Wednesday, May 9, 2007

FAITH NO MORE – FROM OUT OF NOWHERE (LONDON/SLASH)


FAITH NO MORE – FROM OUT OF NOWHERE (LONDON/SLASH)

When I won this seven inch single on Ebay it was in good faith but alas it arrived snapped but thankfully still intact and amazingly playable. Despite suffering a real hump/skip in the vinyl proceedings quite possibly the song never sounded better to me.

From Out Of Nowhere is easily one of the strongest songs in the Faith No More cannon/arsenal and a very smart/wise choice for album opener on The Real Thing. The lyrical content is relatively simple and basic and in the wrong hands could quite possibly have sounded cheesy but under such frenetic circumstances and a truly exciting and pulsing baseline you cannot help but get carried away with on the ride. There is little sign of the darkness that would eventually follow on the Patton led Faith No More instead here is an exuberant blast of energy that can serve to make even the most grey bearded granddad feel young and excited once again. Fifteen plus years later it remains fresh every time.

In the hands of someone else this track could easily have been rendered cheesy and without point but being perfectly pitched in almost Day-Glo funk Mike Patton truly had arrived at the helm in a way that Chuck Moseley or even Courtney Love never could. With his vocals so crisp and distinct exhibited here was a true progression in the ranks from the spinning circle of a band that had made Introduce Yourself and We Care A Lot. Sure they all look silly on the cover of the single, still metal and very goofy (and obviously taken by Ross Halfin) but this was only temporary, things were well on their way to change.

The single was released in 1990, a year before Nevermind and two years before alternative music finally would have an acceptable face/representation in the mainstream straight world. Sure Faith No More got to perform this song on Saturday Night Live but it was just too upbeat and timed too early to make that big impact on the world that certain grunge bands would be accomplishing not too long afterwards.

On the flipside are iffy live recordings of “Woodpecker From Mars” and “Epic” which are curious in just how poor they sound despite having been recorded for the old BBC Rock Show. Go figure.

Thesaurus moment: stealth.

Faith No More
London Records
Slash Records

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