ROLLINS BAND - The Only Way To Know For Sure
August 23, 2002, 21 years ago
(Sanctuary)
This is a fine example of a good live album, not some rehashed, overdubbed rock n' rio, uh, roll. The Rollins Band say no overdubs here, and they mean it. Henry Rollins and his semi-new backing band deliver the goods here, with 28 songs over two discs, thrown at the listener with a great, thick, clear production and an undeniable energy. Rollins stays away from his more experimental, jazzy material on this one, instead sticking to the speedy rockers, a large chunk of which come from his last album, Nice: ten of that album's 12 cuts are on this one, along with a few classics from The End Of Silence and assorted other Rollins tunes. For the uninitiated, Rollins Band plays a sound that is all their own, but could be called introspective chunky rockin' metal, influenced by hardcore, by way of jazz. Lyrically, it's poetry for the alienated, words of consoling advice for the mad, lonely geniuses of the world. But the tunes themselves don't alienate, they welcome all in with their air-guitar-ability and memorable, foot-tapping perfection. Henry was there for us as fucked-up teenagers; now he's grown with us and he's here as we're mildly confused twenty-somethings (give or take!); gotta love the guy and his never-ending well of positive messages. This double live set is totally worth checking out, and would be a great introduction to Rollins Band for those who haven't heard them before.
