turn it upside down is probably the most overlooked doctors cd. i dont see how people could review this cd negatively. this is one of my favorite cd's hands down. i dont rate cd's on commercial success and how good their singles are because those are the only songs people take notice too. this cd is amazing. its a very optimistic album and i love everything about it. im not going to go on about my favorite songs because thats a personal opinion and really doesnt make much sense for me to try and influence your opinion for the cd. you should take a listen and form your own opinion. this is one of those cd's that grows on you more and more each time you listen to it. take a listen and youll be hooked.
Pocket Full of Kryptonite was a very, very solid release. But when a band has years to write their first album, then the expectation to create an incredible followup in a short time, most bands disappoint. They can overcome this by changing styles.
For the most part, the Spin Doctors delved into their library of chestnuts for this album. There were a few newer songs, and some that didn't translate as well into live settings.
Chris Barron has much more creative control over this album than he had on PFoK. This is evidenced by the less jam-centric nature of some of the songs.
This isn't a bad thing - Chris Barron has a lot of good songs in him.
Big Fat Funky Booty opens the album, and it's an excellent choice. It was a solid crowd-pleaser for years before release.
You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast is an interesting track. While it's well written, both Mark and Eric sound a little more out of their element.
Cleopatra's Cat was one of the strangest missteps, and I'd blame it on the relative failure of this album commercially. The song doesn't grab the listener instantly, unless they were already paying attention. However, the track is incredibly interesting... if you turn the volume up. Listening to this track loud - or on headphones - is what they were hearing when they decided to release it as a single. Mark's bass is very cool.
Hungry Hamed's is classic. This was also a popular live track. Eric's guitar work is spectacular, especially the scraping noises during the main riff as the chords are about to ascend at the end of the phrase. Mark's bass is as funky as ever.
Biscuit Head is a lot of fun, and that's probably the way that they approached the song.
Indifference is Eric's song, and similar to his spotlight on PFoK, it's an enjoyable song. Hearing Barron's backing vocals is very nice.
Bags of Dirt is another older song. It's good, and they bring a strong energy to the song. The backing vocal does the hook with the "truckload of hurt" line.
Mary Jane is Barron's song. It doesn't come across as being a song that the whole band worked on. It's still a very likable song.
More Than Meets The Ear is an unusual song. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it does sound like it was a whole band effort.
Laraby's Gang is another Barron song, and is just as charming as Mary Jane.
At This Hour was another old song. It's good, but unremarkable.
Someday All This Will Be Road is very good. But I think it was difficult to reproduce live. The guitar work is very enjoyable.
Beasts In The Woods is a peculiar track. It sounds much more poorly thought-through than the others. I suspect it was lot of fun to play, and there's some interesting guitar work. But it doesn't feel as much like a complete song.
Is it as good as PFoK? No, but it's nowhere near as bad as it's been made out to be.
The biggest problems with every one of the Spin Doctors albums is the mixing. These mixes are made for casual listeners who are interested in getting the sense of the song. If the mixes would pull out the bass a bit more, and maybe separate the instruments with a little more clarity, we'd hear how terrific Mark White's bass work is, and how clever Aaron's drums are.
This is a fun album and the green vinyl is a great addition to your vinyl collection. The sound on green vinyl is not as good as regular vinyl, but it's fine. Big Fat Funky Booty. Enough said.
Sometimes first albums can make a band and break them at the same time. Take the Spin Doctors for instance. Their 1991 album Pocket Full of Kryptonite was a masterpiece. Funky riffs, wild lyrics, and a jam band feel, it took the world by storm and sold more than 5 million copies. Good news for the Doctors because this gives them the go ahead to put out another cd. But bad news for the band if you want to grow and move forward.
Turn it Upside Down is a solid effort from the Spin Doctors, and in some ways even surpasses the first. But it didn't matter to most people. The band sold over a million albums, but the decline was in effect.
And that frankly sucks. Because this is a stellar album. Funkier then the original it worked more on vibes than radio friendly material. The biggest single was You Let Your Heart Go Too Fast. And while that's a great tune, there are so many more on the record. Big Fat Funky Booty, Cleopatra' Cat, All This Will Be Road....all amazing songs.
So should you get the cd? Yes if you are a Spin Doctor's fan and want to see their natural progression as a band. But if you expect to hear the same exact music as Pocket, then don't bother. Me? I love this album and wish they would make another soon.
I really enjoy Spin Doctors music, and I already own Pocket Full of Kryptonite and love most every song, its definitely a 4 to 5 star album, with some gems on it. This one just pales in comparison. I still gave it a 3, one because I can't make myself give any of their work less than a 3 unless it really deserves it, and because there are still some great tunes. The starter, "Big Fat Funky Booty" is a prime example of the groovy, but in your face funk- rock of their earliest days, and Cleopatra's Cat has an incredible jazz feel that the guys pull off quite well, and has some cool skat lines. Now, with the exception of Beasts in the Woods, and a few others, the album was disappointing. The tunes have mostly lost their groove from before, Chris' vocals have gotten more nasally, and "Biscuit Head"?, yes they may be know for goofy lyrics and I'm all for that, but what? So overall I guess if you're a fan of the group pick it up on here for a close to nothing and a little shipping, if you just want to know what else the Two Princes band did, it's not worth the effort.
