SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
LIGHTS CAMERA REVOLUTION
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It’s safe to say that 1990 represented the absolute zenith of thrash metal greatness. All you have to do is thumb through everything released that year and you’ll have irrefutable proof.
Thrash was at its peak when SUICIDAL TENDENCIES unleashed their 5th studio album, LIGHTS…CAMERA…REVOLUTION! their first to feature “future Metallica bassist” Robert Trujillo and also their first album to be sonically dominated more so by pure thrash than their earlier punk based, crossover sound.
Released 7/3/1990
Recorded December 1989 – April 1990
Label Epic
Producers:
Mark Dodson / Suicidal Tendencies
Even with all of the other epic albums released back in 1990, THIS one has the perfect guitar tone. With crystal clear cleans, precise crunch, brutal riffing, and face melting shreddery (not to mention Mike Muir’s undeniable lyrical message), this is quite literally THE perfect thrash album, an unmatched, hall of fame, stone cold classic. It literally has “all the balls”.
Tracks
1 You Can't Bring Me Down
2 Lost Again
3 Alone
4 Lovely
5 Give It Revolution
6 Get Whacked
7 Send Me Your Money
8 Emotion No. 13
9 Disco's Out, Murder's In
10 Go'n Breakdown
We were “a little more twanglified than normal” because “we kinda went hard last night”.
It’s time to discover some of the greatest “misheard lyrics” in metal and “chop out a line of Folgers” as we do our best to “bring smiles to faces” and lift others spirits during times of trouble. Get ready for some “tingling” (down there), grab yourself a to-go order of Ron’s “Rib Lounge Riblets”, break out your “laserdisc” players and JOIN US as we dive into “the perfect thrash album” known as LIGHTS…CAMERA…REVOLUTION!
YOU CAN’T BRING ME DOWN
The harmonies and the crystal-clear clean guitars. That’s THE cleanest clean guitar sound on any thrash album in history, bar none.
All the ingredients for perfect thrash are present: perfect cleans, perfect shred, and perfect TONE! If anyone needs a perfect example of a perfectly produced thrash album, THIS is the album that fits the bill. It still has some punk sensibilities to it, but this is thrash, plain and simple.
“And one more thing…” (Read those lyrics.)
The riffs and the tone are quintessential in the time capsule of thrash for this era.
(Use those headphones, especially at the end).
“You wouldn’t know what crazy was if Charles Manson was eating Fruit Loops on your front porch…”
LOST AGAIN
This really has that perfect Track #2 energy to it…keeps the momentum going from the opener and goes to a different place.
:28…THAT riff! HFS!!! That’s the “good” stuff. Perfection. That walk down has total Slayer vibes going on.
2:18 – That riff sounds weirdly familiar…
3:28 – Back to that weirdly familiar sounding riff again…it’s almost as if Dave Mustaine wrote some riffs with Anthrax…it’s “weirdly good” and definitely unique.
Mike Clark really doesn’t get enough credit for his incredible riffs. He’s definitely a master of sick riffs and a highly underrated riff lord, for sure.
“Entered a world that I didn’t belong,
Thought I could take it, but I stayed too long,
Thought I could handle it, boy was I wrong!”
ALONE
Soft intro + weedly woos = the perfect ballad ingredients. That’s a “lovely” clean chorused sound with Rocky’s shred behind it…clean + weedly woos.
There’s definitely more of a punk vibe going on here than a thrash vibe, although to be fair, thrash always had a healthy infusion of punk within the riffs, lyrics, and music overall.
It’s still got the punk sensibilities with the thrash refinements.
“If you look in my heart you’d know it,
I’m just trying to make my world better,
If you’d look in my heart you’d see it,
I got to do it alone…”
LOVELY
DAMN, that tone is just SPOT ON!!! This might just be one of the best produced thrash albums of all time (that’s right…I said it!). Such a kick ass opening riff…and such unbelievable bass presence.
(Also, the gratuitous cowbell is a nice touch.)
Enter the funk fest at 3:30.
“Screwed up people everywhere,
But I ain’t got time to care,
I feel lovely…”
GIVE IT REVOLUTION
One of the best riffs ever, and one of the best songs on the entire album (and with ALL the songs being killer, that’s pretty impressive). This just sounds like 1990. Maybe not necessarily a thrash song per se, but the riffs and the song itself are solid all the way around. This could probably pass for early groove metal on some level.
Rocky George is certainly one of the most underrated lead players in the entire pantheon of classic thrash bands. Also, this album is hella underrated for the quality of the riffs and the songs. It’s pretty much a perfect record, front to back.
“You got to break the chains that hold you down, crush the tyrants to the ground,
Freedom cannot be legislated,
We’ll bow down to no other one, except The Father and His Son,
They can’t deny what He’s created…”
GET WHACKED
The sound of the symphony warming up is classic.
Another incredible riff…the way Rocky’s lead guitar blends with Mike’s riffing is a thing of splendorious beauty as the riff and the melody walk down together in unison creating an uber heavy chorusing effect.
