Ralphy's C.D. Reviews

Review date 02-12-1998: The Toadies - C.D. Rubberneck

Again I'm reviewing the debut-album of an U.S.-band. This time it's a quartet from Texas called The Toadies. The members are 3 guys and 1 girl, Todd Lewis (vocals and guitar), Mark Rez (drums), Clark Vogeler (guitar) and female Lisa Umbarger on bass. I came in contact with the music of The Toadies (in Holland they're totally unknown) through an internet-contact and Toadies-addict, Californian Eddie Wright. He mailed me a tape of their first C.D. Rubberneck and included some non-album tracks like cover "Luck be a lady" (not recommendable for fans of the original Frank Sinatra-version) and "Unattractive" (from the movie "The Cable Guy" with Jim Carrey), so actually I'm reviewing this tape and not the Compact Disc itself.

The tape opens with the instrumental song "Mexican hairless" in which you can immediately hear what The Toadies are all about. Although by far not the best song it is typical for their musical style with warped guitar rock and powerful drums. On all the other songs we can also hear the vocals of songwriter Todd Lewis, who will never be known as a great singer, but fits in extremely well with The Toadies. They remind me a bit of "Bush", but are more direct and less circumstantial in their lyrics. Their tell-it-like-it-is style isn't always what some people would call "politically correct" with songs about rape (Tyler), surpressed homicidal feelings (Happyface) and anger about a break-up (Quitter), but they definitely get a message across. What that message is, I haven't quite figured out, anger perhaps. Let me know on the Music and Stuff Forum if you ever find out what it is!!

Any comments you might have on these reviews

Visit my message board: Ralphy's Music and Stuff Forum

Their most successful song till now was "Possum kingdom". A song in which The Toadies divert a little from their straight-on rock and become a little more symphonic. A line in there tells you all about their raging lyrics "I'll not be a gentleman". My personal favourites on the album are "Away" and "I come from the water", but all songs are worth listening too, except maybe "Velvet" which is just plain swearing on (good) music. Worth mentioning are also the songs "Backslider", "I burn" (but I have no idea what they're about?) and especially non-album tracks "Cut me out" and "Paper dress". All in all The Toadies rock big time and I hope their new and upcoming album (they just finished recording it in 2000) will mean their European breakthrough, so I can buy it over here otherwise I will have to keep depending on the goodwill of my LA-buddy, Eddie W. I rate this album/tape with an 8.0 .

What is your opinion about the CD's I reviewed? Vote for your favorite CD in this booth! You can only vote once a day.

Ralphy's CD Review Voting Booth

Update 28-01-1999

I got another tape from Eddie W. through a pal of mine, Barry H. On it were 6 non-album songs of The Toadies I didn't know yet. I liked "Not in love" (about a one night stand?) a lot, "Santacide" was very funny and "Cowboy Song" is The Toadies's ironic attempt at a country song, it's an old Thin Lizzy cover. "Stop it" is also a cover from a (poor) song from a band called Pylon. "Dig a hole" and "I hope you die" are songs The Toadies released in 1991, which you hear because there not quite up to the standard of Rubberneck, but they're OK.

Back to Ralphy's C.D. Reviews Page

Back to Ralphy's Cool Music Site