Search - Rollins Band :: Weighting

Nice Footnote to Rollins Band's Most Commercial Period

matthewslaughter | Arlington, VA USA | 12/11/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a for-fans-only release that shows just how strong a band this version of the Rollins Band was. Melvin Gibbs is solid on bass and Chris Hackett is a wonderful guitar player in the funk/metal tradition. The highlight (well, at least for me) on this disc are the tracks featuring the free jazz maestro Charles Gayle. It is interesting to see him work in the highly confined spaces afforded to hard rock music. At times, he plays with a slow-burn soul, which is interesting to hear (for it is an oddity--he never plays like that on his own records), but for the most part, he squawks along with Haskett's feedback-drenched guitar playing. There are times when he and Rollins duel it out for loudest voice on a track (particularly on "Miles Jam #2" and "Night Sweat"). The live material is good, but hardly noteworthy. But there is a very powerful performance of the Rollins Band's most popular song, "Liar," that shows how passionate and convincing a performer Henry Rollins is."