NoMeansNo "Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?" CD (1993, Alternative Tentacles)

Description: Here we have a first-edition CD copy of a stone-cold slayer of an album from Canadian hardcore/prog-core trio NOMEANSNO: Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?, issued in 1989 on Alternative Tentacles. From the opening bass thuds to the final notes, there's nary a misstep taken. The playing is compelling, yet incredibly complex, with the band effortlessly shifting tempos and time signatures, and the razor-sharp lyrics clicking right into place. Throughout, the album is fused with a sense of energy that just might have you throwing the furniture around. Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? bristles with intelligence and skill, and is an absolute must for devotees of edgy hardcore -- hell, of edgy rock'n'roll. This CD version includes three tracks that didn't make the LP -- "I Need You," and "Lullaby," and "Slowly Melting." Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? is currently out of print in all formats. The disc is near mint. Track list The Land of the Living The River Machine Madness and Death Happy Bridge Kill Everyone Now I Need You Slowly Melting Lullaby Cats, Sex and Nazis A concept album of sorts -- the question posed by the title isn't answered until the final line of the album -- Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?, like nearly everything else the band has released over the years, is clear and definite proof of the group's inspired, creative energy. More than once they hit amazing rock epic heights that have more sheer lift and charge than most anything that laid claim to the title. Songs like "The River," with a brilliant, powerful vocal matching the surging, rising riffs, and the constantly time-shifting prog/metal/punk master-stomp "Kill Everyone Now" sound like they're about to burst out of the speakers, come to life, and go off hunting and slaying. Even in short moments, like the mid-album minute-and-a-half "Happy Bridge," the sheer focus and live-wire kick of Nomeansno would leave most other bands gasping for air. That said, more than once this album found the band working in a bit more restraint here and there, almost as if the best response to grunge dominance was to find subtler ways to make the same point. Thus "The Land of the Living" mostly revolves around a low, snaky bassline that the band makes some righteous but not overwhelming noise over (and often keeps to near silence), building up to miniature climaxes throughout. "Machine" starts off calmer before getting more weirdly strident as it goes, while "I Need You" foregrounds the rhythm and vocals at the start, guitar parts echoing only briefly in the background, bringing everything up with a slow, controlled burn, exploding just when needed but ending on the same tense, threatening note. ~ Ned Raggett, AllMusic

Price: 35 USD

Location: Brentwood, California

End Time: 2024-12-24T22:04:34.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5 USD