Search - Fishbone :: Chim Chim's Badass Revenge

CHIM CHIM'S BAD@SS REVENGE (1996)

Mr. S. St Thomas | UK | 03/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The problem with this album wasn't Fishbone's. It was mine, and mine alone. And when I finally understood and got past that problem, this album became one of the best Fishbone albums they released, despite sound quality or diminished band members.



My disappointment came first with opening up the Cd on day of release, and finding two members of the band missing, Kendall Jones and Chris Dowd. It truly made my heart sink, because Fishbone up until that point had retained all its original members for more than 10 years. And often, as is the case, when people start jumping ship, it means the boat is sinking. Well, at least that's the purported case with rats, I've never been on a ship to know if it's true. This original disappointment persuaded me to not give the album a chance, and it was a mistake that has been corrected. It took me some years to do, but I get this album now, and everything that's being said on it. It's nearest equivalent in overall message is 1991's The Reality of My Surroundings.



The 1996 Chim Chim Fishbone were: Angelo Moore (Vocals / Sax), Walter Kibby II (Vocals / Trumpet), John Bigham (Guitar - before Fishbone he was with Miles Davis), and brothers Phil Fisher `'Fish'' (Drums), and Norwood Fisher (Bass / Vocals). All songs were credited to Fishbone as a whole for the first time, apart from `Pre Nut' and `Chim Chim's Bad@ass Revenge co-written with executive producer Dallas Austin.



CHIM CHIM is an album that does have to be taken song by song, track by track, because it is worthy of any description of its contents.



Intro -

`'It's the coming of the Digital Freak Swing Vs. Ape Kills Master. If you try you will catch on''. Spoken piece announced by a security alert horn. The aim and purpose of Fishbone's Chim Chim is documented before you even hear one song.



Chim Chim's Bad@ss Revenge -

`'Running the stop sign to get your peace of mind'' - Opens like a cowboy's lament, while Angelo Moore welcomes you to the proceedings like an old, irritable drunk on stage. Which then goes into kickstart jump up thrash metal. Not as stereo as it could be, the rest of the album doesn't sound like this. Maybe that was the plan. The bass, and guitars are the equivalent of Mono, the drums are in Stereo. Why? Who knows. Chim Chim knows.



In The Cube -

`'With no question, and no testin' of no one's wits or individuality'' - The 8 minute 32 second slow Ska / Jazz / Funk workout. Points out the error of all of our ways, even when our intentions are good.



Beergut -

`'But the gut snuck up while he wasn't lookin'' - Dedicated to the beerdrinker and hellraiser. Pure chaos all the way through, but what happens at the end of this song as Fishbone becomes a musical train is quite phenomenal. That train would speed past the station so fast, you'd have no hope of catching it. `'Next stop - Corn Liquor, Wines and Spirits.''



Interlude 1 - Band Introduction and History of Fishbone to date. Jawbone solo!



Psychologically Overcast -

`'Cause the clouds are in your mind'' - Features Busta Rhymes. Should have been the single, if one ever were to be released. Funk Metal.



Alcoholic -

`'With an Eight for a Chaser'' - Dedicated to the Winos, Junkies and Drunks, opens with Reggae, slips into Punk Ska, with a brief second of Funk. Absolutely as funny as Angelo found it halfway through.



Love ... Hate -

`'Love and Hate too close for most but Revenge can make it even'' - Opens with Swing Metal Blues, into Ska. Probably the album's defining piece, certainly one of its high watermarks. 6.44m of pleasure.



Interlude 2 - Update of the Chim Chim story.



Riot -

`'Treat your customer crazy, they gonna act crazy'' - Total thrash punk. Reasons for riot.



Monkey Di©k -

`'Get me soap and water'' - Frenetic, crazy chaos blues at 90mph, until the chorus. This is the song that woke me up to how good this album actually was. I heard everything differently, and I understood what was going on, once I got past my own blockade. Includes the first use of the Theremin on a Fishbone album. Lev Sergeivitch Termen who invented it in 1917, would be proud. I think? It was used on a song called what???



Sourpuss -

`'You got that clench jaw scrunched snawz look'' - The music is actually sour. And that is very hard thing to do, actually making the music reflect the topic matter. Like sucking a lime for 7 minutes and 13 seconds. Minnie The Moocher all frowned out til it gets funked up at the end.



'Rock Star -

`'Wreck your hotel room, catch a Lear Jet, stay in debt. Manic depressed.'' - A brutal indictment on racism and ego in the music industry, and what Fishbone encountered trying to release their music to the mass. Enters like the Fishbone train that left the station in `Beergut', going 100 miles per hour.



Pre Nut -

Precursor to the final track. Da' Blues, with Soul.



Nutmeg -

`'The time is now for you to be the beast'' - Opens like a bizarre Cecil B. DeMille epic he never filmed, if he had also acknowledged there aren't many Caucasian people, if at all, hanging around ancient Mesopotamia. Twisted Snake Charming Metal. Fish, their drummer, has his say about the Nutmeg in the finale.



This album stands as a document and diary of one of America's most important bands, who mixed almost 100 years of African-American musical culture into one form, called Fishbone. Purchase the album just to say `I own a Fishbone album'.

