-- Kyuss - ...And the Circus Leaves Town | (Audio CD) MSRP $ 11.98 Amazon Price $ 10.99 Savings $ 0.99 | |  Release Date: 11 July, 1995, Elektra / Wea
TRACK LISTING - Hurricane
- One Inch Man
- Thee Ol` Boozeroony
- Gloria Lewis
- Phototropic
- El Rodeo
- Jombo Blimp Jumbo
- Tangy Zizzle
- Size Queen
- Catamaran
- Spaceship Landing
Usually ships in 24 hours | | | Essential | It is true that this release isn`t as compelling as Blues and Sky Valley, but it still delivers Kyuss` deep, hypnotic signature sound and some awesome minor key riffery.
The most important difference between Circus and Kyuss` earlier releases is a move away from epic song structure. Most of the songs on this album are either traditional verse-chorus-verse (One Inch Man, Gloria Lewis, Size Queen, Catamaran) or predominantly instrumental jams where the band basically elaborates on one or two riffs for the whole song (Thee Old Boozerony, Phototropic, El Rodeo, Jumbo Blimp Jumbo). All of these compositions work well, but the band is working from a formula and the creative ambition that made Blues for the Red Sun such a transcendant classic seems to be missing. Even the 11 minute album closer "Spaceship Landing" sounds more like a medley of servicable riff jams than a genuinely unified composition in the tradition of Freedom Run or 50,000 Year Trip.
Nonetheless, even judged by the high expectations that rightly followed Kyuss, the Circus Leaves Town is not an unmitigated disappointment by any means. John Garcia showcases the complexity and versatility of his voice, ranging from raspy menace on Gloria Lewis, Hurricane and One Inch Man, to silky smooth lullaby on Catamaran and (parts of) Spaceship Landing--and everything in between. Also, the interplay between Josh Homme`s guitar and Scott Reeder`s bass is tight and (seemingly) effortless, especially on One Inch Man, Phototropic and El Rodeo.
If you like Kyuss, you do need this album. It isn`t their most inspired work, but given the dearth of material available from this prodigiously original and talented band, I treasure every moment of this release.
Good bye, Kyuss. We hardly knew ye! | | | | AWESOMENESS! | | This CD was the best album I bought in a long time and I am so glad I did. Every song on this is great and in my book is a work of art! I am actually listening to Phototropic from this very CD and will have it stuck in my head the rest of the day. If you like guitar riffs and melodies that will be stuck in your very soul for days on end, this is the CD for you! | | | | ...And the Circus Leaves Town | This is a must have. Anyone who enjoys rock is going to love this album. Here is the first album that encompasses it all - awesome jamsongs, heavy rockers, mellodic tunes, songs that bounce & bop, EVERYTHING rock. Did I mention that there`s a ton of profanity?
Kyuss was completely unique. There was never and will never be another Kyuss. Queens of the Stone Age are good, but Kyuss was great. Fu Manchu is probably the closest band to Kyuss that I can think of; they still have there own thing, though.(They`ve had some of Kyuss` ex-members, too)
So, about the album.
`Hurricane` starts the album off with a punch, sockin` it to ya. I could just imagine the crowd going wild. Opening with a cymbal crash into a drumstart, the pace quickens, guitars sweep you away into a sea of distortion, you`re hooked.
`One Inch Man` has this trippy/hypnotic start that then builds into a grungy, heavy chorus, once again featuring the overblown guitar sound. For some reason it seems like the song`s speeding up as it goes along. Aural illusion, I guess.
`The Ol Boozeroony` takes you on a sonic adventure that only Kyuss could have planned. There`s an almost middle eastern guitar sound, which is once again hypnotic.
`Gloria Lewis` starts like an `Imperial March`. Just turn your speakers up and let them knock stuff over. There`s a slow fade at the end.
`Phototropic` - almost an instrumental, my favorite track by Kyuss, not just my favorite on the album. Starting slowly with guitar only, the drums and bass come in and bam, you`re moving. Turn off the lights and crank this one way up. You WILL actually start feeling euphoric while listening to `Phototropic`. This is probably THE reason you need to buy this album.
`El Rodeo` - Here`s what I meant about the bounce. There`s a resemblance to `Money` by Pink Floyd for the first two minutes. Picture the opening bassline, but with a mid-eastern inspired guitar phrase. When the lyrics hit the similarities to `Money` are gone, but they`re not trying to be Floyd, it`s just my comparison to give you an idea of the sound.
`Jumbo Blimp Jumbo` seems to have this Hendrix inspired guitar lick to it. Almost `Voodoo Chile`-esque. This one picks up some speed about halfway through. Maybe another sonic illusion.
`Tangy Zizzle` - I just love the name of this song. I don`t know why. Great song, sound, etc. Anti-establishment, anti-conformity, rocker.
`Size Queen` - Sonically amazing, this song has swagger to it. No shenanigans here.
`Catamaran` - My other Kyuss favorite. Catamarans are double-hulled boats. You get the feeling of drifting along a lake. This song by itself is a good enough reason to buy the album.
`Spaceship Landing` is not the last song on the album, but let`s talk about it. At eleven minutes, it`s an epic. You`ll never even notice the time, either. `Spaceship Landing` goes through a few changes of pace and you`ll be there for all of them.
You might wonder what I mean about it not being the last song, but `Spaceship Landing` is on the eleventh and final track. At 11:15 the song ends, but the track keeps going. So, at about 14:48 there`s a thirty second thing that I don`t even know what to call. (It`s not a song, but just someone messing around with vocals.) However at 32:14 into the track you get a "hidden song", `Day One`.
"...And the Circus Leaves Town" is the best Kyuss album. Songwise, "Wretch" is the next best. Wretch offers you some great tracks like `Son of a Bitch` and `Big Bikes`. Sonically it does suffer from the early-album syndrome, but honestly it just has a more raw feel. With such a short catalog I`d say just get all four studio albums from Kyuss.
Enjoy.
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-- zzzz
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