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Rating: "Born Annoying" was released in 1995 by Amphetamine Reptile, an independent label with which Helmet recorded until "Meantime" in 1992, before moving to Interscope.
Indeed, what enhances this collection is the "indie" feeling of the operation, consisting of various tracks from the band's demos and EPs plus two unreleased tracks from 1993 recorded specifically for Amphetamine Records and a couple of covers, one by Melvins ("Oven") and another by Killing Joke ("Primitive").
Thus, rightly so, there are no memorable singles, little melody, no perfect production, or the exquisite arrangements of "Aftertaste," nor the elaborated and the exaggerated experimental vein of "Betty"; instead, the furious rawness of the early days in all its glory.
Although in an embryonic phase, these are essentially Helmet in their most genuinely noise and industrial phase of their noise masterpiece "Strap It On," dated 1990. The dirty sounds and the approximate quality of the recording suit the musical proposal well; everything in the spirit of distortion and dissonance with a slightly "jazzy" flavor that Hamilton loves ("Rumble", "Geisha To Go"), supported by the usual metronomic, disciplined, and lethal rhythmic section (see the killer groove of their version of "Primitive").
Keeping in mind that those who want to fully know and appreciate the value of this seminal band would clearly be better off starting with any studio masterpiece from "Strap It On" onwards (carefully avoiding the post-reunion releases: misleading, regardless of the qualitative level, a topic best not delved into here), this "Born Annoying" is a valid appendix for delving into the origins of Page Hamilton and his bandmates' work, which adds nothing more than further pearls of experimentalism to an already rich thread.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Shirley MacLaine (06:19)
Best selling advice now you're famous
Fortune earned, this time it's painless
Light's out, show them your peaceful grin
Confess, step up and shed your sin
Say you don't hate
You fix your smile painlessly
Your face, strain you can't recognize
So sad pushing that nervous state
Your brain, you lost it you can't get in
Say you don't hate
Colors vibrate in me
He sings about me
Rock gods aura found tv
Inner glow shit, peaceful harmony
Turn your happy camp away from me
Rainbow bodies vibrate, so absurd
Thanks for your concern you saved the world
05 Taken (01:53)
Tone of the repressed, enthusiastic anchor
Local "bite" saved a worm
The aim to sate then
Thank 'em
Taken
Another gimmick to reach your
Need to consume
Sentimental appeal try a
Sand lagoon
Taken
07 Oven (01:20)
I could have swore I gave my wedding ring to you
Among the chewing gears you taunt me tear
Elements are still alive, shake from ear to ear
Pez are gonna let it slide, gonna burn
What cotton decides are appellee
My main oven drive he took from
under what's come over me.
08 No Nicky No (02:17)
We haven't lyrics of this song. Please, add these lyrics for other users. Use "Correct". Thanks to you.
09 Primitive (03:57)
Primitive feeling, primitive way
Getting closer to the primitive day
Intuition wherever it goes
The primitive day, the primitive way
Primitive feeling, primitive way
Getting closer to the primitive day
Follow the feeling wherever it goes
The primitive day, the primitive way
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