•
Rating: Album: The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves
Band: Infectious Grooves
Year: 1991
Label: Roadrunner
Genre: Funk, Metal
Line-Up (from http://www.artistdirect.com):
Mike Muir Vocals, Producer
Stephen Perkins Percussion, Drums, Timbales
Dean Pleasant Guitar
Adam Siegel Guitar, Artwork
Robert Trujillo Bass, Producer
Joel Zimmerman Art Direction
Kenny Komisar Executive Producer
Dave Kushner Guitar
Rocky George Guitar
Greg Calbi Mastering
Scott Crago Percussion, Conga, Drums
Dave Dunn Keyboards
Phil Kettner Guitar
Ozzy Osbourne Vocals
So yes, even nightdriver doesn’t exclusively listen to thrash! Incredible!
Well, my jokes aren’t great, but my musical tastes are not up for debate ( :) ) !
What do we have here? The Infectious Grooves? Oh look, there's Muir (Suicidal Tendencies) singing!
The Infectious Grooves was born as a side project of Muir, perhaps to express his Latin roots and as a moment of relaxation compared to the outbursts of Suicidal. Surely Trujillo’s touch is dominant here. I have no words to express how much engagement the bass lines from this gentleman's head can provide. Sometimes simple, direct, sometimes technical, introverted, it doesn’t matter—they truly do what the album title proposes: make you move, jump, and dance (and it doesn’t matter here whether you can or not, it’s just about making noise!).
The album's sound is extremely captivating and engaging with a SUPER production: all instruments are heard perfectly, with a simply fabulous front-line bass sound. Occasionally, Sarsippius, the character invented by the band, makes an appearance to throw some nonsense our way and make us laugh between tracks. I don’t know whose voice it is, but it’s hilarious!
The guitarists’ work is top-notch, with riffs that get directly under your skin. If I must use an adjective to describe it, the most fitting word is: CLASS. Never over the top, always perfectly balanced taste as only the greatest can achieve. Among the guitarists who participated is Rocky George, and that’s no accident.
The music is a mix of metal/pop/funk in a completely original blend. The standout track in the album is "Therapy", where the legendary Ozzy is in the chorus and (especially) Trujillo's bass lines stand out, above all the tracks "Do The Sinister" (the band's flagship), "Monster Skank, Infectious Grooves". Noteworthy is the very short "Infectious Blues" in which, over guitar sounds reminiscent of western tunes, Muir performs a blues/drunken vocal!
So, excellent album + excellent musicians (let’s remember Stephen Perkins on the drums, formerly of Jane's Addiction) = a must-listen. Listen to it when you feel pumped up, especially in good company! This and their second one remain, in my opinion, the best albums, though the entire discography of this small (but great) band deserves your attention, friends of Deb!
See you soon, night
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
09 Monster Skank (03:42)
(Chorus:)
I want it I need it I'm headed out for something to break
I got it I'm feeling it I'm headed out on a monster skank
My feet are moving faster than my mind can do no thinking
My body's twisting in contortions that weren't meant to be
My head is spinning like a yo-yo that don't know no better
Off to the special place where there is only room for me
Have a little dance with a twist-hear you were hungry-eat a fist
(Chorus)
My mind paints pictures but I couldn't find no frame to fit it
Only an artist can create what he don't understand
I tried to tell you but you didn't have no time for reason
Off to my special place where only I am in command
What's to skank?-monster skank'n
Aye got something break'n-we've gone monster skank'n
Roses are red-violets are blues
you're uglier than a monkey-you should live in a zoo
(Chorus)
Shoot off your mouth
don't like what you said-here's my response a boot to your head
The wise man feels no pressure then he tells you not to worry
Your inspiration hits me like a ton of falling bricks
Lost in a cemetery of forgotten resolutions
Off to my special place where I can break all that you fix
Aye gone monster skank'n-I don't need nobody
I think something's break'n-I've gone monster skank'n
Is it skank? Monster skank
What kind of skank? Monster skank
It's a monster-a scary scary monster!
Aye got something break'n-we gone monster skank'n
It's a monster
10 Back to the People (02:46)
Bring it back Back to the people (x8) Take that thang, and put it in here! Take that thang, gonna put it in there, gonna take that thang (x3) Make it black! Back to the people Bring it back Back to the people Bring it on back Back to the people
12 You Lie... and Yo Breath Stank (02:55)
You lie and yo breath stank you lie and yo breath stank
Save your time don't give me that speech
And use that time to go brush your teeth
A good mouthwash would be a start
Cause your breath done smell like your mouth done a fart
You lie and yo breath stank
So bad it makes it hard to think
You lie and yo breath stank
Smells just like it's a septic tank
You lie and yo breath stank you lie and yo breath stank
Damn homeboy won't you chew on some gum
You smell like a mixture of chili dogs and rum
Don't be cheap and juts chew on a stick
Throw in the whole pack and chew on it quick
You lie and yo breath stank
So bad it makes it hard to think
You lie and yo breath stank
Rolls me over like a Sherman tank
You lie and yo breath stank you lie and yo breath stank
Open your mouth the whole room stunk
You need a chisel to hammer off the funk
Your breath would turn a shirt into lint
So do us all a favor and suck on a mint
You lie and yo breath stank you lie and yo breath stank
Open your mouth just another lie
What's that smell did somethin' die
A funky kind of stank that makes you go phew
Took a wiff straight out it was coming from you
You lie and yo breath stank
So bad it makes it hard to thank
You lie and yo breath stank
So bad damn your breath is rank
Damn yo breath stank
15 Infecto Groovalistic (05:05)
Groovalistic
Yesterday I struggled a little less than today
I locked it in a brain cell and I threw the key away
Don't know what I was thinking-then again I do
I lock my thoughts in cages like the animals in a zoo
So please don't feed the cyco-and I don't mean with food
Cause my mind feeds on hatred-and you get me in the mood
So are we having fun yet? Can you feel the pain?
Cause my mind functions perfectly on tangents skewed insane
(Chorus 1:)
She said, "If I would of then I could of but it's unrealistic"
And I said, "So why you always gotta be so damn pessimistic"
And she said, "If I could of then I would have but it's unrealistic"
And I said, "If you could of then you would on infecto groovalistic"
(Chorus 2:)
Groove a little high groove a little low groove a little in between
Groove a little hot groove a little cold groove a little bit in my scene
Groove a little left groove a little right groove a little something with me
Grove a little sex groove a little love Infecto is the way it should be
Groovalistic
So much for smart thinking the odds weren't on my side
But ain't it fun to gamble double up and let it ride
I could of been more thoughtful I could of walked away
But I ain't afraid to say I got nothing left to say
(Chorus 1 & 2)
Groovalistic oh no! infecto groovalistic
I could of made it touching or full of tricky rhymes
I could of been more thoughtful-I could of walked away
But since I got the time I got one more thing left to say
I hate stupid people! (obviously a lot cause I say it enough)
Stupid-A person that has the capabilities to think
and or understand but refuses to use it
Loading comments slowly
