McRad Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Two decades after the release of Absence of Sanity, Chuck Treece decides to have another go at rocking skatepunk on FDR with a new rendition of McRad. The band sounds surprisingly current, and borrows a little from the West Coast pop-punkers of the moment, but still has a foot planted firmly in the Bad Brains inspired punk-metal from the '80s. Unfortunately, in Treece's attempt to rectify the band, he took the liberty of re-recording six of the classic cuts from Absence of Sanity, and by doing so he tarnishes songs that were once great skate anthems, including the brilliant, "Prevent That Tragedy," and "Weakness." This could be an understandable move, if the original songs sounded dated, but in many ways they sound more relevant than the newer versions. Like the Brains' release from 2007, Build a Nation, the energized vocals from the band's heyday have devolved into a less energetic and reckless style, and are compensated by production tricks like dubby delays and reverbs. At times, like in "Dead by Dawn," he resists the urge to shout or push his vocal range at all, and speaks the verses in a manner reminiscent of G. Love. This wouldn't be such a bad thing if the original "Dead by Dawn" wasn't such a rollicking hardcore song, but this toned-down remake is just strange in retrospect. Presumably, this disc is being used as a calling card to get shows playing on an upcoming Warped Tour, where he would fit right in, but it also serves to show that Chuck doesn't exactly have a wealth of new material. Of the new songs, there are a few standouts ("Feel," and "Son"), but without the remakes and instrumentals, this would only be a four-song EP. If the entire CD were of those songs' caliber, it would be a wonderful showing, but as uneven as this presentation is, it's difficult to recommend. At best, a few of these songs are worth plopping on an ipod, otherwise, this release's best attribute is that it could possibly rekindle interest in the band's unfairly overlooked classic release. ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's fitting that Chuck Treece would later count his greatest accomplishment not as being a renowned session player who worked with the likes of Billy Joel, but occupying the drum stool for Bad Brains on the venerable band's touring to support Rise; especially when you listen to his first band McRad. Alternative Tentacles fueled a resurgence in the old-school skate rock scene with reissues in 2001 of bands such as Los Olvidados and Free Beer. The material on the 1987 disc fits in sonically and aesthetically with the rudimentary thrashing heard on labels such as Boner Records and touted in Flipside Magazine, even though McRad was an East Coast group (most skate rock culture originated out West). Absence of Sanity also shows a maturity that put the band light years ahead of its peers in the pre-X-Games-and-endorsement-deals world, and this is due to the obvious love and admiration of Bad Brains. Mindless thrashing and inane lyrics of the group's skater brethren are replaced by thoughtful themes and, much like the Brains pioneered, an infusion of reggae ("Words of Life" is a straight-up dub track that fuses into an anthemic riff and inspirational vocals) mixed with the punk rock. It works so perfectly you can't help but conclude that McRad deserved a better fate, and that this release is not sheer nostalgia. Absence of Sanity, even without the additional live songs and two cuts from a 1984 compilation, holds up decades after its initial release, and cliché be damned, sounds just as fresh as it did back in the day. ~ Brian O'Neill, All Music Guide
