Release
date: September 23rd
2016. Label: Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Nick
Oliveri's Mondo Generator – Best Of – Tracklisting
SIDE
A
13th
Floor
F.Y.I.F
Sonicslowmotiontrails
Like
The Sky
Dog
Food
Smashed
Apart
The
Last Train
SIDE
B
So
High
Simple
Exploding Man
Four
Corners
SIDE
C
Dead
Silence
I
Never Sleep
Shawnette
Jackson
Detroit
Lie
Detector
Take
Me Away
SIDE
D
Like
You Want
Sleep
The Lie Away
Turbonegro
Must Be Destroyed
All
The Way Down
Paper
Thin
Band
Members:
Nick
Oliveri - Bass & Vocals
Mike
Pygmie - Guitar
Jeff
Bowman - Drums
Review:
You
should be intimately familiar with Nick Oliveri. If you are not, you
must go directly to jail; do not pass go, do not collect $200 (or
Euros, pounds, rubles, pesos, marks, etc). Kyuss should be your
steady diet for the next few weeks. Only then should you attempt
Mondo Generator.
Before
I go any further with this, it should be understood this Greatest
Hits isn’t chronological. It takes more of a feel approach to the
track order. This works very well in the twisted journey that is
Mondo Generator. Mondo Generator is a revolving door of musicians
with Nick as the pivot point.
The
band formed in 1997, although didn’t release their debut album
“Cocaine Rodeo” until 2000. Nick and Josh Homme had commitments
in Queens of the Stone Age at the time. The debut album also featured
Rob Oswald from Karma to Burn on drums. Three tracks also featured
Brant Bjork. Simple Exploding Man featured all four Kyuss members,
who were invited into the sessions separately without any knowledge
of who else was on the track. All of the names above should be burned
into your stoner rock memory! They crafted the sound that hundreds of
bands took further into the outer reaches of space. There was very
little support for this release, but it gain cult status amongst fan
of Queens of the Stone Age.
In
2003, “A Drug Problem That Never Existed” was released. Nick
hired more friends including Mark Lanegan, Troy Dean Van Leeuwen and
Blag Dahlia from The Dwarves (that Nick also plays bass in). A live
version band toured for three months in the US and Europe to support
this release. The band would also play an afternoon set at
Lollapalooza and then Nick would play on the main stage that night
with Queens of the Stone Age.
In
early 2004 Nick would be fired from Queens of the Stone Age and make
Mondo Generator his full time project. During their set in Germany
Nick assaulted a member of the crew at the club due to sound
problems. The other members left Nick in Germany and returned to the
US.
In
2005 Nick began working on the next Mondo Generator album in Dave
Grohl’s 606 Studio. Nick hired Ben Perrier and Ben Thomas from
Winnebago Deal to round out the new band. Short lived, both Ben’s
left the band in July 2006. The new album “Dead Planet:
Sonicslowmotiontrails” was release in Europe. In July 2007 it was
release in the US as “Dead Planet”.
After
a few false starts Nick would release “Hell Comes to Your Heart”
in 2012. The album included the track “The Last Train”, which
featured Josh Homme and John Garcia and was recorded shortly before
Josh filed suit against Garcia and Kyuss Lives!
2015
brought news that the band would begin recording and touring in the
fall.
This
is more of a history of the band than a review of the Greatest Hits.
How can anyone review such a diverse collection of songs from such a
diverse group of musicians? Although Nick is the consistent
personality in the group, his struggles and demons morph his musical
direction so much over 20 years; it would be impossible to put into
words what this collection is about.
It’s
such an amazing journey, dark, twisted, raw, emotional and as gritty
as Nick is. Volatile people make beautiful art. Nick is living proof
of that, thankfully he is still living and making his beautiful art!
Words
by Bill Bensen
Thanks
to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. Nick Oliveri's Mondo
Generator – Best Of, will be available to buy via Heavy PsychSounds from Sept 23rd 2016 on CD/DD/Vinyl.
Links:
