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THE END OF SILENCE - Re-release...
![[endofrem.jpg]](images/covers/endofrem.gif)
2002 NMC Music pilot 92
Disc One
*not on original album release
(there'll be no) next time (live) joe cole 4.10.61 - 12.19.91 the rollins band would like to thank all of you who came to our gigs, write in and stay with us every year. we are honoured and we're looking forward to ruining your hearing for a long time to come
Disc Two
Since his early days as lead singer of the mighty Black Flag, Henry Rollins has been the ultimate angry young man of the underground. With the demise of Black Flag in 1986 Henry released his first solo album Hot Animal Machine the same year. From the on he has made his mark and it looks like the man is here to stay albeit in the guise of the front man of the Rollins Band, stand up funnyman, author or even actor! This re-issue of The End Of Silence album offers us over 70 minutes of blistering music of which the producer of this album Andy Wallace has placed Henry's vocals beautifully between the maelstrom of raging music. Sitting somewhere between Black Sabbath's relentless riffage, the denseness of early Sun Ra's work and the intensity of MC5's debut live album "Kick Out The Jams". Very few can match the power that Henry displays throughout this album. This record attacks the senses, take the opening cut "Low Self Opinion" what a monster of a track to open an album with. The commentary he lays down is from the bowels of hell and the really frightening thing was the album is full of tracks that would later gain Henry a new audience: Metalheads! The mighty seven minutes of "What Do You Do" started the imitators although the imitators missed the point! The line "When you see yourself and see the one you hate," goes back to the cover of Black Flag's first album Damaged here Henry was re-iterating to the masses who were now purchasing his records that this is a way of life. Another twist on this album came in the track "Blues Jam" a twelve minute assault this is so menacing it starts sending shivers up the spine. "Life will not break your heart it will crush it" spits Henry as Chris Haskett turns in some spectacular guitar work while Sim Cain lays down beautiful drum patterns but, most of all it gave us the Andrew Weiss bass sound to the fore. "Tearing" the second single to be lifted from the album would cement the Rollins Band to the MTV generation and from this moment many a fan began to flock towards the Rollins Band. The staggering thing was that this success was not enough to stop this "Hot Animal Machine" going directly to the fans. A relentless 166 shows were played until Christmas that year; the band did at this moment take a break. This was the album that broadened the singer's audience and if it's not part of your loud music collection, it should be. This was the band's most focused work and also gave the Rollins Band their first charting album. Rightly so, the music is blues laden with a command of metal chords and the whole album has a feeling of angst and determination. The playing is flawless and so if you are looking for intense music filled with elements of old school punk and even older school blues this is the one. This is truly a terrific record. Straightforward hard music, this album is thought out and intelligent. This album will make you think. A slam to the senses that will leave you feeling bombarded and thoroughly entertained. MILTON KNOWLTON DEC 2001
produced, mixed & engineered by andy wallace / additional engineering, mix consultant & rockjuicer: theo van rock / recorded at showplace studios in dover, NJ / mixed at quantam studios / *mixed at ground control, LA / mastered by howie weinberg / digitally remastered by henry rollins / project co-ordination: carlton p sandercock for nmc music ltd design and art direction: christian thompson for lithium design (uk) tattoo design: rick spellman photography: markweiss / stephen stickler Dave's Comments: The re-issuing of the Rollins Band catalog continues, moving on to what I regard to be their best work, THE END OF SILENCE. Digitally remastered by Rollins himself, to my ear this version is only marginally different from the original mix. The original version's sound is very sparse and clean sounding, whereas the remastered version has a tiny bit of fuzz and overdrive distortion added ... this is what I hear, having listened to the original mix hundreds of times and the remaster just a couple of times. Let me reiterate, the difference is quite small, so the value of this re-issue is not in its improved mix and engineering. The real bonus is the second disc composed of rare and live material. The full length version of GHOST RIDER, also found on the TEARING single and HAMMER OF THE ROK GODZ, leads off. This is followed by live tracks from shows in Lyon, France and New York, NY. I particularly enjoy the long 'jam' experiments that the Rollins Band often does at concerts, and here you get three examples. The last track is a jam that can also be found on HAMMER OF THE ROK GODZ and END OF SILENCE DEMOS discs. David Tenenbaum (11.17.02) |