Fans' Album Reviews

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0>  <iframe src="http://ads.100megswebhosting.com/cgi-bin/advertpro/banners.fpl?region=4&keyword=NULL" height="1" width="1" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" frameborder="0" align="middle" scrolling="no"> <script language="JavaScript" src="http://ads.admonitor.net/adengine.cgi?F1936|1017|1|jscript|C14389|||"> </script> <noscript> <a href="http://ads.admonitor.net/clicktrack.cgi?F1936|1017|1|image2|C14389|||" target=_top> <img src="http://ads.admonitor.net/adengine.cgi?F1936|1017|1|image2|C14389|||" border=0 width=1 height=1></a> </noscript> </iframe>  <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=22 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="097000d2egerdp.gif"> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=145 BGCOLOR="#333399" TEXT="#080000" background="096a2c00erkjzj.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WELCOME TO TOFOGSWORLD!"><U><B>Home Page</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TOFOG News"><U><IMG SRC="0991e140.gif" border=0 width="30" height="20" ALT="up" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Interviews News Page 2"><U><IMG SRC="09a280e0.gif" border=0 width="40" height="14" ALT="previous" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="40"></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="30"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=458 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>WELCOME TO TOFOGSWORLD!</B></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Palatino Linotype" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#663399" FACE="Palatino Linotype" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT></div> <div> <B>Home of the Unofficial</B><I><B> Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts </B></I><B>Fan Site</B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Palatino Linotype" > </FONT><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TOFOG News"><U><B>TOFOG News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Austin Gigs August 2000"><U>Austin Gigs August 2000</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fans Experiences"><U>Fans' Experiences</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Upcoming Releases"><U>Upcoming Releases</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Interviews"><U>Other Interviews</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Other Interviews News Page 2"><U>Other Interviews & News Page 2</U></A>   |   Fans' Album Reviews </div> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-1609/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="500" height="22">  </div> <div> <B>Warning: There are spoilers on this page.</B></div> <div> For those that are interested in contributing to this page with their reviews on any of the TOFOG releases, please forward them to me. Please include in the subject line "TOFOG music review". Thank you! ~ <A HREF="mailto:tofogsworld@russellsmail.com, f8hngm@hotmail.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:tofogsworld@russellsmail.com, f8h"><U><I>TOFOGSWORLD</I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> <img src="HTMLobj-1563/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="60" height="25">  </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Linda C. Williams' </B></I><I><B>BLOC Review </B></I><I><B>03/27/2001</B></I></div> <div> Hello, I have listened to BLOC several times now, and I think it is fascinating. The first word I said after I heard it the first time was -Mellow. Compared to Gaslight, it is softer. Every song is done very well. 'Things Have Got To Change' just grabs you and lets you know this album is going to be good. I love 'Sail Those Same Oceans'. My granddaughter and I danced to it on my birthday. It was a good day! I was driving down the road when I heard 'Wendy' and it brought tears to my eyes. This music touches your heart. 'Memorial Day' is awesome. 'Swept Away Bayou' just literally makes me dance through the house. 'Hold you' has me longing for passion and tenderness. 'Somebody Else's Princess' has me snapping my fingers and singing along. The new version of 'Barry Kable' is good too, as it makes you pay attention to what is said with the slower pace of the music. 'The Night That Davey Hit The Train' has a good beat. I liked it. 'Judas Cart' made me feel compassion. The only thing I didn't like about BLOC is--it wasn't long enough. By the time it was over, I was yearning to hear more stories. It is just incredible that you can listen to TOFOG and never get tired of them. They have become a big part of my life now. Thank you.