Royal Trux : Classic or Dud ?

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I love the Royal Trux. OK, so when you buy one of their records you never can tell whether it will be any good or not, but the good ones are soooooo good, despite sounding like they were recorded in a spare ten minutes they had between fixes. They were also great when I saw them live.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Thursday, 25 August 2005 15:55 (twenty years ago)

Does anyone have the 3rd one?

The Return of the Third Tower:
http://s36.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=19LHLBAHGED2U08QV8UKI6AM55

― Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Thursday, 25 August 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

Hey will you look at that - didn't see it on your soulseek - thanks so much Mr. Dixn.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Friday, 26 August 2005 06:15 (twenty years ago)

"Pound for Pound" was playing when I walked into a record shop this afternooon and it was one of those "this is the best record in the world" sort of moments.

― Ranking Rupert (Ranking Rupert), Sunday, 4 September 2005 15:16 (twenty years ago)

Royal Trux roolz.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 4 September 2005 18:33 (twenty years ago)

this pussy galore record i'm listening to, historia de la musica rock, definitely has a proto-trux vibe. more hagerty, less spencer pls thx.

― Ian John50n (orion), Sunday, 4 September 2005 18:41 (twenty years ago)

yeah that one's my favorite. "Don't Jones Me" is up there with Trux's all time best. Too bad it's not a Neil solo record though

― Roger Fidelity (Roger Fidelity), Sunday, 4 September 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Spencer is pretty good on that!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 4 September 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

fuck a jon spencer! where is my copy of EXTRA WIDTH?

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 5 September 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

Gotta be his best moment? I was really into Historia and disappointed when the first Blues Explosion record came out (though, of course, Trux were great for a long time) and did not follow Spencer after that.

To me, Historia de la Musica Rock is like a Godz 2 kind of awesomeness!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 00:47 (twenty years ago)

i got into an argument once with a free jazz snob who derided ALL "modern rock music", except for JSBX.

― gear (gear), Monday, 5 September 2005 00:49 (twenty years ago)

That sounds horrible.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 00:52 (twenty years ago)

the bro couldn't even argue about music. he was smart enough to namecheck some obscurities but he was one of the guys who couldn't formulate an argument for or against anything. he was just letting his taste do the talking for him, but couldn't even explain why this made him a better person than everyone else and not just some dull forty-something asshole with a beard and a couple of Peter Brotzmann CDs.

― gear (gear), Monday, 5 September 2005 01:00 (twenty years ago)

"free jazz snob" = junkie?

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 5 September 2005 01:01 (twenty years ago)

The beginning of this thread is amazing, by the way. We've got a very unenthusiastic original post, then replies of dud, probably dud, so very in between, never be classic but certainly isn't dud, I like them, best rock band ever, worse than Yo La Tengo/noisy and tuneless, classic, and then the thread died.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

in other words....ehh, very wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, right, extremely right, nonsense/moronic, OTM, time for revival

― gear (gear), Monday, 5 September 2005 01:12 (twenty years ago)

it's weird, because almost everyone i know (either in real life or on this board) LOVES teh trux. the haters must obviously be in a totally different social sphere.

― Ian John50n (orion), Monday, 5 September 2005 01:16 (twenty years ago)

I spend a great deal of time IRL trying to convince people of the Trux's greatness, and some of my attempts are successful.

― gear (gear), Monday, 5 September 2005 01:22 (twenty years ago)

Stupid people don't like them, ugly people too

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 5 September 2005 11:58 (twenty years ago)

"Accelerator" remains tight as tight in a way I'd expect a fellow Beatles obsessive to mofucking get, frankly

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:38 (twenty years ago)

You're referring to me, I guess. I only heard it once and was just not so into the Trux direction at the time. They had already done Thank You - do you really think it's tight on that level?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:44 (twenty years ago)

WAY WAY WAY tighter. A thousand times superior. I don't get the Thank You love so much tho, it's OK, a vvv good Lp, but Accelerator's the one. It's like UM Revolver, Thank You's like Rubber Soul.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:46 (twenty years ago)

accelerator = \m/

― latebloomer: snakes, snails, and puppydog tails (latebloomer), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:50 (twenty years ago)

I just realised, "Accelerator" and "Revolver" are maybe my two fav recs ever. MEANWHILE I believe some types try to say rtx aren't rock. We sit asstumed.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

I don't know - I only heard it once. I remember that stupid "Banana Question" thing and remember thinking WTF - Trux on autopilot reverting to doing "Strawberry Soda" after all this time. Royal Trux were an INSPIRED GROUP, man. For a while, anyway. In the beginning, it wasn't just some "keepin' on keepin' on" with your indie rock career on Drag City Records trip.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:54 (twenty years ago)

That's the secondbest song on it! LISTEN, BROTHER, etc. Really.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Monday, 5 September 2005 15:55 (twenty years ago)

Three dollar bin or less and I'm there, man. Just for you.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 5 September 2005 16:01 (twenty years ago)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Royal-Trux-Accelerator-RTX-Promo-CD-Domino_W0QQitemZ4764962075QQcategoryZ43652QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

