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I came across Bumblefoot aka Ron Thal long ago with
his guitar frenzy, Zappa-esque release of The Adventures of Bumblefoot.
My youngest daughter quickly “borrowed” the disc because of its comical side but
I missed hearing it because of Thal’s amazing guitar playing style. Not only
does he play unique riffs that rival Vai and Satriani but he physically mutates
his axes into bizarre and surreal things. I cannot really describe them except
to say think, Dali, Bosch or Pee Wee’s Playhouse.
This release was to be
titled Guitars SUCK but with the unforgivably insane madness of the
terrorist attack on America by u-know-who on 9-11-01, Thal re-named the release
to 9.11, marking the tragic event, and to raise money to help lessen the
dire straits of the victims and their families. 100% of the profits from the
sale of this release go to the American Red Cross.
If you are
into pumping and hard-slamming axe with killer solos laced throughout you’ll
love this release. There are seven way-cool instrumentals showcasing Thal’s
magic-man fret stunts and a bevy of techniques. And there are five tunes with
lyrics and yet again more crunch-worthy explosions of Thal’s fingertips. This is
not shred nor aimless noodling jams without soul. Thal bursts out of each track
with exuberant guitar pyrotechnics that show form and function in just having
fun playing.
Some moments of this CD are light-hearted and others
rip out with angst. It’s all here, the heaviness of Prong’s Tommy Victor, some
acoustic splendor, and mainly the riff-tech rock mirroring Vai yet this work
remains uniquely Thal. Frank Zappa tips his fez to you Bumblefoot. Good
stuff. High recommendations for Thal’s noteworthy guitar and his obvious
mastery.
~ John W. Patterson
Personnel: Ron Thal on a myriad of axes and more along with his wild friends like Joboj and Dweezil Zappa and others...
Tracks: Fly in the Batter, Lost, Raygun, Hole in the Sky, Children of Sierra Leone, Don Pardo Pimpwagon, Legend of Van Cleef, Guitars SUCK, Hall of Souls, Top of the World, R2, Time
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0402_080.htm
APRIL 2002