</div> <div> <I><B>______________________________________________________________________________</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Tony Kay's BLOC Review 03/15/2001</B></I></div> <div> Sure, Thirty-Odd Foot of Grunts is a band fronted by one of this generation’s best film actors, but is their music any good? After a couple of listens to the newest Grunts’ CD, Bastard Life or Clarity, this jaded music geek would have to answer that question with a pretty solid ‘yes’. TOFOG’s basic sound is no-frills rock-and-roll with a few detours into folk and country territory. It’s a well-trod path, but the Grunts traverse it with solid playing, thoughtful lyrics and a refreshing lack of pretense by all involved. The opening track, “Things Have Got to Change”, evokes no-bull country icons like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, and the smaller-scale personal stories on “The Night That Davey Hit the Train” and “Sail These Same Oceans” exhibit an obvious debt to folk singers like Dylan and Jim Croce. Refreshingly down-to-earth stuff for a band fronted by a movie star. Gaslight, the previous TOFOG effort, was a pleasant surprise; it showcased an undeniably sharp and tasteful group of musicians, and it proved that Russell Crowe’s off-the-cuff charisma transferred as favorably onto CD as it had onto film screens. BLOC, however, is an impressive leap forward. Unlike Gaslight, which was recorded in sporadic bursts over several years, this new effort was overseen by one producer (Aussie studio vet Kerryn Tolhurst) and recorded in a relatively short timespan. The sharper focus really shows, no more so than on the tracks, “Wendy” and “The Legend of Barry Kable”. These two songs appeared on Gaslight, but the newly-recorded versions vastly improve on the originals, with subtler arrangements and more assured instrumentation. BLOC possesses a flow and consistency that its predecessor lacked, yet it still sports enough hooks and surprises to keep even a relative cynic like me interested. Indeed, my favorite moments on this recording are the ones where the Grunts try on styles outside their meat-and-potatoes blue collar framework. “Swept Away Bayou” serves up a playful zydeco stew, and Billy Dean Cochrane’s trebly guitars give the heady “Hold Me” an almost psychedelic feel. “Memorial Day”, BLOC’s best song, finds Crowe eulogizing his war-veteran grandfather over Stewart Kirwan’s mournful trumpet and a spare but compelling arrangement—it’s the best song Midnight Oil never wrote. I’ve tried to eschew dwelling on Russell Crowe’s presence in this band up to this point (I’m sure he’d appreciate someone emphasizing the music over his participation in it), but fans of the gentleman fronting the band will not be disappointed. Crowe’s voice has a rough charm that occasionally recalls Lou Reed or a less-theatrical Bruce Springsteen. His vocals are especially smoky and appealing on the lower end, and when he pulls out that deep croon on the aforementioned “Hold Me” it generates a particularly high steam quotient. I can’t even imagine what it’ll do to all of the women out there… </div> <div> <I><B>_____________________________________________________________________________</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Kittkatt 's BLOC review 03/05/2001</B></I></div> <div> WARNING: This review contains spoilers. </div> <div> Bastard Life or Clarity is my introduction to Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts. </div> <div> Before listening to BLOC I listened to the Strictly Limited Edition Copy of </div> <div> the Interview Disc-February 2001. Russell Crowe offers insight into the </div> <div> inspiration behind the songs on BLOC as well as the inner workings of the </div> <div> band. Crowe may have invented the single greatest marketing tool to hit the </div> <div> music industry. Instead of waiting for the band to do a gig on <I>Storytellers</I> </div> <div> or <I>MTV's Unplugged</I>, Crowe volunteers the details a listener needs to make the </div> <div> emotional connection to the songs. </div> <div> This man is smart. He has created a worldwide following for his Australian </div> <div> pub band by setting up the web site www.gruntland.com. With over 3 million </div> <div> hits, TOFOGs music is reaching the masses though it has received limited </div> <div> airplay on anything other than independent stations. </div> <div> The songs on BLOC were recorded in Austin, TX during the summer of 2000. </div> <div> Crowe, the lead singer/songwriter/manager of the band decided to release the </div> <div> CD on the Stomp label after negotiations with top record companies fell </div> <div> through. Crowe claims he is unwilling to link his musical pursuits to his </div> <div> film success. Crowe's fourteen-year collaboration with Dean Cochran birthed </div> <div> BLOC. And rest assured this CD is Crowe's and Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts </div> <div> baby. So much so that the cover art shows a newborn holding the CD's birth </div> <div> certificate and a "nappie" pin rattles in the CD case. </div> <div> TOFOG has been promoting 'Things Have Got to Change' as a single and recorded </div> <div> a video for the song while in Austin. 