That chorus riff has a perfect flow to it. This album might be a perfect document of every great thrash riff that never got the mainstream attention it deserved.
The songs aren’t repetitive, there’s a lot of variety and flow, and everything just works. Plus, you’ve got incredible guitar solos to boot. And Mike Muir has some awesome James Brown-ish moments on the vocals (basically, he does a great James Brown impression).
“I’m tired of always doing as I’m told,
Your shit is starting to grow really old,
I’m sick of dealing with all your crap,
You pushed me too hard now you’ll watch me snap…”
SEND ME YOUR MONEY
“Lights…camera…silence on the set…tape rolling…3…2…1...ACTION!”
That’s just heavy. Not thrashy, not really punky, but definitely groovy and heavy.
“Now give me some bass…
Now let’s have some silence…for all you sinners,
Now give me more bass…”
You can definitely hear the Infectious Grooves vibes being birthed on this track.
“I was in meditation and prayer last night,
I was awokened by a shining bright light,
Overhead a glorious spirit,
He gave me a message and you all need to hear it…”
EMOTION NO. 13
No buildup and no lube…just straight into the fray.
Actually, how many emotions do human beings have? Is Emotion #13 an unlucky one to have?
(Also, does “horny” count as an emotion?).
1:40 – What is THAT riff!? HFS!!!
That riff is insane…it’s riffs like this that are the epitome of classic thrash.
This tune is literally a wealth of weedly woos.
(Boy, the heyday of thrash sure was awesome.)
The riffs on this record are unreal. Easily some of the best in the entire thrash genre.
“I try so hard to do what’s right to be so good to make you proud,
But it never seems to satisfy you,
It’s just the person that you want is not the person that I am,
The conflict inside’s horrifying…”
DISCO’S OUT, MURDER’S IN
This song has an extremely punky & aggro vibe to it, certainly more like earlier Suicidal; definitely punk plus thrash but unquestionably thrashy. Almost has some Anthrax-ish (or Anthraxy) vibes to it in spots. If anything, this album has aged extremely well. There’s just not a bad track anywhere to be found.
FYI, disco’s been out for almost 45 years now (see also “Disco Demolition Night”).
“News flash, read all about it!
Here comes another scam and don’t you doubt it,
May make you laugh, but it ain’t funny,
I can’t believe the things they do for money…”
GO’N BREAKDOWN
Just an excellent, straight-ahead riff. (Actually, it sounds a little reminiscent of Motley Crue’s Knock ‘Em Dead Kid). Most thrash bands worth their salt could pull off the heavy and groovy stuff just as well as the super-speedy thrash stuff. This might just be one of the hookiest closers in all of thrash.
Suicidal just wouldn’t be Suicidal without Mike Muir. It would be as ludicrous as expecting Metallica to be Metallica without James Hetfield behind the microphone. Sort of ironic that this is the first S.T. album to feature “future Metallica bassist” Robert Trujillo.
(That Thrash Family Tree is a blessin’.)
The non-triggered double bass drums somehow adds a bit more weight and heaviness to the overall sound.
“Stick out your hand I’ll stick out my finger,
Kick you in the balls now you’re a soprano singer..”
Show Notes:
(00:01): “Ohhh, geez…” / #wehadsomefun #flavorcrystals / “Who wants #MrBlack …”/ ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised ***/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST!!!*** / “A little more #twanglified than normal…”/ “I’m so glad y’all came…”/ #DamageInc #MetallicaTributeBand / “They sounded just like ‘em…”/ “There we go…”/ “Turn the bass all the way down…”/ “No…it was…the other #Loverboy song…”/ “I’m sorry…”/ #nostalgia / “Don’t need nothin’ but a #blowjob …”/ “If you like #Metallica …”
(05:55): “These guys sent us product…”/ #Manscaped / #MacGyverBox (“That’s where your balls are, too…”) / #WeedWacker / #justkidding #allegedly #designerpubes / “It’s so much better…”/ #floorboard / “That’s for your face…” / #Lawnmower / “You don’t wanna get pubes everywhere…”/ “It’s like a 10 year old down there…”/ “When I pulled it out of the box…it was charged up!”/ #YourBallsWillThankYou #Manscaped / “That’s no way to treat your balls…”/ ***GO CHECK OUT MANSCAPED.COM AND USE THE PROMO CODE METAL FOR 20% OFF AND FREE SHIPPING!!!***/ #ballaftershave #balldeodorant / “Love your balls…”/ “It works for ALL the balls…”
MANSCAPED.COM
AND USE THE PROMO CODE METAL FOR 20% OFF AND FREE SHIPPING!!!
