old school or new school

Anything Kerbdog related

which album do you prefer?

Poll runs till Fri Nov 27, 2043 12:23 pm

kerbdog - kerbdog
2
22%
kerbdog - on the turn
7
78%
 
Total votes: 9

colinoshea
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Post by colinoshea »

just a question i have always wondered.they say music and how you like it relates to the time you heard it.maybe this is why i prefer the first album.i was more into music when the first album came out.there were only ever two "second albums" that i ever eagerly awaited kerbdog and rage against the machine.i was only dissappointed with the kerbdog one...
you read what is said in wiki about kerbdog and they put billy daltons leaving the band down to stage fright.was there was a chance it was down to musical difference?was the heaviness of the first album down to the fact that sepultura were recording in the next room?i dont think ggarth was the reason for the difference between the two albums.
i saw kerbdog for the first time with therapy? in the city hall cork.they blew me away.pet lamb were there too.(where are they now??)next time i saw kerbdog was feile 94.both they and rage got the crowd going like no others that weekend.
point im trying to make is that if they had stay that bit 'heavy' like they had in the first album i think they would have been huge.
i went to their final gig before they broke up in 99(is that right?) in what was the crazy horse in cork.it was mental.it was a rugger bugger pub and that night it was nothing but metallers.the bouncers didnt know what hit them.they normally had a strict "no alternatives" policy and that night you could see why!!
hindsight is all well and good and im sure cormac and co changed their style to suit their taste and to follow their heros style.shame it was a crowded market...

would love to hear your views and see your opinion on the poll
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Post by andyman »

Dunno. I reckon the first album was really a starter and it sounded too much lack a lacklustre attempt at some kind of metal. There are hints of their creativeness on it, but this is exactly the stuff that shone through on On The Turn.

They really should have been more successful but I reckon it was probably bad marketing and the general public being mtv sheep, etc., etc.

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Post by mexicanwaver »

dunno.

Like Andyman said, I think the lack of recognition for On The Turn was mainly down to poor managment/media handling and also because the band didn't fit any particular pigeon-hole genre at the time.

For me, OTT is a pretty much timeless album. For a new listener, I think it would be hard to guess what year it was released.

In contrast, whenever I listen to the debut album I immediately think it sounds dated. You can tell it's early 90's rock. Don't get me wrong, there are some quality moments on the album, but I think maybe it leans too much towards a been-there-done-that type of sound. I'm not a Metallica fan, but certainly I can hear a lot of Metallica influence in there. Also, I've never been pleased with the production quality/style. I know it was recorded by the "legendary" Jack Endino, but for me the production has always sounded a bit distant, tinny and cheap. I don't know if anyone else feels the same about the production quality/style?

All in all, the debut album was a good step in the development of the band.

OTT may have alienated some of the original Kerbdog fans, but I'm sure introduced a whole bunch of new ones. In my view it is a masterpiece, but it was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Post by fyfe79 »

Hmm, dunno. I just can't listen to OTT at all - I hate the production (especially on the drums) and the songs are too slow. Listen to the excellent Dave Fanning session to hear how much better the songs were in a different environment.

I still like the first album a lot - crunchy as fuck.

btw, I was at the Crazy Horse show in Cork too - excellent, but the security pricks really got on everyone's nerves I remember. As for the date, it was a couple of days after Christmas '97. It was actually their second last gig - they played Dublin in March '98.

Also, Pet Lamb split up in 2000 thereabouts - also a great band but really lost their way after being dropped by Roadrunner Records. Sweaty Handshake is a fine album.

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Post by dry riser »

[quote=""fyfe79""]Also, Pet Lamb split up in 2000 thereabouts - also a great band but really lost their way after being dropped by Roadrunner Records. Sweaty Handshake is a fine album.[/quote]

So many great bands have been screwed over by Roadrunner it's unreal.
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Post by dry riser »

But sorry, back to the topic - I love both their albums, but "On The Turn" is my favourite of the two.

I'm 22 now, and hearing that album just reminds me of being 13 years old, the golden summer of '97, clear blue skies, sitting in my room looking out at the lush green fields at the back of my old house and hearing some of the sweetest, most perfect tunes I would ever hear.

I first discovered the 'Dog when i bought an issue of Metal Hammer with Machine Head's Robb Flynn on the front, covered in silver face paint. A free CD came with that same magazine, which I had left playing in the background, kind of half-listening to it as I flicked through the pages. I can recall the very moment when I heard a chorus which made my heart stop and the hairs on my arms stand up (seriously). I excitedly picked up the cardboard slip-case to see who the hell this was.

