blew a tire. The van rolled over, and the band's manager, and vocalist Jack Vigliatura, and bassist Bill White were all killed. Other members of the band were injured as well, and this album was released shortly afterward.
The band also has an e.p., and the surviving members later recorded an album under the name Subrosa, but "Example" remains the best of For Squirrels' work, and will always remain a great album, despite its tragic background.
"8:02 PM" was a college radio staple many years ago and just rocks with a happy rhythmic squall unlike any I've ever heard elsewhere. The guitar is almost indescribable--mirror-clear guitar notes get buried beneath a rush of distortion beneath an onslaught of drums beneath stop/start vocals and alternating speeds. It rocks. "Orangeworker" is a happy little quirky song with a lovely piano line. "Under Smithville" is one of the greatest songs ever--escalating, quirky, exciting, exciting in its progression, and lyrically stellar.
The songs range from quiet and clear and sharp to walls of sounds and distortion. Every song is good, many songs are great, and the album is a must-have for any discerning music fan, especially for any fan of the best of the 1990s.
This a great album, well worth saving from obscurity, well worth listening to forever. Buy it now. Now!
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