For those who appreciate smart-rock, this is a keeper!
03/24/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Despite being eventually dropped from their record label, Imperial Drag was a band that possessed the rare ability to combine rough, raw energy, with thoughtful, even humorous lyrics. Their two hit singles, "Spyder" and "Boy or a Girl," are only the tip of the iceberg. However, to gain a greater appreciation for their sound, you would probably be best served to check out the band that preceeded Imperial Drag; the band was Jellyfish, and it was fronted by gifted musician Andy Sturmer, along with Drags Roger Manning and Eric Dover, and current Sheryl Crow bassist Tim Smith. Jellyfish, like Imperial Drag, had a little less than 15 minutes of fame, which only goes to show that to be successful in the music business, "catchy and simple" continually prevails over "substance and music." Too bad. Both bands were innovative and well worth the money it costs to buy one of their CDs."
A more refined version of "Jellyfish" w/o as much 70's pop.
Hellion | 07/13/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you take the image of "Kiss meets the Phantom of the Park"'s kitsch aesthetics, and mix it with Freddie Mercury's (Queen) vocal prowess, (and vocal cleanliness), throw in a pinch of the Beatles for harmony's sake, shaken, not stirred, you get Imperial Drag. The singles that fell off the album are by far less than the best of the tracks. Spyder has the decent howl in lead vocals, Boy or a Girl of course has the catchy refrain, but throw in sounds like that of Dandilion, and you get an almost 60's folk-music-on-old-vinyl feel. Guaranteed eargasm."
Neato superb awesome glampop
Hellion | 02/15/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this is a wonderfully glam and rocking album that you should never be without if you like loud guitars with really smart smart smart arrangements and incredible musicianship... so much intelligence and humour!"