The band was Kerbdog. The song was called "Pledge". My life was changed.

I was lucky enough to bump into Cormac after I'd seen Wilt supporting Sum 41 at Rock City in Nottingham. I've met many of my favourite bands over the years, but this was the only time I'd ever been lost for words. I would have loved to have taken him for a pint and told him about how his band's music got me through my teenage years. So if you ever see this, Cormac, Darragh, Colin, and Billy - THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am forever in your debt...
quot;Did you see the sun outside today...........?"

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Post by danny141 »

as much as i love on the turn the debut clinches it for me.
I prefer the production on the first album, much rawer, edgier. the riffs are the collosal, baselines menacing, and the drumming is phenomenal- more immaginative with great use of double bass pedal.
the quality of the songwriting on both albums is fantastic, but theres something about the off-kilter melodies, harmonies and tempo's that seperate the debut as one of the most original metal albums ive ever heard.
Big let down on OTT was the production, a bit too clean and polished, especially on the drums. plus a change in sound - the loss of a second guitarist and double bass pedal, which i think was a great loss. That said, id still place it amongst my favorites.

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Post by colinoshea »

[quote=""fyfe79""]
btw, I was at the Crazy Horse show in Cork too - excellent, but the security pricks really got on everyone's nerves I remember. As for the date, it was a couple of days after Christmas '97.[/quote]

arent all security pricks? it was the 29th (my birthday!) and i didnt realise it was 97.oh god i feel old!!!
It was actually their second last gig - they played Dublin in March '98.
i forgot about that one- but at the time that hadnt been announced!!

nice one for the heads up about pet lamb.never knew what happened to them.

it seems the second album seems to be winning the poll. tbh im surprised.like i said before i think it was where cormac and co wanted to go musically and i suppose i cant knock them for following their ideal of what they think is good music.

the people who vote for the first album seem to be the older people so maybe its a reflection on what i was saying about music and how we relate it to certain times in our life.
I'm 22 now, and hearing that album just reminds me of being 13 years old, the golden summer of '97, clear blue skies, sitting in my room looking out at the lush green fields at the back of my old house and hearing some of the sweetest, most perfect tunes I would ever hear.

the man prefers the second album. he relates to his teenage years.kind of proof of point.fair enough (hearing dummy crusher live the first time i ever even heard of them was a bit bit of a hair raiser for me!!)

as for metallica sounds. if you said that to any metaller they tell you thats not really true.yes there is a heavy riff.yes the guitar is downtuned a bit. and the similarities end there. what made it special to most metallers that i knew was that it was nothing like the metallica - no 3 minute long solos that pierced the ear.just solid edgy(cant think of a better description!) and slightly off beat guitar riffs (metallica is a much more structured sound)with some amazing vocals from mr battle.the metallica "sound" comes from kerrang back when they started saying that mr battle could roar like james hetfield! which he could. his vocal range was amazing.his ability to 'shout while singing' is an unique talent - something hetfield posesses as well(i only like 'justice' back....).the second guitar gave them a heavy sound- but a heavy unique sound that was 'kerbdog's' sound. to me there second album made them sound like an indie band - which again i think was the idea.

ireland is full of indie bands.and shite indie bands at that.its also full of shite one man and his guitar types (apart from dempsey). to many kerbdog and their first album was irelands best stab at metal - the kind that kerrang writes about anyway.

for me the second album was them selling out.for others its their best work.i remember getting the sally or jj song or which ever one of the singles came out first and getting very angry cause i knew right then that they had given up the ghost on the metal thing.at least they evoked a reaction in me anyway!!

i dont blame mtv or bad press or bad record company or any of that for them not making the big time.their second album however good it was at being what it was - an indie album; brought them into a new market which was always a crowded area.there are plenty of indie bands in the world.
you'd want to be amazing to make a difference.they were unique as a heavier unit.

either way im sure mr battle and co love their second album.and at the end of the day they are the people who have to live with their work!!

btw i wanted to be called Billy Dalton when this webpage setup but i wasnt allowed!! talk about nailing my flag to the mast!!!!
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Post by mexicanwaver »

some good points there Colin. You're definitely right about the 2nd album entering a more "crowded market".

It was definitely more commercial and accessible to new listeners. Saying that, I thought it had enough about it to stand out from many of the other indie/rock/britpop bands of the time. Wasn't to be.

