DOUBLE NICKELS ON THE DIME 2LP
Label: SST Records
Cat. #: SST 028
Released: 1984
Disc One
1. Anxious Mo-Fo
2. Theatre is the Life of You
3. Viet Nam
4. Cohesion
5. It's Expected I'm Gone
6. #1 Hit Song
7. Two Beads at the End
8. Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth?
9. Don't Look Now
10. Shit From an Old Notebook
11. Nature Without Man
12. One Reporter's Opinion
13. Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing
14. Maybe Partying Will Help
15. Toadies
16. Retreat
17. The Big Foist
18. God Bows to Math
19. Corona
20. The Glory of Man
21. Take 5, D.
22. My Heart and the Real World
23. History Lesson - Part II
24. You Need the Glory
Disc Two
25. The Roar of the Masses Could be Farts
26. Mr. Robot's Holy Orders
27. West Germany
28. The Politics of Time
29. Themselves
30. Please Don't Be Gentle With Me
31. Nothing Indeed
32. No Exchange
33. There Ain't Shit on T.V. Tonight
34. This Ain't No Picnic
35. Spillage
36. Untitled Song for Latin America
37. Jesus and Tequila
38. June 16th
39. Storm in My House
40. Martin's Story
41. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
42. Doctor Wu
43. Little Man With a Gun in His Hand
44. The World According to Nouns
45. Love Dance
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Reviews:
Listening to Double Nickels is really a humbling experience - it's just so damn incredible. The band had really hit their stride at this point, and their hardcore funk/punk rock ("neo-bopism"?) is honed perfectly. The songs are catchy, energetic and original (not to mention diverse throughout the two LPs), and I find it hard to believe that a large number of them were written seemingly on a whim in order to fill a double LP to compete with their collegues Hüsker Dü. Lyrically, it's great as well - memorable personal songs like "My Heart and the Real World" and "History Lesson Pt. II", alongside political songs with topics approached from a personal perspective, such as "Viet Nam" and "This Ain't No Picnic". The musicianship is, of course, top-notch. Watt and Hurley are probably the best rhythm section in punk rock (with the Wright brothers of NoMeansNo coming in a close second). Any hardcore purist who might dismiss this band on account of their clean guitars and funky basslines is shortsighted - a bunch of the songs ("West Germany" for example) might sound like typical (great) early-80's hardcore if the Minutemen had distortion and screamed vocals. Of course, the Minutemen took a step in the other direction and ended up with something better.
-CHRIS
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