Clutch

A co-worker gave me a cdr mix of Clutch songs. I remember hearing some of their material awhile back and not being all that impressed. However, listening to this cdr, I'm having a change of heart. Some of this stuff sounds pretty damn good. Unfortunatly, none of it is labeled. I have no idea what the song titles are or where they are from. It's a blind mix.

Is there a good place to start with these guys? It's my understanding they started out in the early days as a little more hardcore with screamy vocals. They've since morphed into more of a stoner hard rock band. Is that an accurate description?

Any comments, good or bad are welcome.

You're correct for the most part.

Start with their S/T album and work up. Before the S/T they were a lot heavier, maybe too heavy for your tastes. They evolved over time into a more blues/stoner rock band but their soul is in all of their album. You should enjoy them because they have a good sense of humor about them without being hokey. I saw them last year with Prong and they were almost as good as Prong live.

I really don't know their albums that well, they are absolutely amazing live though. It's hard to pigeonhole their sound, they are quite unique. I've got a few friends that just worship them and I've heard several albums, but they are one of those bands that I think elevate to a level in concert that their studio albums don't quite capture.

The album "From Beale Street To Oblivion" was the one I liked the most.

This was the video that introduced me to Clutch. Great song, and if you have some spare time, look up the same video where Beavis and Butthead make fun of it. Classic.

BE-BOP-A-LU-BOP-A-WAH-SHAM-BOO
DOMO ARIGATO IF I GOT TO

Clutch is one of my favorites. Elephant Riders and Robot Hive/Exodus are the two albums I heard first and are sentimental favorites, though you really can't go wrong with anything. I wouldn't call their early stuff "screamy;" Neil Fallon had more of a spoken/shouted style of delivery. They are hard to categorize. Hard bluesy, rock with a metal edge. Tom Sult, their guitarist, is one of the best.

A friend of mine gave me ' Strange Cousins from the West' and it kicked ass, I know next to nothing about them but I loved this album.

I had Elephant Riders and it was decent enough but I kind of forget about them, just doesn't stick with me.

What kind of music is this?

Metal? Metalcore? Nu?

Gilbert wrote:

What kind of music is this?

Metal? Metalcore? Nu?

This should help

http://bit.ly/ZPxSS0

They do seem to be a little hard to categorize. A little rock, metal, blues, funk, polka, soul, hardcore. Yet it all seems to work.

I reviewed a Clutch CD for my friend's webzine some years back. I think it was the "From Beale Street to Oblivion" disc S.D. mentioned a few posts above. From what little I remember, it kinda had a metallic ZZ Top vibe. It was OK but not a keeper.

Sounds pretty awful to my ears.

T-Roy wrote:

Sounds pretty awful to my ears.

Knowing what kind of stuff you listen to, I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

T-Roy wrote:

Sounds pretty awful to my ears.

Knowing what kind of stuff you listen to, I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

Clutch & King's X swap spots as my favorite bands in the world. I prefer the early Clutch stuff, the S/T album is still my favorite album of all time.

SpectreFate wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

What kind of music is this?

Metal? Metalcore? Nu?

This should help

http://bit.ly/ZPxSS0

You're very smart, you know?

Gilbert wrote:

SpectreFate wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

What kind of music is this?

Metal? Metalcore? Nu?

This should help

http://bit.ly/ZPxSS0

You're very smart, you know?

I would suggest actually listening to them and making up your own mind on the category.

I did, but it is a mixture of so many sounds

Honestly? They're horrible...

Gilbert wrote:

I did, but it is a mixture of so many sounds

A band that doesn't neatly fit into a sub-genre and the narrow scope expected from it? OH THE HORROR!

They're a rock band. Simple.

Yeah, they started out a bit heavier and louder, but ever since the self-titled they've pretty much been, at their core, a rock band.

A brilliant one, too.

I like them. I don't own any albums but Elephant Riders is the one that I am most familiar with. One of my employees from back in the day turned me on to Clutch.

Who wouldn't like this song? It rips.

Witchfinder wrote:

Who wouldn't like this song? It rips.

You're right. good one

Transnational Speedway League is a top ten all time for me. They were local guys who I saw many times. They were one of those bands that would leave a lasting impression in the live setting. Really thought that debut was going to break them big. I really like all their records but for me the debut was never topped.

Love them!!!!