Spin Doctors - Pocket Full of Kryptonite (10 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Kryptonite Guitar Playing!

Davy Chevelle | Southern Calif. | 08/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This will be brief......Pocket Full of Kryptonite is one of those albums I pull off the shelf every so often when I need a "fix" of Stratocaster ear candy. Obviously, Jimmy Olsen's Blues & Two Princes are the cuts that have catchy grooves and "feel-good" nuances. But the reason I decided to enter this Opinion was for listeners to focus on the guitar playing of Eric Schenkman. He's got some terrific riffs, cool harmonics.......but what really grabs you is some of the intricate chord structures /textures he creates on that Strat! If you're into guitar......you'll know where I comin' from. That alone is a reason to own this album. Oh......and you'll hear all of these elements on the disc's final cut --"Shinbone Alley/ Hard to Exist". Trust me.....it's wonderful Strat magic!"

The only Spin Doctors you'll ever need

John Alapick | Wilkes-Barre, PA United States | 01/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Pocket Full Of Kryptonite was easily the Spin Doctors' best album. Although this album made the band huge mainly due to the singles "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes", two of the catchiest singles of the early-90's, their success was brief as their preceding albums lacked the hooks and memorable tracks that were featured here. Every track here is good, with the aforementioned hits, "Off My Line", and the killer jam "Shinbone Alley/Hard To Exist" being the best. Other great and catchy tracks include "What Time Is It?", "Jimmy Olsen's Blues", and "More Than She Knows." The ballad "How Could You Want Him", the dreamy "Forty Or Fifty", and the hard-rocking "Refrigerator Car" are also strong tracks. Although lead vocalist Chris Barron was the focal point of the band, the star here is Mark White, whose funky bass playing really carries these tunes. This is far away their best album, although their live album Homebelly Groove...Live! is pretty decent as well. But unless you're a huge fan, this is all the Spin Doctors you'll ever need."

Whatever. It's just plain entertaining.

Darrell Wong | Hawaii, USA | 01/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Look, I'll level with y'all...I don't give a damn about greatness or musical movements or how much this band is like that band or what the songwriter really intended. I'll gladly listen to anything that's fun and easy on the ears. That's Pocket Full of Kryptonite in a nutshell. About the only negative thing I can say is that the lyrics don't always hang together (no different for any number of other non-mainstream rock bands). Everything else is just fine. The pace is always lively, the instrumentation blends together perfectly and...aw, heck, it's just plain entertaining. Didn't I say that already?"

Incredibly cool

Itamar Katz | Ramat-Gan, Israel | 08/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the ultimate college dorm albums of the 90s, the Spin Doctors' 1991 debut is one of the great albums (see Blood Sugar Sex Magik and Prince's Purple Rain) that manages, with simple and consistent sound and style and nothing more than great rhythms, achieve incredible listening value and a great feeling of Coolness. For a band noted for their live performances and long jams, the Doctors' debut is extremely tight and focused (except maybe the last track), but the very live sound is still there, with terrific funky rhythmic grooves and energetic guitar and drum improvisation.They really had great rhythms; the Doctors actually had one of the best rhythm sections I've ever heard in a rock band, one to match the Police. With Aaron Comess on drums, Eric Schenkman on guitar and Mark White on bass, the Spin Doctors made each song on the album memorable and fun with a terrific groove, and the bass and especially drums are very accented. Comess's drumming is fantastic, and his jazz education certainly comes out on his jazzy-funk rhythms. Schenkman's solos and fills are terrific, always full of energy and life. Finally, lead singer Chris Barron, with his life-loving voice, quirky lyrics and winning personality, is the complete opposite of Kurt Cobain and his grunge comrades who also made it big the same year. The Doctors may have not created anything new, and in the long run they could never mean as much as Nirvana. But give me Pocket Full Of Kryptonite over Nevermind any day.Some of the songs on Pocket Full Of Kryptonite are very funky and are damn near impossible to like. `What Time Is It?', `Little Miss Can't Be Wrong', `Refrigerator Car' and `How Can You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me) get me tapping my feet and playing my air-guitar every time. (for the musicians among you, whether you play guitar, drums or bass, Spin Doctors songs are a kick to play. I'd love to play `Jimmy Olsen's Blues' with a good drummer and bassist.) Two songs, though, stand out among the bunch: `Two Princes', for one, is a real modern classic. The drum intro is incredible, the song is simple and very catchy. The groove is unbelievably, well, groovy. And Chris's performance is spotless. My favorite, though, is `Jimmy Olsen's Blues', really one of my all-time favorite songs. All members shine on this great piece of funk, and the lyrics are a stroke of genius.Heck, anybody can enjoy the Spin Doctors. There's not much though to be put into this album, it's perfectly enjoyable on first listen, and a great album to listen to while driving. Don't put it down, though - in its simplicity is its brilliance. The songs don't evolve nor do they break any new grounds - they're mainly repeating grooves and repeating lyrics. But these are some of the most amazing grooves I've ever heard! An album that's definitely worth your money."

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