― gear (gear), Monday, 5 September 2005 16:07 (twenty years ago)

oh that's brit prices though. hmm

― gear (gear), Monday, 5 September 2005 16:07 (twenty years ago)

I've got most of the Royal Trux albums (though I don't know where the self-titled one disappeared to), and while I haven't listened to them lately, it's definitely a special body of work. At some point (perhaps near future cuz of this thread) I'll immerse myself in all of them again. Hard to say they're classic. Alongside JSBX, Shellac, Grifters, Red Red Meat, Mule, Big Chief, Afghan Whigs, Jesus Lizard, Polvo, etc., their live shows are part of my fond memories of shows being a big EVENT amongst friends in our early 20s. Every couple years I listen to their albums when I get in a phase. Classic to me and some people here, but not in the sense of a larger cultural zeitgeist.

― Fastnbulbous (Fastnbulbous), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 03:58 (twenty years ago)

That list is like evidence of why they're so good, actually. If you can't hear what takes them far and high above those jobsworth workaday civilians, sure. Oh Tim "Accelerator" is by no means as tight bandwise as "Thank You", its tightness is conceptual, it comes out in the arrangements and so on. The finished version. It's a postproduction record, lent my fingers to Beatles suggestions.

― A Viking of Some Note (Andrew Thames), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

Can you describe what you think is great about the arrangements and post-production?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:33 (twenty years ago)

My sister asked me to make her a "workout" mix CD on the weekend.
Tracklisting:
1. Waterpark
2. The Exception
3. I'm Ready
4. Juicy Juicy Juice
5. The Banana Question
6. Another Year
7. Platinum Tips
8. Sunshine & Grease
9. Fire Hill
10. The United States Vs. One 1974 Cadillac el Dorado Sedan
11. Joint Chief
12. Low Ass Mountain Song
13. Stoked
14. Heavy Gator
15. What Man, Who Are You?
16. Pair Back Up Mass With
17. Chicago Charlemagne
18. Ray-O-Vac
19. Dr. Gone
20. Stop

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:45 (twenty years ago)

I'll say it again: this was a band where every move they made was interesting for a long time. Then, they just seemed to go flat. Sweet Sixteen was not an improvement on Thank You. The songs were less well-written and the thing was just sloppy all around. I don't know what the fuck Accelerator was supposed to be. Then, with Veterans of Disorder (what a fucking stupid title!) and Pound for Pound it was like Thank You again, but not as good. Big fucking deal!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 18:46 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

wrong

― gear (gear), Thursday, 13 October 2005 05:42 (twenty years ago)

When is the new Howling Hex out?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 13 October 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

Sometime in November.

― Deric W. Haircare (Deric W. Haircare), Thursday, 13 October 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

Oh hey it's this thread - here's another work out mix for your sister.

A Night To Remember
Morphic Resident
Platinum Tips
Firebase Ripcord
Small Theif
Second Skin
Law Man
Liar
Chicago Charlemagne
Shockwave Rider
Ray O Vac
Deep Country Sorcerer
Texas Dogleg
(Have You Met) Horror James
Some People Are Crazy
Back to School
Signed, Confused
The Flag
Map Of The City
Yo Se

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Thursday, 13 October 2005 15:34 (twenty years ago)

"I don't know what the fuck Accelerator was supposed to be."

the most kick ass rock record ever. the 80s entry in the production trilogy. i have no idea how someone could not love this record. don't be a liar

― resuscitated hanged man, Thursday, 13 October 2005 17:59 (twenty years ago)

Holy Shit. I can't believe it took me until this week, and buying "Pound for Pound" in the used bin for $5, to realize I had slept on such an amazing band for so long. Moremoremore.

― Stuck to a Seat in the New Beverly (Bent Over at the Arclight), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:08 (twenty years ago)

That remark makes me realize why people say Tim is crazy!

― Lion-O (nordicskilla), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:09 (twenty years ago)

"the 80s entry in the production trilogy" - roffl.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

crazy!

― gear (gear), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

WE'RE NOT CRAZY!

http://www.toliveandshaveinla.com/flemmas/vonbg.jpg

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Anyway ... guys ... I'm not saying those records are bad. Even Sweet Sixteen! (Actually, I think that second NMH solo album is something that you might call a genuinely bad album, even if there are a couple of good songs.) But the later Royal Trux records did just strike me as being more of the same and I lost interest in them.

And I didn't expect that from them and wondered why it happened. Every time they put out a record for a long time, it was something new.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Seriously, they were my favorite band! There was a visionary quality to them for a while.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 13 October 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

what's wrong with the title of veterans of disorder?!

― gear (gear), Thursday, 13 October 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

I suppose if they had been DOING SOMETHING and not just treading water, it wouldn't have seemed as pathetic. I mean, what, I'm supposed to give them their propers because they're VETERANS???

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 13 October 2005 19:20 (twenty years ago)

I mean, what, I'm supposed to give them their propers because they're VETERANS???

yes, just like the beatles.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 13 October 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

dunno what that's supposed to mean

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 13 October 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

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