Now I Got Worry

Going into Now I Got Worry by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, I had never heard of this band. The dark, ominous album cover gave me the impression that I was in for something bleak and unsettling.

Unfortunately, this album just didn't do it for me at all. It feels like a collection of noisy, disjointed interludes rather than actual songs. There are 16 tracks, but nothing really develops or stands out. Most of the tracks blur into one another, with lots of noise and repetition, and very little in the way of melody or structure.

I found it quite a long and difficult listen. Rather than feeling experimental in an exciting way, it just felt monotonous and, at times, tiresome. I kept waiting for a song to grab me, but it never really happened.

Overall, this wasn't for me. I can appreciate that it may appeal to fans of more experimental or noise-driven music, but I struggled to find anything to enjoy here.

Favourite track: I couldn't pick one. None of the tracks really worked for me.

Least favourite track: Everything on the album.

Album artwork: A dark and moody cover, which fits the music, but not something I particularly like.

Have not heard any JSBE since owning Extra Width in the early '90s. This doesn't stray too far from what I remember. I love the overall feel of uninhibited chaos that runs throughout this release. Guitar tones are atrocious in the best way possible. Lots of MC5 style garage rock fused with traditional blues, played at an amphetamine pace. This is an abominable spectacle and I am celebrating it.

Insane pull. I didn't know an album could oscillate between awesome and boring so quickly and so frequently.

You know what? THIS being my 1001st album (instead of something high quality) actually epitomizes this list extremely well. A wise reviewer once said, "maybe there aren't 1001 albums worth listening to."
1 second in and I already know this is 1*. Starting with screaming, and claiming this is blues? The f?

Jon Spencer sounds as if The White Stripes went all in on a punk sound and dialled the aggression up several notches. I love the barely coherent outbursts and ramshackle attitude. On the one song where he reduces the energy and mellows out the sound loses all its shape, so I’m glad that the record gets by on mostly blunt force. A cool, weird sound that improves as it goes on.

Ohhh they call themselves “blues” because it makes you sad that you’re listening to them instead of something better

caralho tomei um jumpscarezaço com o início do album meu deus do ceu quase cai da cadeira
ou barulheira boa, hein. os cara num mente nao, eh blues explosion mesmo. loucura demais, caótico pra carai. coisa boa. o show deles deve ser bacana. gostei bastante!

Wow, I’ve seen the name Jon Spenser Blues Explosion many times before and every time I’ve assumed they were some blues-y guitar rock band, which has led to me avoiding them. I guess that’s not entirely wrong, but this isn’t the same tired blues licks played over and over again. It’s a bit punk, a bit funk, and pretty damn noisy. That’s two days in a row that I was completely wrong anbout a band; I need to learn to not judge a book by its cover.

The Good: He’s got the worry, not me!
The Bad: I’d be worried too though…
The Ugly: Exploding blues… it gets nasty!

Yeah… no need to waste words on this atrocity.

In order to save 1996, please listen to Matchbox 20, The Wallflowers… Tool?

Skip this album… it was horrid to listen to, and I regret having to dish out a 1*

Not what I was wanting to listen to at 7am having just had a night of driving around trying to see the persides meteor shower and ultimately failing but it is what i was handed

This may have lead to my dislike of this album a little but year I didn’t really like this

2

Sticky sounds like Radiohead’s Creep. This album was good. The late 60’s garage rock influences are clear and are enjoyable. The singer sounds like Mick Jagger sometimes. I like how occasionally a synth or piano will make an appearance. Favorites were Wail, 2Kindsa Love, Rocketship, Can’t Stop, and Eyeballin.

Couldn't pass more than track 2

Not what I was expecting at all, based on the name I thought I was getting a Blues album lol. The scream at the start really took me by surprise.

It did take a couple of tracks for it to click with me but it was great once it did. Definitely one I’ll be going back to and I’ll have to check out more of their albums.

Top Track - Dynamite Lover

En 1996, alors que la Britpop s'embourgeoise dans des stades pleins à craquer et que l'electro commence à imposer sa loi lourdement métronomique, un trio de New-Yorkais débarque avec un disque dont le nom sonne comme un aveu ou une menace : Now I Got Worry. A cet oeuvre, je donne un solide 4 sur 5 et même si son manque d'accessibilité immédiate pourrait en refroidir plus d'un, et ce dès les premières minutes.

Après avoir exploré le chaos avec Pussy Galore, Jon Spencer, flanqué de ses fidèles complices Judah Bauer et Russell Simins, s'est mis en tête de célébrer la puissance et la virulence du blues originel, mais en lui injectant une bonne dose de rage punk et de crasse garage. Le résultat est un assaut sonore d'une rare violence. Le disque s'ouvre sur « Skunk », et l'entrée en matière est tout simplement incandescente : un cri strident, viscéral, qui déchire le silence avant que la batterie lourde et résonnante de Simins ne vienne vous enfoncer le thorax.

Ce qui me fascine dans la performance de Spencer, c'est cette manière unique de vampiriser l'histoire de la musique américaine. Il prend le déhanchement sexuel d'Elvis et lui donne une inflexion totalement punk, presque malsaine. Sur « Wail », il se transforme sous nos yeux : moitié prédicateur baptiste illuminé du fin fond du Sud, moitié pilier de bar vicieux prêt à déclencher une bagarre générale. C'est théâtral, c'est outrancier, et c'est diablement efficace. Sur « 2Kindsa Love », le morceau bascule constamment entre les hurlements possédés de Spencer et les attaques discordantes de la guitare rythmique de Judah Bauer. On est au bord de la rupture, le son est saturé, la production de Jim Waters et de Spencer lui-même est volontairement brute, capturant l'essence même de leurs concerts.

Pourtant, sous cette couche de distorsion et de fureur brute, le Blues Explosion connaît ses classiques sur le bout des doigts. L'hommage aux anciens n'est pas une posture de petit étudiant en musicologie, c'est un cri du cœur. Prenez « Chicken Dog » : le groupe y invite la légende du R&B Rufus Thomas en personne. À 78 ans, le vieux lion pose sa voix avec l'énergie d'un adolescent éternel sur un morceau qui salue directement ses propres classiques, « Walkin' The Dog » et « Do The Funky Chicken ». Plus loin, « R. L. Got Soul » vient enfoncer le clou en rappelant la complicité du trio avec l'énigmatique bluesman du Mississippi R. L. Burnside, qu'ils venaient de backer sur le monumental An Ass Pocket Of Whiskey. Je vois là une tentative brute, honnête et viscérale de reconnecter le rock moderne avec ses racines les plus sombres et les plus terreuses.

Alors oui, l'album perd sa cinquième étoile à cause de ce mur du son parfois impénétrable qui attend l'auditeur non averti dès les premiers instants. Now I Got Worry est un disque exigeant, bruyant, parfois épuisant, qui exige une reddition totale de vos tympans.

Just rubbish. At time its sounds like they want to be The Jimi Hendrix Experience…..they are not.

It was an unfortunate way to discover my earphones were on basically full volume given the first track starts with a massive scream... However I really liked a lot of this album.

It's completely all-over the place, but when it hits for me, I really love it (Wail, 2 Kindsa Love, Chicken Dog, Rocketship, Can't Stop). Unfortunately there are also parts that are actively unpleasant to listen to (Sticky being the best example). Oh, and Fuck Shit Up sounds like a much swearier Beck.

I can entirely understand why most people would hate this... but for the most part, I didn't. It makes it hard to mark because 3 seems too low for me, but a 4 quite a lot. On balance:

3/5

I mean… 1.8-ish. After a couple of first tracks it’s listenable.

I got 15-20sec into this album and had to switch back to something that would preserve my morning peace.
But when I actually listened, I learned that “Blues Explosion” apparently means hardcore rockabilly and a jammy/loose version of garage blues rock. All things I’m into, but I feel like I could easily point to better examples for inclusion on this list. According to Spotify listens, this isn’t even their most popular album?

Kind of fun and crazy, but also kind of fatiguing for a whole album.

Shit. From a butt. A few cool guitar licks, but this does nothing for me.