Fierce Creatures: The Sequel

Longtime readers may recall the saga of Something Fierce, the brilliant and brilliantly funny band I first wrote about here back in August of '07.

Well, I'm happy to report there's some big news on the band front -- to wit, an utterly amazing box set.





If you click play, BTW, you'll hear one of my Something Fierce faves -- the hilarious and gloriously melodic "Deep and Meaningful."

Anyway, here's the skinny, from the official website:

From 1983 to 1991 there was a band in Minneapolis called Something Fierce. Drawing from such classic influences as Elvis Costello, R.E.M., and the Beatles, SF made the catchy, brainy, danceable music that (their compatriot small liberal arts college grads) Fountains of Wayne was to hit it big with a decade later. They released six records in a variety of formats, and now most of them are long out of print.

But, for a number of reasons, 2009 was the year for a gigantic reissue. Culling through stacks of nearly worn out board recordings, we've put together the official complete Something Fierce set, pre-ripped to MP3, over nine hours of music packaged on two data CDs with a 24-page deluxe booklet. It is available now and can be ordered online for the very reasonable price of $39.99.

That pretty much sums it up, except to say that the set has all their studio work, including amazing outtakes (like the beyond remarkable "Abducted By Your Face"), plus tons of great live stuff (including a cover of Spinal Tap's "Give Me Some Money" that has been making me smile for two days now) and that the deluxe booklet features reminiscences from critics and fans including yours truly. Here's a little of what I had to say.

"One song [from the set] deserves particular mention...specifically, 'Watergate,' in which [they] posit -- over a hilariously overdramatic instrumental bed -- that A Girlfriend From Hell is the metaphorical equivalent of the Nixon scandals and sustain the conceit for more than five fricking minutes. If nothing else, this must be the first song in history to contemplate rhyming 'spill the beans' with 'Haldeman, Mitchell and Dean,' and I would like to go on record, at this juncture, as saying that this song remains for my money the most audacious conceptual masterstroke on any '90s rock album by anybody. So there."

Strong words, and unminced, but I stand by every one of them. In any case, you can find the complete track listing, as well as order The Everything That the Man Had, over HERE.

Well -- what are you waiting for?

Incidentally, if you happen to find yourself in the Minneapolis area this weekend, the band -- Eric Tretbar, Jerry Lefkowitz, Dave Russ, Devin Hill and Al Bergstrom -- will be playing 2 sets at a Carleton College (their alma mater) reunion in Northfield on Saturday at 9pm. If you're comfortable with the idea, please crash the thing and tell the guys I said hello.