Were you ever a Wilt fan then? I sense a dark metal in your soul ;)
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Post by colinoshea »

Wilt? who were they again? :lol Darragh Butler:

my dark metal soul is a bit rusty these days buy it would never hack that band,
i dont know a single song of theirs - wilt that is.i could barely name half the songs off ott. i stopped listening to anything mr battle did after the incident with the first single from the second album.it seriously affected my take on music in general.i was a very big fan of theirs.i had everything in every format possible from the first album.i had the tshirt.then "if i had a clue"....i'd only know a wilt song now if i heard it because of his voice.

looked at your myspace. would have more time for helmet and fugazi and the mighty Therapy? than i would for anything related to mr battle after 94!

but having seen your list i can see why the second album would be your preference.its sound like mr battles own tribute page!!

why does he interest you so much?
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Post by mexicanwaver »

Tribute page? LOL

I dunno where you get that idea from. My all time favourite bands are probably Kerbdog/Helmet/Therapy and a couple of others. Yeah, Cormac is listed as one of my favourite singer songwriters, but that's where the "interest" ends :shock:

HA HA! You've got me thinking I'm some sort of crazy stalker now
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Post by colinoshea »

i feel like the stalker now seeing as you soon got rid of your myspace, muhahaha....

and i quote...."Not really heroes as such, just people who I find inspiring:

Cormac Battle"

ok then let me rephrase the question .why do you find him so 'inspiring'?

sugar husker du and bob mould.thats mr battles topthree right there right there
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Post by mexicanwaver »

What's the issue?

I liked Sugar before I'd even heard Kerbdog for the first time. Through liking Sugar, I soon got into Bob Mould's solo stuff and then eventually Husker Du (which was a bit harder to get into I must admit, but I found that as I got older I liked it more).

I used to work in a record store and for a radio station for a while and got to hear loads of music as teenager. Mostly it was the stuff that nobody else wanted, so I'd get to keep it. If I hadn't got into Sugar at the time, then I probably wouldn't have got into the solo stuff or Husker Du.

Do you want me to start a new thread entitled "Justifying my taste in music" or something? Cos we're deviating a bit here from the original subject!
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colinoshea
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Post by colinoshea »

sorry if i offended thee.

no need to justify anything to me at all and no offence was intended.

i like a lot of metal and some wierd shit too like from ozric tentacles to lots of house music like herbert.(its a cork thing...)
you like sugar and bob mould then more power to you.as i said before its what you like is important.i wont be borrowing your mp3 player any time soon so you dont have to pile on the metal for me.

i was a big fan of kerbdog. but i never found them inspiring more importantly i never found cormac battle inspiring.i found ratm inspiring.

thats all i was asking why did you find him inspiring?

arent all threads suppose to go off topic?they always seem to ....seems there arent a lot of readers on kerbdog.com (7 votes in 3 or 4 days) so i dont think they will mind.

sorry about the little joke below.thought you might get the humour behind it (which was its sole intention)
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Post by mexicanwaver »

No worries mate. No real offence was caused and maybe I'm just a tad over sensitive. I dunno.

I just found it a bit quick off the mark.....I mean, it's easy to make assumptions about me from my MySpace profile, but in reverse I am unable to make any assumptions about you other than from the comments you make on this web forum!

Until you mentioned it, I hadn't even noticed that your "signature" was infact a hyperlink to my MySpace page. But yes, I can appreciate the humour :)

Sugar and Bob Mould is just some of the stuff I like. You neglected to mention the other 30 (ish) bands listed on my profile....and I thought the way you phrased it was implying that I'm a sad Cormac Battle copycat. If that was the intention, then I would indeed be insulted, because that's not what I'm about at all.

Plus there is loads of other music I like, that I just didn't get around to mentioning. I mean, it'd just be stupid/boring/pointless if I wrote down every single band that I liked. MySpace is bad enough for self-indulgence, without everybody listing every detail of their (most likely) boring and mundane lives.

Since you ask, I think one of the main reasons why I have found Cormac Battle (or indeed Kerbdog) inspiring is the fact that they've never really conformed to any particular "scene" or image. They seem like they've always tried to do what's true to themselves and not really give a shit about their dress sense, haircuts or any shit like that. As far as I'm concerned, they (or Cormac himself) just concentrated on writing some good tunes.....whether that was old school or new school. They were also a first-class live act.....as I'm sure anyone who has attended their gigs will testify.

You might say that they sold out with the OTT album (or the Sally single, which came out first). But I would disagree with that, as I believe their sound was vastly different from the popular rock scene of the time - think of a few bands/albums from 1996/1997. But like we've mentioned above, OTT was obviously a huge departure from their old sound.

Also, regarding Wilt, they were always second place to Kerbdog in my eyes, but I was still able to appreciate many aspects of the music, lyrics and overall vibe. The band won't go down in history or anything, but I do have some good memories of attending a few Wilt gigs.
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