(11:50): “It’s been like 3 weeks…”/ #EdgarAllanPoe #PopUpSpeakEasy / “Foreplay?”/ “Sounds very color centric…”/ “Let me guess…was her name Raven?”/ “I feel like I still look kinda Asian from last night…”/ ***Check us out at #metalnerderypodcast on #Instagram and #Facebook and #YouTube and email us at metalnerdery@gmail.com or GIVE US A CALL AND LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL AT 980-666-8182!!!*** / #whoareyou #voicemailsegment #pissingpost / “If you guys could put a band back together, who would it be?” / “They have to be alive…”/ #CelebrationDay / #LedZeppelin (#ScottIan and #ACDC) / #StormtroopersOfDeath #SOD / “If S.O.D. would just tour…”/ “Speaking of that… #DOWN is recording…” / #onemore #BobFromOhio (“Puts things into perspective…”) / #uhhhkay / “Everytime I listen to you guys…I just forget about…everything.”/ #PlayMistyForMe
(21:15): “Do we got any #shittah ?” / #Daath (“They’re from Georgia, aren’t they?”) / ASCENSION / #HFS #badass / “It’s very tight…”/ “all the good stuff…”/ #Onomatopoeia / “Is that one of his kids?”/ “Maybe it’s nothing…I might have just made the whole thing up.” / #tangentionalality / “Some #Midol would be nice…and sometimes a little bit of validation…” / #RussellsReflectionsASMR #BrunchEdition / “I’ve never had scrambled eggs that were so perfect…” / #heartnightmare / #friedchickenboobie / #gravy / #bacon / “You had to get your vitamins…and vegetables…”
(27:03): #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: SUICIDAL TENDENCIES – LIGHTS…CAMERA…REVOLUTION! / “Everybody was talking about THIS, Cowboys From Hell, and Rust In Peace…”/ “This was a #HFS album…”/ “I don’t know what it is about the cover…it’s so that time…”/ “#SuicidalTendencies #ST lost their #Grammy to #Metallica that year…”/ #OneLoad / #wifebeater (“If you wear a full dress shirt…is that not a wife beater?”) / #differenttopic (“Things that are NOW offensive…”) / “Okay, well I’m out…”/ “Words are an action of war now…” / #wordsarefacefarts #wordsarewind / #softintro / #misheardlyrics #FightFireWithFire (“What does he say there?”) / “Who’s Bart?” / #WeAllShallDie / “For a while, I thought he said JUICY…”/ YOU CAN’T BRING ME DOWN / #perfectcleanguitarsound #guitarshred “What the hell is going on around here!?” / “You wouldn’t know what crazy was if Charles Manson was eating Fruit Loops on your front porch…”
(36:58): LOST AGAIN (“That tone…”) / “Yeah…the remix…I didn’t know #ST was a progressive band…”/ “Kinda Slayerish…”/ #usethoseheadphones / “This NEXT song…this was my teen…song.”/ “I didn’t do anal until I was in my 40’s…”/ ALONE (“It’s like a radio song…”) / “I feel like #Offspring used this riff somewhere…” / “They got a lotta hooks…” / “This might be my favorite album by them…” / LOVELY / “I love that tone, though…”/ GIVE IT REVOLUTION (“I really like the riffs on this one…”) / “Almost has that #IronMaiden feel…the riff.”/ “We’ll bow down to no other one, except The Father and His Son, they can’t deny what He’s created…” / “You had to do that back in the day…you’d by the tape, and then you’d buy it on CD too…and then you’d buy it on #laserdisc …”/ “Fucking LASERDISCS!!!” / “Put some #flavorcrystals on it, it’ll be fine…” / “they got black boogers…” / GET WHACKED (“I like it when Rocky George plays them nasty riffs…”) / “I like that riff…”/ “Very #JamesBrownish …”
(48:48): “The next song is the video…” / #televangelists (“I think this song was the birth of #InfectiousGrooves …” / SEND ME YOUR MONEY (“Now give me some bass…now let’s have some silence…for all you sinners…now give me more bass…”) / #heyday (“What did they have before heyday? Was it #wheatday or #barleyday ?”) / “Which emotion is that?” / EMOTION NO. 13 / “When I think of the #perfectthrashtone, that’s it.” / “But it’s not like #Staind …”/ “This next one goes back to old school Suicidal…” / DISCO’S OUT, MURDER’S IN (“Almost sounds like #Anthrax …or #SOD …”) / “We got one more…” / GO’N BREAKDOWN (NOTE: sounds kinda like Ten Seconds to Love by #MotleyCrue ) / “Off the hook or off the chain? Which is worse?” / #offthehook #offthechain / #TheRibLounge down off #COTLODBlvd (“We’re gonna do some weed infused #RibLoungeRiblets …”) / “Has there ever been a barber that only does sacks?” / THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / THANK YOU TO OUR PATREONS!!! / AND THANK YOU TO #MANSCAPED!!! and be sure to go to manscaped.com and use #promocode METAL for 20% off AND FREE SHIPPING on your entire order!!! / “Don’t put it back in my head…” / “There’s this dude…” / “Your dad’s gotta be 90…” / #untilthenext