Urge Overkill Albums (6)
'Urge Overkill Live at Maxwells 2/5/04'
Release Date 10/5/2004
Tracks 17
Label Emusiclive
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What The Critics Say
Sonically falling somewhere between Supersonic Storybook and Stull, Exit the Dragon is a dark, lean album, the flipside of Saturation's glossy celebration of '70s rock & roll excess, and easily Urge Overkill's most haunting collection of songs. It kicks off with "Jaywalking," a terse, powerful rocker lamenting "all the evil in this world," which sets the album's tone. Exit the Dragon is dominated by Eddie "King" Roeser, with Nash Kato on only six of the 14 songs. As usual, Roeser's songs are more claustrophobic than Kato's, particularly the clenched riffs of "The Break," and the slow crawl of "Tin Foil." Although Kato contributes the flat-out rocker "Need Some Air," many of his songs are nearly as dark as Roeser's, whether it's the acoustic "View of the Rain" (previously released as "Take a Walk" on the No Alternative compilation), the skipping pop of "Somebody Else's Body," the power pop of "Monopoly," or the soaring closer "Digital Black Epilogue," a duet with an uncredited female soul singer. But the heart of the record is Blackie Onassis' "The Mistake," an eerie tale of a drug overdose which helps Exit the Dragon take the form of a loose concept album about a rock & roll band beset by troubles on the road. While the subject is ripe for parody, Urge Overkill performs Exit the Dragon without much irony at all. Instead of being a fatal misstep, this choice proves that Urge is a tight, powerful rock & roll band blessed with first-rate songwriters, capable of more emotions than many listeners might have expected. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Jesus Urge Superstar'
Release Date 8/30/1994
Tracks 10
Label Touch & Go
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What The Critics Say
When they hit the major labels, Urge Overkill followed through on their promise with the blistering Saturation. It's stadium rock by clever post-punkers who are smart enough to not let their carefully crafted image interfere with the music. Every one of the 12 songs is a killer, from the outlandish menace of "Stalker" to the moving ballad "Back on Me," as well as the tongue-in-cheek "Woman 2 Woman" and the radio hit "Sister Havana." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'The Supersonic Storybook'
Release Date 3/26/1991
Tracks 9
Label Touch & Go
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What The Critics Say
With the addition of drummer Blackie Onassis, Urge Overkill shapes up into a killer rock & roll combo. It also doesn't hurt that the songs are the finest they have written to date. Although the production is a little flat, there's no denying the force of the best tracks. "The Candidate" boasts a huge, stadium-size riff, "The Kids Are Insane" is a frenzied, frenetic rocker, "Today Is Blackie's Birthday" is gleefully stupid, and the band is surprisingly sexy on the old soul song "Emmaline." Things bog down a bit on the second side, but Urge is starting to sound like the rock stars they always knew they were. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Americruiser completes Urge Overkill's transition from just another noisy Chicago punk band into a deliberately slick, polished hard rock machine. Butch Vig's production adds an elegant, hard sheen that makes the album flow nicely, even accounting for the occasional moments of quirkiness (such as the country-flavored "Empire Builder"). "Faroutski" starts as tuneless punk and then becomes melodic, shiny guitar pop. "Blow Chopper" is as radio-friendly an anthem as anything Urge Overkill did in their later period. Only "Smokehouse," which sounds like a Butthole Surfers outtake, echoes Urge Overkill's previous dissonant material. If the album has a flaw, it's that the material sometimes blends together too well, which means that the individual songs are less memorable than the overall album, and it may seem that the band sometimes repeats themselves from song to song. (The album also seems way too short, which only highlights how indistinct the tracks are from each other.) Nonetheless, as a whole Americruiser delivers punchy, solid guitar pop and fans of Urge Overkill's later material should definitely seek it out. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, All Music Guide
