Minutemen / Double Nickels On The Dime
Artist Minutemen
Album Title: Double Nickels On The Dime
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Rock
Format Vinyl (2)
Released 1984
Label SST Records
Catalog No SST-028
Packaging LP Sleeve (Double)
Tracks
Double Nickels On The Dime (Disc 1)
A1. Anxious Mo-Fo (1:15)
A2. Theatre Is The Life Of You (1:28)
A3. Viet Nam (1:27)
A4. Cohesion (1:57)
A5. It's Expected I'm Gone (2:07)
A6. #1 Hit Song (1:52)
A7. Two Beads At The End (1:50)
A8. Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth? (1:46)
A9. Don't Look Now (1:40)
A10. Shit From An Old Notebook (1:33)
A11. Nature Without Man (1:43)
A12. One Reporter's Opinion (1:47)
B1. Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing (1:29)
B2. Maybe Partying Will Help (1:57)
B3. Toadies (1:38)
B4. Retreat (1:55)
B5. The Big Foist (1:27)
B6. God Bows To Math (1:18)
B7. Corona (2:29)
B8. The Glory Of Man (2:52)
B9. Take 5, D. (1:41)
B10. My Heart And The Real World (1:03)
B11. History Lesson - Part II (2:12)
Double Nickels On The Dime (Disc 2)
A1. You Need The Glory (2:00)
A2. Thr Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts (1:21)
A3. Mr. Robot's Holy Orders (3:00)
A4. West Germany (1:49)
A5. The Politics Of Time (1:08)
A6. Themselves (1:18)
A7. Please Don't Be Gentle With Me (0:46)
A8. Nothing Indeed (1:20)
A9. No Exchange (1:54)
A10. There Ain't Shit On TV Tonight (1:35)
A11. This Ain't No Picnic (1:54)
A12. Spillage (1:48)
B1. Untitled Song For Latin America (2:02)
B2. Jesus And Tequila (2:56)
B3. June 16th (1:47)
B4. Storm In My House (2:02)
B5. Martin's Story (0:51)
B6. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (0:38)
B7. Doctor Wu (1:41)
B8. Little Man With A Gun In His Hand (2:53)
B9. The World According To Nouns (2:02)
B10. Love Dance (2:03)
Date Acquired 12/03/2011
Personal Rating
Acquired from Record Show (Mpls)
Purchase Price 20.00

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Reviews
All Music Guide Review:

Review by Mark Deming

If What Makes a Man Start Fires? was a remarkable step forward from the Minutemen's promising debut album, The Punch Line, then Double Nickels on the Dime was a quantum leap into greatness, a sprawling 44-song set that was as impressive as it was ambitious. While punk rock was obviously the starting point for the Minutemen's musical journey (which they celebrated on the funny and moving "History Lesson Part II"), by this point the group seemed up for almost anything -- D. Boon's guitar work suggested the adventurous melodic sense of jazz tempered with the bite and concision of punk rock, while Mike Watt's full-bodied bass was the perfect foil for Boon's leads and drummer George Hurley possessed a snap and swing that would be the envy of nearly any band. In the course of Double Nickels on the Dime's four sides, the band tackles leftist punk ("Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing"), Spanish guitar workouts ("Cohesion"), neo-Nortena polka ("Corona"), blues-based laments ("Jesus and Tequila"), avant-garde exercises ("Mr. Robot's Holy Orders"), and even a stripped-to-the-frame Van Halen cover ("Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"). From start to finish, the Minutemen play and sing with an estimable intelligence and unshakable conviction, and the album is full of striking moments that cohere into a truly remarkable whole; all three members write with smarts, good humor, and an eye for the adventurous, and they hit pay dirt with startling frequency. And if Ethan James' production is a bit Spartan, it's also efficient, cleaner than their work with Spot, and captures the performances with clarity (and without intruding upon the band's ideas). Simply put, Double Nickels on the Dime was the finest album of the Minutemen's career, and one of the very best American rock albums of the 1980s.
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