by One Bad Pig in the late 80's. It's been a fun ride ever since. 1. "Godarchy"
(3:09) With the band's first official album, after releasing their indie album "A Christian Banned", One Bad Pig begins a crossover from traditional punk to a thrash/punk hybrid. "Swine Flew" is loaded with great anthems and humerous lyrics to sing along too. Songs like "Smash the Guitar" and "Let's Be Frank" are guaranteed to embed themselves permanently in your brain with their infections choruses. However, as fun and silly as this band is, their Christian message is serious as a heart attack. Says vocalist Carey Womack, "God has seen fit to use a very foolish thing to proclaim His message." One Bad Pig are kind of like mixing a carnival, a tent revival and heavy guitars. One Bad Pig are a bubbling cauldron of fun. They were typically classified as a punk band, but really their music was a mish-mash of punk, funk, rock and thrash, all rolled into one Sunday School class for juvenile delinquents. No doubt the lyrical themes were all patently Christian, but these guys made learning your Sunday School lessons fun and entertaining. They could take serious topics like the wrath of God, and add some humor to it to bring home the message, without actually diluting the message. "Bowl of Wrath, Breakfast on the crooked path! If you choose to laugh, you can have another "Bowl of Wrath!" Gotta love it! At the same time, they could bring me to my knees in worship like no other band with songs like "When Your Love Died" and "Red River," the later sounding more like a U2 song than anything by a punk band. There is even a thrashing version of Petra's "Judas' Kiss" featuring a guest performance by Petra guitarist Bob Hartman. One other note about this album is that it was one of the first 'heavy' bands to ever be released on Myrrh Records, a label more known for acts like Amy Grant. "Red River" has been covered by Slamcat and Deuteronomium.
A spastic mix of funk, punk and thrash metal all mixed around a message of God, redemption and ice cream. Much in the same mold as 'Swine Flew.' Also similar is that this album was once again produced by Whiteheart's Billy Smilley. This one is just as fun too with a slamdance called "You're a Pagan," and off-the-wall Johnny Cash cover "Man in Black," complete with Johnny sharing lead vocal duties. Of course who wouldn't love a song called 'Up Your Nose'? Once again, amidst all the fun are some emotional worship songs in "For a Good Man" and "Wholly My Lord." Man, that is One Bad Pig!
1. "Predlude: Green
Acres Theme" (1:32) Recorded live at Cornerstone 1991, the Pig were large and in charge here. They were wildly popular in the Christian metal and punk subculture at the time. For this show the band went all out. I had seen the Pig several times in concert over the years, and I can say, even if you didn't like their music, you could still enjoy their show and their sense of humor. These guys were funny, energetic, and they gave each show their all. "Blow the House Down" is a testimony of this fact and is also a closing chapter in the life of the Pig, for after this release their popularity began to slide and the band began to go through some radical changes. They haven't really released any new material since this cd. Picked this disc up for $4.99 from Second Spin.
1. "People
Cry Out" (4:02) 'Quientessential" is a greatest hits CD. (Did the Pig actually have a 'hit'?) The initial reason I picked up this CD was because it features a few songs from albums I hadn't yet picked up on CD, including several songs from 'Smash' and two songs from 'A Christian Banned' ('Sleepin' With the World' & 'Life's A Bomb'). This demo was finally released by the band and sold on their website, although I still don't own it. Besides these tracks, 'Lust' and 'I Am the Chief' are songs exclusive to this compilation, making it essential to my Pig collection. Track 11 is an unlisted song titled "Be Not Alarmed". Overall, not a bad career retrospective and a good collection of songs from the Pig. Oink!
Yet another fun romp through the Pigsty at Cornerstone. This time around the sound quality isn't as good, but the show is just as good. The band is a little looser here, sounding like they were having more fun than they did back in the day. The dialogue between songs is pretty goofy as usual, but then what can you expect from these guys. They were all about fun and goofiness, yet at the same time they are serious as a heart attack when it comes to sharing their faith in Jesus Christ. This disc is actually part of a series of cds that were released from Cornerstone 2000. However, of the 11 different live discs, this is the only one I have any interest in at all. |