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42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic 90's rock, February 22, 2005
When this album came out in 1994, you either loved it or hated it. Most of those who hated it did so because they sounded too much like Nirvana (and Nirvana at this time were gods). Regardless of the criticisms, it didn't seem to hurt the album's success. "Everything Zen," "Machinehead", "Little Things," "Comedown," and "Glycerine" were huge hits -- all over the radio. I still hear these songs today on the local modern rock radio station. This is because of one good reason -- the songs are incredible, regardless of their supposed lack of originality. Bush (along with Collective Soul, Live, Foo Fighters, and others) created what would be called post-grunge rock, which is basically a more polished grunge sound with greater pop-sensibility. This sound dominated the rest of the 90's (for example, Third Eye Blind in the late 90's) until the rise of various metal groups (such as Linkin Park) and emo-punk groups (such as Taking Back Sunday) that dominate modern rock radio today.
This debut album from Bush will forever be considered as one of the greatest albums of the 90's (certainly in terms of success). For those of us who grew-up in that decade, it will forever form the soundtrack of our lives at that time and indubitably will bring back fond memories. Bush was a great band for a simple reason -- they had great songs which nearly everybody loved.
Here's my album recommendations for those interested in post-grunge rock of the 90's:
Bush - "Sixteen Stone"
Live - "Throwing Copper"
Collective Soul - "Collective Soul"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Purple"
Candlebox - "Candlebox"
The Offspring - "Smash"
Foo Fighters - "Colour & The Shape"
Everclear - "So Much for the Afterglow"
Our Lady Peace - "Clumsy"
Hum - "You'd Prefer an Astronaut" (includes their one and only hit, "Stars," which is perhaps my favorite song of the 90's)
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55 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
After the dust has settled, I like this CD a lot, March 9, 2005
When Bush was really popular, I was not a fan. I let my bias interfere with my enjoyment of their music.
I'll get the negative stuff out of the way.
When I first heard singles on the radio in 1995 from Bush, I really hated them. So I can understand why people do not like this band. I'll state the obvious: they are totally unoriginal. They were/are Nirvana clones and just jumped on the grunge bandwagon. Pretty/pinup boy Gavin Rossdale's poor me/torctured lyrics sound contrived and calculated; just waiting to be eaten up by a nation of high school kids. In short, Bush was the Bon Jovi of the grunge/alternative movement. They were trend-followers. If Bush had come out in 1988, they would have had teased hair and played hair-metal.
Having said that, ten years after the fact, I find myself quite fond of this album. About a year ago, I stopped in at a used CD shop and bought this album out of nostalgia, as I had never owned a copy during Bush's heyday. I put it in my discman and was transported back in time; it was 1995, I was still in High School, Bill Clinton was still the President, and I had never heard of Creed or Limp Bizkit.
When I listen to "Sixteen Stone" now, I find that this is actually a very good album. It's a modern rock classic. Sure it's contrived and unoriginal, but the songs themselves are excellent. From the opener "Everything Zen" to the closing "x-girlfriend" there really aren't any bad songs. This album contains some of the very best radio-singles from 90's rock. "Everything Zen," "Little Things" and "Glycerine" are some of the most memorable songs from that era. The entire album is well crafted and written. Every song has a good hook and grove. Nigel Pulsford is an excellent guitar player and the album is chock-full of killer solos, something that was lacking in popular music just a few year later (Korn, Limp Bizkit).
In conclusion; no this band was not all that original, but they still wrote great songs. Furthermore, this album has stood the test of time. It does sound dated, but paradoxically, it also sounds as fresh today as it did when it first came out. Furthermore, everything I used to hate about this band-how it was contrived, it's cookie-cutter singles, it's pretty-boy frontman with anguished lyrics and perfect-cheek bones--everything I used to hate, I now find to be charming. "Sixteen Stone" is a 90s gem. It is a perfect time capsule and still-photo of a certain time and era. And most importantly, it rocks!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bush's Best CD So Far, February 28, 2002
By A Customer
After hearing Comedown on the radio back in '94, I was an immediate fan of Bush and bought their debut album, Sixteen Stone, shortly after it was released. Eight years later, it's still my favorite Bush CD. Although they've put out a few others since then, Sixteen Stone far surpasses their newer stuff. I doubt I'll ever get sick of this CD. Six reasons why: Everything Zen (#1), Little Things (#4, reminiscent of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit), Comedown (#5, which is still one of my favorite all-time songs; love the bass on this one), Machinehead (#7), Monkey (#9), and Alien (#11, I prefer this ballad over Glycerine, basically because Glycerine was being overplayed on the radio at the time).If you're a Bush fan (or just a fan of alternative music), then you should definitely pick this one up. You won't be disappointed; there's something for everyone: high-energy songs like Everything Zen, Little Things, Machinehead, and X-Girlfriend (a mere 45 seconds long; tough lyrics too ;), as well as softer, moodier ones like Bomb, Comedown, Alien, and Glycerine (Gavin Rossdale's solo song that most chics seem to love; hmm, I wonder why? ;).
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