Laboratory of Sound

Laboratory of Sound
Studio album by
the Fleshtones
Released1995
RecordedMay 1995
GenreRock
LabelIchiban
ProducerSteve Albini
The Fleshtones chronology
Beautiful Light
(1994) 		Laboratory of Sound
(1995) 		Hitsburg USA!
(1996)

Laboratory of Sound is an album by the American band the Fleshtones, released in 1995.[1][2] They supported it with a North American tour.[3] The album sold around 20,000 copies in its first decade of release.[4]

Production

Recorded over two weeks in May 1995, the album was produced by Steve Albini.[5][6] "High on Drugs" was first recorded by guitarist Keith Streng's band with Peter Buck, Full Time Men.[7] The band, for the first time, wrote about their experiences, with "We'll Never Forget" a tribute to the music scene that had sustained the Fleshtones for almost 20 years.[8][9] An unlisted 69th track, "I Don't Live Today", is a cover of the Jimi Hendrix Experience song.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Age[11]
All Music Guide to Rock[12]
Alternative Rock3/10[10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Great Indie Discography5/10[14]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[15]

The Advocate called the Fleshtones "the B-movie version of the Ramones."[16] Stereo Review praised the "loud, funny, kinetic set of Sixties-styled garage rockers", but criticized Albini's production, saying that "doubtless he had some rigorous alterna-rock theoretical reason for why the sound lacks conspicuous oomph."[17] The Age deemed it "a good, straight up rock 'n' roll album, sticking to the same old garage/soul/swamp".[11] The Telegraph & Argus opined that "the tunes simply aren't there" to support the "low-fi type of sound".[18]

The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock concluded that "the monochromatic rock performances of constricted melodies leaves Laboratory—the casualty of inadequate preparation and overly casual execution—a disappointing write-off."[19]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Let's Go!" 
2."High on Drugs" 
3."Sands of Our Lives" 
4."Nostradamus Jr." 
5."The Sweetest Thing" 
6."Hold You" 
7."Accelerated Emotion" 
8."Train of Thought" 
9."One Less Step" 
10."A Motor Needs Gas" 
11."Psychedelic Swamp" 
12."Fading Away" 
13."We'll Never Forget" 
69."I Don't Live Today" 

References

  1. ^ "Fleshtones Are the Real Deal, but How Will That Sell?". Weekender. The Columbus Dispatch. December 7, 1995. p. 8.
  2. ^ Allen, Greg (August 13, 1995). "CDs of the Week". The Press of Atlantic City. p. C5.
  3. ^ Cornell, Tom (December 10, 1995). "High-energy shows a Fleshtones trademark". The Grand Rapids Press. p. G7.
  4. ^ Bonomo, Joe (2007). Sweat: The Story of the Fleshtones, America's Garage Band. Continuum. p. 329.
  5. ^ Harrell, John (October 14, 1995). "'Laboratory of Sound' The Fleshtones". Scene. The Courier-Journal. p. 5.
  6. ^ Hampel, Paul (December 14, 1995). "Paying Punk's Price". Get Out. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 24.
  7. ^ Testa, Jim (August 25, 1995). "Fleshtones evoke memories of punk/pop synergy". The Jersey Journal. p. E11.
  8. ^ Considine, J. D. (December 21, 1995). "The Fleshtones in the flesh". Live. The Baltimore Sun. p. 6.
  9. ^ Terlesky, John (September 23, 1995). "Disc Reviews". The Morning Call. p. A56.
  10. ^ a b Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman Books. p. 740.
  11. ^ a b Roberts, Jo (February 1, 1998). "CD Reviews". Applause. The Age. p. 6.
  12. ^ All Music Guide to Rock. Backbeat Books. 2002. p. 416.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. III. Macmillan. p. 1938.
  14. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography (2nd ed.). Canongate. p. 70.
  15. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 435.
  16. ^ Wirt, John (October 13, 1995). "The Fleshtones Laboratory of Sound". Fun. The Advocate. p. 7.
  17. ^ Simels, Steve (November 1995). "Popular music — Laboratory of Sound by Fleshtones". Stereo Review. Vol. 60, no. 11. p. 114.
  18. ^ Ashberry, Simon (October 14, 1995). "Reviews: Albums". Telegraph & Argus. p. 4A.
  19. ^ Robbins, Ira A., ed. (1997). The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock. Simon & Schuster. p. 265.
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