Weight

Rollins Band

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 12, 1994)
• Original Release Date: April 12, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Imago Records
• ASIN: B0000040P3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,410 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Henry and Co.'s best album., May 15, 1999

By	Frank ([e-mail]) (Toledo, OH) - See all my reviews

First of all, hats off to Theo Van Rock and Peter Rave for producing and engineering this album-- as far as sound quality goes (especially Melvin Gibb's bass) this is in the top 5 albums of all times.

Beyond that, this album is the finest Rollin's band album yet and it even surpasses much of Henry's work with Black Flag. But surprisingly, dispite the band's name, Henry is overshadowed by the excellent work of the rest of the band on this album. The band always sounds tight as hell with their not holds barred approach to recording. Sim Cain holds his own on drums dispite Henry's vocals, Chris Haskett's hard, funky, at times almost Hendrixian guitar stylings, along with Melvin Gibb's bass (gotta love that wah-wah on "Shine").

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Hero time, time to shine.", September 2, 2004

By	IhateMTV (The U.S.) - See all my reviews

While their previous albums had been more punk-oriented, "Weight" seemed to be the first album where Rollins Band dove into the alternative metal market. Their change proved to be a success as it helped to diversify their sound, and "Weight" became the band's most popular album. The brilliance of singles such as "Liar" and "Disconnect" helped, as well as the intense vocals of the legendary Henry Rollins. The only problem is that the videos for the previously mentioned singles were so good that it doesn't feel the same listening to the songs without them. Lets take "Liar" for example. The song is good in it's own right, but the message doesn't stand out as much if you don't see Rollins dressing in funny costumes and painted in all red. Sounds like a trivial thing to get upset about, but those were two of the best videos I've ever seen.

The first thing I noticed when I listened to this album is how it's somewhat similar to Rage Against The Machine (nothing wrong with that since they're a fine band as well). The best example of this would be on the song "Civilized". The guitars sound very similar to Tom Morello and the lyrics sound like they would be a natural fit in any Rage song. Since Rollins is an established writer, the rest of the lyrics are quite good, and each one seems to have some kind of powerful message to it. Whether it be the positive lyrics of "Shine" or the way certain individuals hide behind their guns ("Civilized").

From start to finish, "Weight" is a fairly solid album. There are some tracks towards the end that are filler, but the album ends on a high note with the guitar-driven funk of the closer, "Shine". Nothing overly amazing on this record, but the impressive guitar work, intense vocals, and well-written lyrics make this one worthy to listen to.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Controlled anger with stellar musicianship, August 18, 2004

By	John Alapick (Wilkes-Barre, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Weight was the Rollins Band's breakthrough into the mainstream and remains their best album. While their previous album The End Of Silence was an unfocused affair with many of the songs tending to drag, Weight cuts out all the fat as every song here is very strong both musically and lyrically.

This album is best known for its memorable video/single "Liar" which starts out as a mellow jazz tune under Henry Rollins' soft spoken vocals before getting heavy during the choruses. While this is the most well known track, many other songs here match its brilliance. "Civilized" and "Step Back" both rely on a killer groove before dropping down in tempo midway through before regaining its original momentum. "Alien Blueprint" is a fantastic tale of a former outcast who doesn't let his past ruin his future. "Shine" is another great tune driven by a groovy riff and more of Rollins' great self-help lyrics. "Disconnect" is a mid-tempo track driven by the excellent rhythm section of bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer Sim Cain that is also very strong. The momentum slows down on the grinding "Volume 4" and the slow jazz of "Tired" which concentrate more on mood and Rollins' vocals which speak of a man wrestling with his emotions. Other great tracks include the driving "Icon", "Fool", and "Wrong Man" which are all carried by Chris Haskett's killer riffs and wild yet creative soloing. Rarely has an album been released that combines controlled anger with such great lyrics and musicianship. Highly recommended.