"

Mutant Ninja Techniques

Mr. S. St Thomas | 06/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It surprises me how often people relate or don't relate to Fishbone in the terms of ska, but there it is. Clearly this is the album which would test such a narrow view of what the band has proven itself to be. On the same album with tracks like Love..Hate which boasts of some of the most sophisticated horn phrasing and rythms ever associated with electric guitar in any genre are old, old school favorites Beergut and Alcoholic going back to the days at Al's Bar in downtown LA in the early 80s. But they push again as only an LA band can, with Riot, Rock Star and Monkey Dick, Fishbone breaks out with some serious hardcore thrash which makes you rethink what thrashing is all about. This is not adolescent rebellion, this is real rebellion and you can feel the weight of lyrics lived with the kick ass committment of a band that lives it. Fishbone is the anti studio-gangster, running the stopsign to get a piece of your mind with working words that aren't the shallow ejaculations of numb-nuts hardheads, but the heartfelt shouts of hearty love warriors.But what has changed about the band as reflected in the longer cuts, especially Love..Hate and Nutmeg is the kind of (dare i say it) orchestral presense of a group of musicians who seem on the edge transcending the form. Taking off on the groove of Love..Hate and riffin on the lyric is magical, evocative of the ways you remember exactly where, even in the long versions of their songs Marvin would scream in Give it Up, or George would in One Nation Under a Groove, then turn around into a funkafied fanfare. Extraordinary. It's funk and rock and ska and poetry and rap and jazz, composed into a smooth frenzy that makes you jump, and then listen again and again.NutMeg finally is the Anthem and it is something that bears repeating in these days of sellouts and poseurs, that there remains true, subtle yet passionate spirit behind that thing we call Rock, which is not all about cynical despair and other suicidal visions. Fishbone continues to bring the proper energy, humor, vituosity and gutbucket granduer to the front. This homie salutes, nyah better yet gives a sly wink and remains at peace with my inner Chim - I celebrate the birth of the babyhead... ahahahhha!I'm a wild headed brother pushing 40 and this is my music. I crank it up and live."

The most important coolection of tunes from the cube....L.A.

Gordon Kyd | 06/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chim Chim's Bad Ass Revenge is truly one of the finest and most important pieces of music released recently. It flies right in the face of the present's typically safe and boring music, and embodies the uncommon bravery to be Black and hardcore, to play rock,ska,soul,punk,hip hop, whatever, while being true to a great musical vision. This music may lack a viable commercial aspect, packaging, or venue. Instead, it embodies honest artistic expression, the breaking of barriers, being who you are,and trying to express an anger and love born of the existence of Mankind, from the experiences of "the cube," circa the depths of Los Angeles and beyond. In the process, Fishbone decide to be true to themselves, and to create truly great music, song after song, as they discard and move past MTV rotation, to hit you dead in the eye. "If you try, you will catch on..." The title track, "Chim Chim's Badass Revenge" sets the tone with a hardcore punk-like furry that immediately lets you know that this is not like any other Fishbone album. I would say, if you like 'hardcore, you'll find that this one intimidates as it thrills. If you don't like hardcore, you probably won't get it. No loss, however, as the next song, "In the Cube" caters to Fishbone ska fans. Some may find it somewhat hard to find the melody at first, but once found, it is among the finest skanking music around. Fishbone provides plenty of fishy, fishy ska. Not the 1,5,7, ska so common...not the happy, peppy ska, but deep, luscious, intense ska. This collection illustrates that ska can embody the 'blues' as well as the blues genre itself. It is rare to find such honest, soulful music in such an uncompromising package, sometimes loud, sometimes soothing, always inspiring. The cd packs all sorts of sounds, with heavy doses of funk/soul, ska, and rock. It delves into various aspects of rock/punk/hardcore with little self consciousness, but much forethought, with carefully crafted songs, the amps, vocals, horns and drums turned up to 11, and with the musical vision placed high above the dollar. Some of my favorites include, "Rock Star," an all-too honest and insightful depiction of the all-too racist music industry responsible for the rock music we hear. Another great song is "Love-Hate" a intense, bass-driven skank-a-thon with just the right simmering intensity for ska maniacs. Great songs litter the cd, with various flavors. My two favorites are "Riot," a hardcore punk song of the highest order..heck, it may be, apart from its shortness, one of the greatest hardcore songs ever written!(I say this with no compunction!). But my true favorite, is clearly "Sourpuss." This is what I like in ska, what I never dreamed of, until I heard this song. If you like the cool intensity of some Sublime songs, this is at another level (heck, Sublime clearly acknowledges Fishbone as the godfathers!). This also gives the infamous Angelo (the band's singer/sax player) one of his most memorable venues to spout out Dr. Madd Vibe's poetry as only Angelo can. (For hip hop fans, check out Busta Rhymes rapping on the rock/hip hop "Psychologically Overcast.") I can understand how Fishbone fans of the past may not be able to readily make the leap to the sounds of "Chim Chim's Bad-Ass Revenge. Understand that this is a highly creative, passion-driven outfit, who hardly compromised on this offering. Such is very rare these days, especially from such a well known act. Also, note that Fishbone are clearly in seminal positions for current Black rock and roll, and especially for the ska waves of the recent past and present. For those not familar with this band, I must warn that other Fishbone cds are somewhat more accessible, with many, many songs that clearly show a commercial viability that these songs may lack (again, these songs are great!) For those who have varied interests, and are prepared and waiting for a rock act to elimate the barriers, go all out and play their hearts out and do it right...for those who like intensity in both its loud and quiet forms, this cd delivers. I say again, it is by far, their best work to date, and embodies everything I like about current music. It is sad that an opus like this is given little attention by the major and minor media. It seems bad reviews (like those above) often come from fans who cannot progress with the band on their (not really) new avenue. I just felt inspired to present a clearly laudatory view from a true fan, and make sure it is known that Fishbone fans are also thrilled with this great work."