'Thingsâ€¦' isn't the strongest song on </div> <div> the CD though, both 'Sail Those Same Oceans' and 'Somebody Else's Princess' </div> <div> have more radio appeal. 'Sail Those Same Oceans' is dedicated to Jack </div> <div> Thompson, Crowe's co-star in the movie <I>The Sum of Us</I>, and details a faltering </div> <div> relationship. The emotion in Crowe's voice is subtle and doesn't overpower </div> <div> the poetry of the lyrics. In contrast, Crowe growls the lyrics to 'Somebody </div> <div> Else's Princess', a sexually charged, balls-out rock single. </div> <div> The CD has several notable songs including the zydeco-like 'Swept Away </div> <div> Bayou', a fast paced, hand clapping, foot stomping joyride that promises to </div> <div> whip a crowd into a frenzy when performed live. Crowe whispers his thoughts </div> <div> to the listener in "Hold Me", a song that smolders like a cigarette, Crowe's </div> <div> resonant voice clinging in the air like smoke. Inspired by the suicide of </div> <div> Crowe's <I>Romper Stomper</I> co-star Daniel Pollock, 'That's the Night Davey Hit </div> <div> the Train' examines the hopeless choice some people make and how those left </div> <div> behind deal with it. </div> <div> 'The Legend of Barry Kable', is a cautionary ballad about an alcoholic who </div> <div> has hit bottom and the man who still sees Kable as worth saving. The sad </div> <div> life of a single mother on a father search for her son is detailed in the </div> <div> soulful 'Wendy'. 'Memorial Day', is dedicated to Crowe's grandfather, who </div> <div> served as a cinematographer in WWII. </div> <div> <I><B>_____________________________________________________________________________</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Lady aka Brenna Hobbs BLOC Review 03/05/2001 </B></I></div> <div> <B>My sister site:</B></div> <div> Join the Russell Crowe Fan Club Today! Check out our site dedicated to The CROWE!!!!! <A HREF="http://www.russellcrowefanclub.com " target="_blank" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.russellcrowefanclub.com " tar"><U>Russell Crowe Fan Club</U></A></div> <div> After months of waiting, its finally arrived. The latest CD release from Russell’s band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, Bastard Life or Clarity. If Gaslight showcased Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts personality, then Bastard Life or Clarity shows off the band’s depth, maturity and sophistication. That is not to say BLOC has no personality. Any band that is brave enough to include a diaper...uh...safety pin in the packaging shows a lot of personality and a great sense of humor! But the rich tones and universal sounds throughout the ten tracks of BLOC illustrate how the band-mates have grown since the last release. Unlike Gaslight, where each song left a distinct emotional memory, BLOC ties together in theme and style and gives the band a more polished sound. The softer, slower version of the ‘The Legend of Barry Cable’ helps shift the focus to the story being told. The additional stringed instruments in the new arrangement on ‘Wendy’ tugs at the heart in ways that are unexpected. And ‘Judas Cart’ will bring tears to your eyes even if you don’t know the very personal story that is the basis for the song. There are seven new songs to add to your list of Grunts favorites, ‘Things Have Got to Change, Memorial Day, Hold You, Sail Those Same Oceans, Somebody Else’s Princess, The Night That Davey Hit the Train, and Swept Away Bayou.’ A perfectly played trumpet adds to the pure listening pleasure of this release by the Grunts. The addition of a few new musical flavors continues to make it impossible to pigeon hole this dynamic group. Rock, Country, a taste of Bluegrass, a slightly Scottish lilting waltz, and a even a touch of Jazz. Add that to the Rap in Gaslight and you are left wondering if they missed anything. I guess maybe they could tackle a classical piece just for sh$#% and giggles! Russell Crowe does Opera...hhhuuummmm??? Call it a single mother’s pride, but Lady has decided to include... A child’s perspective... A review from Lady’s two-year old daughter. “Little Lady” sat in her car seat with her mommy’s recently delivered copy of BLOC blaring on the car stereo when the play-on-words track 9, ‘Swept Away Bayou’ comes on. Lady is startled to hear delighted chortles coming from her little one. Thinking it