SpenniesFaith No More - The Real Thing
June 29th 2006 10:16
FAITH NO MORE
The Real Thing (1989)
Slash Records
Produced by Matt Wallace
Link to Amazon w/ audio samples
This is a bit of a classic album. It was one of two big turning points in Faith No More's career in that it is the first release to feature vocalist Mike Patton after Chuck Mosely was exhiled from the band (the next, IMO, was when Jim Martin left in 1993). While Mosely was not much of a singer - very monotone and a limited range, I guess it sort of worked with the band but the replacement definitely did wonders as the monster hit "Epic" was a huge hit and the big breakthrough for the band. The song itself is one of those tunes that really defines a genre - to me it's rap/rock to a tee, with an annoyingly catchy chorus ("youuuu waaaant it allllllll...") and one of the best outro's I've ever heard. Sorry for the pun, but it is indeed rather epic.
However, the rest of the album is for the most part a mix of metal, funk rhythms, synth keyboards, very whiney vocals and some great pop songwriting. The Real Thing is just a really cool album to put on for everybody to get silly and rock out to. There's some big catchy hits like "From Out of Nowhere" and "Falling to Pieces" which are both great songs and a lot of fun, perhaps showing the band's lighter side. Subsequently, as the record plays - there is some more serious songwriting in tunes like "Zombie Eaters" (which features lovely acoustic guitar playing) and "The Real Thing" although I find the formula of extended long soft intro leading up to big rock epic seems a little over-done (all the music was written for the record prior to Patton joining) and I'm not the biggest fan of these songs. I'm not sure, I know that lots of other people like them, I think they're just a bit long-winded.
"Underwater Love" continues the catchy upbeat pop/metal fusion, which leads into the extremely long instrumental "Woodpeckers From Mars" and their great rendition of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". The last track "Edge of the World" has a sort of jazzy/swingy feel to it, but I really don't like this song. I think Faith No More at this stage had been given a huge boost with Mike's vocals, being way more dynamic and versatile (despite being whiney!), and also his lyrical ability - the entire album's lyrics was written in around 2 weeks apparently!
I think I may have been a little critical in parts here - I really do like The Real Thing, but sometimes it is just a bit annoying in parts. The songs are written really well, the rhythm section is awesome, and the album is just a lot of fun. I think compared to their masterpiece "Angeldust" it just lacks a bit of diversity though. A lot of the tunes have the same feel, and it sounds really really 80's, which isn't a bad thing, I guess it just seems a bit dated. For a lot of people, this is Faith No More at their very best, and as always, it all comes down to opinion. My opinion however, is that The Real Thing serves as a great bridge between the band in the 80's and then the 90's, as they changed quite a hell of a lot as they grew creatively and kept branching out their musical horizons.
The Real Thing (1989)
Slash Records
Produced by Matt Wallace
Link to Amazon w/ audio samples
However, the rest of the album is for the most part a mix of metal, funk rhythms, synth keyboards, very whiney vocals and some great pop songwriting. The Real Thing is just a really cool album to put on for everybody to get silly and rock out to. There's some big catchy hits like "From Out of Nowhere" and "Falling to Pieces" which are both great songs and a lot of fun, perhaps showing the band's lighter side. Subsequently, as the record plays - there is some more serious songwriting in tunes like "Zombie Eaters" (which features lovely acoustic guitar playing) and "The Real Thing" although I find the formula of extended long soft intro leading up to big rock epic seems a little over-done (all the music was written for the record prior to Patton joining) and I'm not the biggest fan of these songs. I'm not sure, I know that lots of other people like them, I think they're just a bit long-winded.
"Underwater Love" continues the catchy upbeat pop/metal fusion, which leads into the extremely long instrumental "Woodpeckers From Mars" and their great rendition of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". The last track "Edge of the World" has a sort of jazzy/swingy feel to it, but I really don't like this song. I think Faith No More at this stage had been given a huge boost with Mike's vocals, being way more dynamic and versatile (despite being whiney!), and also his lyrical ability - the entire album's lyrics was written in around 2 weeks apparently!
Mike Patton inspiring a generation to dress like bogans
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Comment by Hellvis
I'm not too keen on the long-winded title track either and I can't stand "Underwater Love" but the rest is a great blend of metal, rap, synth-pop, prog and just about anything else you care to mention, rendered in big bold stadium rock strokes. This is an important and influential album but not one that I find the urge to listen to anymore. Still I'd recommend it to any fan of creative metal who doesn't mind a buit of pop or rap.