The Real Thing is one of my favourite albums, there is not a bad track, it is very diverse, experimental and is more progressive than many of the progressive rock bands of the time. I say all this as a person who wishes they could remain in the seventies, and who does not like thrash metal, the avant garde or Metallica. I rushed out and bought Angel Dust, when it was released, but, although it is a good album with some very strong tracks, it is a bit messy and only just about holds together.
The cracks were beginning to show, as the guitarist left and they were never the same again. Although as good as ever live, their studio material never reached the heights of The Real Thing and most of Angel Dust. Incidentally, my copy does not contain Easy, but slightly later versions also include it as a bonus.
Michael Patton was a revelation to me, aggressive, melodic and often weird. Live he would sing various strange covers, including that song about being a woman. However, despite my efforts, I could never get into Mr Bungle. I understand FNM attempted various comebacks, which did not work.
It never occurred to me that Be Aggressive was a gay anthem, although I wondered what the hell the whole album was about. Is Patton gay?
|