HawgWyld's Full Review: The Blind Leading the Naked by The Violent Femmes
The members of the Violent Femmes had a difficult problem which they never quite resolved. Specifically, their self-titled debut from 1983 was so well-received and acclaimed that the band was never quite able to match it. Regardless, 1986's Blind Leading the Naked is a very good album which stands as a solid release from the band.
On The Blind Leading the Naked, we find the band expanding its sound and -- evidently -- working with a fairly impressive budget. This disc, the third from the three-piece band from Milwaukee, was produced by Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads fame, of course). Harrison's role in this disc needs to be mentioned as this disc is very slick when compared with either Violent Femmes or 1985's Hallowed Ground. Harrison, in fact, helped expand the band's sound by playing keyboards and a bit of guitar on this.
Now, folks familiar with Violent Femmes might by a bit surprised by Blind Leading the Naked as the debut disc was dominated by acoustic instruments. On Blind Leading the Naked there's plenty of electric guitar, keyboards and even a horn section on "I Held Her in My Arms" (one of the best and hardest-rocking tracks on the disc, by the way).
Also, front man Gordan Gano's Baptist upbringing crops up in force here (it did on Hallowed Ground, too). "Faith" is a downright celebratory, blues-driven gospel number which comes across as a heart-felt expression of a belief in God. That's quite a departure from the band's debut.
In spite of all the changes, this still sounds like a Violent Femmes disc, and a darn good one, at that. Brian Ritchie still did plenty of blues-riffing on his bass while Victor de Lorenzo tossed in his busy -- yet fairly basic -- drum work. "Breakin' Hearts" is a primarily acoustic affair which moves along at a breakneck pace and details the exploits of a no-good woman.
"Special" and "Heartache" are both hard-driving rock tracks on which Gano delivers his angst-ridden lyrics and gripes about all manner of things. "No Killing" and "Children of the Revolution" (a cover of a T-Rex song) are fairly enjoyable, but come across as very labored, plodding and a bit hard to take. The same is true of "Cold Canyon."
On "Love & Me Make Three," Ritchie contributes the lead vocal. The track is, primarily, a "white boy" blues number which is downright cheerful. "Good Friend" is another cheerful, laid-back number. And, there are even some very short tracks on here -- "Two People" (a sentimental ballad) and "Old Mother Reagan" (which just thrashes away).
I should also mention "Candlelight Song," because that one is just downright creepy. You've got a song about mourning, to begin with, and a very dark musical atmosphere created in this little dirge. Creepy, creepy.
All in all, this release pales when compared with the band's debut, but there are enough highlights on here to make it a worthwhile purchase.
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