was just a fluke though, Lady dismissed it until right before dinner when we debuted the CD for the rest of the family. Lady, her parents, grandfather and son were stunned into smiling silence when once again track 9 played and “Little Lady” went into delighted chuckles and chortles. Hands clapping, she began to dance and spin in perfect rhythm. So the verdict on BLOC from the ankle-biters is a gurgling Thumbs In..uh...Up! “Little Lady” must have known the Grunts had included a spare diaper pin! If you haven’t already braved the international purchase log on to Sanity.com today and order your copy of Bastard Life or Clarity by Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts! This CD is one you can be proud to have in your music collection whether you are a Russell Crowe fan or not.</div> <div> <I><B>_____________________________________________________________________________</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>BLOC Review by D</B></I><I><B>anette Radisi 03/05/2001</B></I></div> <div> If you can't hear the Austin influence on this CD, you're not listening! Swept Away Bayou, with it's Aussie-Cajun beat, makes you want to jump up and attempt the two-step (Oops-bump-stumble-sorry-step-step-turn-ouch!). Even Barry Kable's gone Texan. YeeeeeHaaaawwwww! Things Have Got To Change - I'll always see that webcast in my mind - the long renegade jacket (SIGH!). Memorial Day is haunting, thought-provoking. Sail Those Same Oceans is a song I know will always be on my tongue, and Somebody Else's Princess is far out - the lion's grrrooowwwwwllll!!Hold You - what can I say - erotic, sultry, sexy..."I'll take them ALL"...YES PLEASE!! All of the grunts, please...Wendy is more professional, but on Gaslight I felt like I was alone in the room with Russell and a guitar. This CD is earthy, grounded, solid. It's professional, clean, consistent. I adore the addition of playfulness in the recording room sound bites. Stuart takes a front seat with his trumpet, I'm Excited Dave W. wrote one with Russell. Dave K's drums are perfect, as usual, but I miss Dean's wild and sexy guitar. To make a long story short, HOT DAMN! I LOVE THE GRUNTS!!! MORE, MORE, MORE! </div> <div> <I><B>_____________________________________________________________________________</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>TinaB's BLOC review 03/03/2001</B></I></div> <div> As a TOFOG fan, I found "Gaslight" and other tracks incredibly rugged, and gritty, but at times disjointed on the album. I loved each song singularly, and each song stood on it's own. However, in "Bastard Life or Clarity" this is a solid piece of work throughout the album, a polished piece of great heart-on-your-cuff rock, and YET each song still stands individually. The continuity is there and TOFOG in one year has grown musically into a force to be reckoned with, truly original and incredibly honest, but, yet, still has not lost any of the very personal, raw feel that this band has. I am surprised that they could keep this very special connection with the listener on such a polished compilation of songs. </div> <div> Each element in the album, along with each track written by Crowe, Cochran, Wilkins, and Adam just hits something real to me in the delivery of every tune. Man, can Russell sell a song! I would buy swamp land in Florida and the Brooklyn Bridge from this guy's voice, and Wilkins's sweet, sexy harmonies with him. The lyrics again prove that Mr. Crowe and company are poets and probably know it. The lyrics hit so close to real life in their messages that it could be you or me on the other end of those verses Crowe is singing about. Cochran's guitar playing just gets better and better, and I literally can say I can pick this man's style out of a room of guitarists now. How sweet is his playing. </div> <div> The album reminds us that music is meant to reach a person's soul, not just move us physically, although this album does that too. In world of fluff-pop bands, mediocre girl singers, brutal-on-the-ears metal, and techno-soulless-music, what a relief! "Bastard Life or Clarity" delivers both -- clarity in rock music again, and enough rugged, raw, bastard sensuality to keep reminding you that this is a real, honest to God kick-ass band. I can wrap these tunes around me like a warm, velvet blanket thanks to Russell's voice, and the heartfelt delivery of some great soulful rock and roll from this band.