Mind Funk - The Complete CD Collection (1991-1995) RESTORED

Созданная на излёте восьмидесятых, бывшими участниками нескольких вполне состоявшихся к тому времени коллективов, американская группа Mind Funk навсегда осталась в истории - "слишком гранжевой для металла и слишком тяжёлой для мира альтернативной музыки" - неординарной субстанцией, чья неособо долгая карьера навсегда захлебнулась в пучине коммерческой нецелесообразности…

An often heard complaint about major labels in the 1980s and 1990s was that their A&R staffs no longer believed in genuine artist development–if an act didn't take off with its first album, the label was unlikely be around for a second, third or fourth album. One act that could have used some insightful artist development in the 1990s was Mindfunk, a decent band that might have developed into a great band with the right label behind it. The band was made up of ex-Uniform Choice vocalist Pat Dunbar; ex-M.O.D. guitarist and bassist Louis J. Svitek and John Monte; ex-Celtic Frost drummer Reed St. Mark; and second guitarist Jason Coppola. Their self-titled debut for Epic Records caused a small media sensation with its aggressive collage of metal, punk, and funk, but bombed in stores. By the time the band came off the road in support of the album, both St. Mark and Coppola were gone, replaced by drummer Shawn Johnson and ex-Nirvana guitarist/ex-Soundgarden bassist Jason Everman. Dropped by Epic just as they were about to re-enter the studio, Mind Funk signed with Megaforce to record the appropriately named Dropped, released in 1993. Their latest release is 1995's People Who Fell From the Sky.

Mind Funk's 1991 self-titled debut is a highly original amalgamate of its various members' previous metal and punk bands, with a little funk thrown in for fashion's sake (funk metal was the flavor of the day). Virtually every song features an audacious combination of these disparate influences, and discerning listeners will appreciate how effectively the band puts all the pieces together. The solid songwriting is complemented by excellent musicianship and the sarcastic edge of Pat Dunbar's versatile voice. Both "Sugar Ain't So Sweet" and "Blood Runs Red" slowly build from alluring melodies into chugging metal riffs, and the latter even features some salsa-style drumming. "Bring It On" glides on an excellent mid-pace groove, while songs such as "Ride and Drive" and "Big House Burning Down" (anchored on a powerful bass riff) pummel at full speed from start to finish. Finally, the most unique offering arrives in "Sister Blue," an acoustic-led bluesy number featuring tasteful soloing from guitarist Louis Svitek.

On their second album, the sneeringly-titled "Dropped", Mindfunk vent a little label-related bitterness, and attempt to separate themselves meaningfully from the funk-metal pack. World-class producer Terry Date delivers the slowed-down grooves in an airtight, vacuum sealed muscular-as-hell package that would presage the work he did for Soundgarden on "Badmotorfinger". Its worth comparing the two albums as "Dropped" does contain more than one obvious nod in the direction of Seattle. Opener "Goddess", with its excellent riffing and understated solo work, and the insistent, almost middle-eastern drone metal of "In The Way Eye" are to me the most interesting of this rather lengthy, mostly mid-tempo sophomore set. Having lost drummer extraordinaire Reed St. Mark to Celtic Frost, much of the rhytmic energy and flashy musicianship of their self-titled debut is gone. Stripped down thusly, the songs reveal themselves to be brooding,intensely focused groove monsters that can occasionally end up just slightly on this side of meandering. The album's biggest sin is its sameness, and towards the latter fourth of the album it starts to get a little long in the tooth. "Mama, Moses and Me" is probably the only track that recalls the manic energy of the debut, more often than not replaced with more moody, solemn work like "Drowning." Solid, almost classy in some ways, but it could have really used one or two more uptempo tunes and a few of the psychedelic excesses shaved from the third album.

"People Who Fell From the Sky" represents Mindfunk's 3rd album, with their 3rd different lineup, 3rd different label and 3rd different genre change, you could say they changed between each album, to say the least. Sadly, this also represented their final recording effort. Mindfunk then recorded and released their third album, People Who Fell From The Sky, without much support from their label. They didn't even have a contract in the US, hence the availability problems of the album. The music is even darker than on their previous albums and reminiscent of early Black Sabbath mood-wise, preceding much of the Stoner-Rock movement that soon became trendy.