Search - Radio Birdman :: The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978)

Absolute Essential

Matthew Z. Sloan | brooklyn | 08/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great rock songs by a great rock band, plain and simple. Balls out, driving rock riffs mixed with whiskey strong vocals. Brings it hard on the first listen and gets better with each one."

Australia's contenders for the title.

Stargrazer | deep in the heart of Michigan | 12/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's nothing short of a public service when a label takes the time and effort to release essential, criminally overlooked songs from 30+ years ago.



I can't pretend to have been hip to Radio Birdman before listening to a used copy of this CD this afternoon. Not even two listens in, I can safely say everyone should hear this. Here's why:



The Stooges have had a clear and genetic influence on modern rock. It's plain as day. What's also plain is that the raw, unwashed template provided by the Stooges has been only superficially applied by so many modern acts (most of whom start their names with "the" and end it with the letter "s"). It's great to hear a band that internalized the protean sound of the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and MC5 and yet dared to polish it, add harmony, and (gasp) accomplished guitar solos. Connoisseurs of garage rock, Detroit punk, Mission of Burma, and even the wilder end of surf rock will deeply appreciate Radio Birdman. And this compilation is an excellent, habit-forming introduction. If the name-dropping of this paragraph has perked your ears at all, you should check this out.



Really. Check it out!"