</div> <div> <I><B>_____________________________________________________________________________</B></I></div> <div> <I><B>cj's Review of BLOC 02/26/2001</B></I></div> <div> Have been waiting patiently forever to even get a shipping notice from Sanity, this arrived on Friday and I was over the moon as I thought I had been forgotten because people who had ordered a month after me had already received their shipping notice. So the big wait was on and I thought it would arrive by Tuesday or Wednesday. </div> <div> The parcel postie arrived at 11am (Monday) and gave me 2 parcels and one was square like a cd, so I was hopping around from one foot to the other so he could get the paperwork over with, that done I raced inside trying to juggle and undo copious amounts of stickytape. Teeth were involved in this, of course to no avail. I reached for the scissors and to my dismay a cd did pop out of the package but it was The Photograph Kills that I had ordered and forgotten about. </div> <div> I was so disappointed, but then cheered up because I got to hear TPK and HHH for the first time on a really good stereo rather than on my crummy computer speakers. And to be honest I really didn't think it would arrive today, but I was still hoping. </div> <div> I was sitting in the driveway waiting around for mail delivery time, hovering close to the letterbox, when my dog started barking, he has a special bark that he saves for the postie and his bike. He handed me 3 envelopes and drove away, the excitement went away with him very quickly. BUT he turned around and came back and handed me a parcel and said he was sorry that he nearly forgot it. It was a little square parcel just the right size for a cd, I nearly kissed him, but wanted to do backflips as well. It was very easy to rip open and out tumbled what I had been waiting for. </div> <div> The bloc cd and the special something that was sent with the early orders. </div> <div> I don't know if I can say anymore here without giving the surprise away. Anyway I dealt with the surprise first. (sigh) </div> <div> Then I listened to the cd. I did not get to Borderline or any of the Austin concerts, so had no idea what to expect, friends had told me about the music, but listening is such a personal thing, it either does it for you or it doesn't. </div> <div> Have loved the 2 cds I have of the Grunts, the stories the songs tell. Bloc is exactly the same in the terms of telling stories. The sound of this cd isn't fragmented like Gaslight, it has a continuty that flows from every song. </div> <div> You have seen the cover with the bub on the front, but included in the little compartment where the case opens is a little safety pin, its so cute. </div> <div> The back cover is the same picture from the Barry Kable(Inside Her Eyes) cd but with the new TOFOG logo. </div> <div> The lyrics are included in the booklet thing that forms the front cover, there are no stories about the songs like on Gaslight. </div> <div> I will just give a little description of each song although I have not made up my mind with a couple of the songs, so will not comment on them. I need time to listen to them a little more. There are no hidden tracks. At least I haven't found them yet LOL. </div> <div> 1. Things Have Got To Change </div> <div> I have been playing this one over and over from the video release so I know it inside out and backwards and I love it to death. The song on the cd sounds exactly the same as the video. </div> <div> A little different from the ABM webcast, live performances are always different. </div> <div> 2. Memorial Day </div> <div> This brings back lots of memories for me as I used to hang out of a window of the Tatler Hotel in George St Sydney to watch and wave at some relatives who were marching on Anzac Day. The trumpet at the beginning makes it very emotional. </div> <div> 3.Hold You </div> <div> This is very slow and senuous, Russell crooning into the mic. </div> <div> 4. Sail Those Same Oceans </div> <div> reserve judgement on this one </div> <div> 5. The Legend Of Barry Kable </div> <div> This is totally different to Gaslight, slow and very laid back </div> <div> 6. Somebody Else's Princess </div> <div> Rock(y) upbeat and very catchy </div> <div> 7. Wendy </div> <div> Not changed a lot, but the instrumental mix makes it a lot better </div> <div> 8. The Night That Davey Hit The Train </div> <div> reserve judgement on this one </div> <div> 9. Swept Away Bayou </div> <div> I really like this, must listen some more </div> <div> 10. Judas Cart </div> <div> Didn't know the story behind this one, now that I do it makes me cry. </div> <div> Well thats it except for the surprise </div> <div> You can scroll way down to see what it is, or not if you don't. </div> <div> ******WARNING SPOILER****** </div> <div> Not to late to turn back </div> <div> There was an interview disk that came with the Bloc cd. Russell was being interviewed about the band, the songs, the stories etc</div> <div>  </head> <SCRIPT LANGUAGE"JavaScript" TYPE="text/javascript">  </script>  </div> <div>  </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table>   </body>