First Underground Nuclear Kitchen

[Ben]

Orange Polyester?.....what??!!

Shades of Jeff Scott Soto's "Boogie Knights" 'venture' but, hey,hasn't Glenn already done this on "Four On The Floor"?! Don't recall any photos from that project so maybe the orange thang's already been done

Great review,Grace

I just know that my copy of F.U.N.K isn't being ejected from the CD player in the car any time soon!
My difficulty is finding a track I like least .Most releases from your favourite artists contain one or two tracks that are so-so & you find you skip them after 2 or 3 plays......not this CD!

Brilliant!! Better than I could hope for & I was expecting a lot given that Glenn promised this to be the follow-up to my (now previous?) favourite album,"Play Me Out"

[trapezoid]

Really really love this song! Was tooling down the two lanes today and this tune kept comming to mind. Ultra smooth and soulful vocal delivery from Glenn. The bass timing and phrasing lend a sense of urgency to the message of the song. Great bass piece! This song is perfect for cruisin' with the top down on your favorite stretch of road.

[Grace]

CAUTION ~ WARNING TO ALL GHCPs:

DO NOT.....repeat.....DO NOT....
play any Glenn Hughes music in your car CD player, while driving.
I haven't found it necessary yet, but I believe that a

"Sorry, officer but this is all Glenn Hughes's fault"

will not be an acceptable excuse to the boys in blue,
and somehow I don't think that Glenn would be willing to pay
for our speeding tickets, even though it really is his fault.



*

[mrpeumo]

I just loved this album is amazing!!

[anders]

I´ve been listening to the album for some weeks. This has to be one of the best album Glenn has ever done.
Everything is better than the last album. I love the playing of all the instruments especially guitar and bass. Chads playing is probably part of the triumph but I´m not a drummer....
The vocals are pure heaven.
It´s the first album from Glenn since his return that don´t have a track that annoys me.
The sad thing is that the wide audience probably never will find this masterpiece. But it´s a treat for us that has found it.

To Glenn:

SUPER! GIVE US ALBUMS LIKE THIS EVERY MONTH!

[supermazna]

I finally had the chance to listen to FUNK carefully and I LIKED IT VERY, VERY MUCH!
It's better if you listen to it with earphones as I did, so you can enjoy every tune without the interference of other sounds and it's beautiful!!

Grace, thank you for the review and I agree with you that there's a lot of jazz in the album!! My husband has always said that what Glenn's doing is jazz, especially his improvisations during the live shows, don't you agree?

And GLENN, thank you for the music, thank you for the joy and love you give us!!!

[top cat]

Originally Posted by Grace

And here's the problem..........where's the funk? I couldn't seem to find any. Or at least not too much, anyway. Maybe it's a problem that I have with a definition of what exactly funk is.

Fwiw, I agree, Grace. I kind of touched on it in the brief comment I made on another thread, but like you, I hardly dared say voice it openly.

I think it depends whether you 'see' a difference between groove-y rock and 'on-the-one' funk. There are far more hints of genuine funk (& jazz & soul) than the last few albums & the hints are stronger, but to me it's still basically rock.

No matter - coz like you, I think it's a great album - certainly my favourite since Building the Machine & so far in my top 5 Glenn albums!!!

love

TC

[Grace]

Originally Posted by supermazna

I agree with you that there's a lot of jazz in the album!! My husband has always said that what Glenn's doing is jazz, especially his improvisations during the live shows, don't you agree?

Right off the bat, I can think of that middle part of "Love Communion"
where Glenn basically stops the song he's been singing,
to add that little "jazz part" accompanied by that muted trumpet/coronet.
I don't know anybody else, other than our boy, who can "change gears" like this.

In my review of "Crave" I wrote that this song is basic Glenn Hughes, because in
"Crave," at one point, he stops singing to twice whisper....."tell me what you crave".........
and then goes right back to where he was before, with this fantastic song.

Another reason why I often write that there's nobody else like GH.
Just because ~ there isn't.
Who else sings like this?
Or could pull it off as well as Glenn does, if they tried?

Originally Posted by topcat

There are far more hints of genuine funk (& jazz and soul) than the last few albums & the hints are stronger, but to me it's still basically rock.

topcat ~ Glenn ain't no dope.
He knows that we fans (at least, those of us over the age of 15, ha, ha)
have been listening to music since forever, and that over the years,
what was first considered to be "Rock and Roll" in 1958 didn't have
the same definition for 1968, 1978, etc., or today, 2008.
When R&R started in the '50s, who ever heard of rock-opera?
The same holds true for funky music from the '70s, compared to today.

So he probably is happy to know that we GHCPs are smart enough,
to listen to his work carefully enough, to know how varied and complex
each "FUNK" track is. And how could you possibly call the 3 ballads on FUNK,
anything other than ballads?

Glenn doesn't read our posts to read "yes-men" robot comments.
To be sure......we're already GH fans, or we wouldn't be here.
But nobody's paying us money to write great GH album reviews.
(Are they?)

But I'm sure that Glenn takes our "I didn't like this part......" seriously.
He must respect our honest opinion.
We must respect his dedication to music.


PS.........With Glenn knocking 'em dead during this (non- US ) tour,
and being at the top of his talent, will Glenn's next CD be titled.......?


~ Just ~ Awesome ~ Zestful ~ Zenith ~





*

[Damien]

I've been enjoying all the comments/reviews of F.U.N.K. - keep 'em coming!

You can read my review here:

http://blog.myspace.com/damiendesimone

Thanks!

Damien

[paice30]

After about 7 or 8 full listens, along with a few more "pick n' choose" listens, I'm really digging Oil and Water (my so far fave of the bunch), Too Late to Save the World, Crave, F.U.N.K and Love Communion.

Never Say Never and We Go To War will probably not be far behind on my "must listen" list, while the remaining 4 tracks will likely need some time for me to come around on, if at all.

All in all, another solid output by Mr. Hughes. A few staples for the live show, a few more listenable tunes and a couple of "skips", IMO of course.

[Harry le chat]

Glenn is quoted on the cover of 2 French mags. An interview and a good review of FUNK are featured in both Rock Hard (issue n°77 May 08) and Musiq (issue n°15 July-August 08). Here are the covers. I will try and find some time to translate the interviews & reviews and post them here.

Edit : ooops, I think I'm not in the right topic...David, if you want to move this to the media center, just do it...

[Carlos Bill]

Hello again, dear siters; hello, Glenn Hughes and mr. Carl Swann. I'm 47 and play the 4 strings electric bass since I was 16; around this age, when I was living in Leblon (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), a place nearby Ipanema and Copacabana), I started listening to Trapeze and Deep Purple, and Glenn Hughes' electrifying, soulful bass grooves and as solid as Everest fingerings were a big source of inspiration for me. Later on, Sail Away, Hold On and Holy Man, and Stormbringer and Burn...well, they absolutely blew me away! Then I saw on video Hughes' bass solo in Getting Tighter, and his soul-inspired playing and singing in First Step of Love. Well, unnecessary to say that to sing and play the bass at the same time is extremely difficult for anyone. It is almost impossible for me, so I feel better in playing, with a guy or girl singing; that let me freer, looser.

Glenn's last All Time Hit, the #1 Rock Hit, "Love Communion", is by far and without a doubt the strongest ever rock tune. It is tremendous!!! Congratulations, Mr. Glenn Hughes!

Please visit us in Rio again!
Carlos Bill, bass player, composer, journalist. I'm such a friend of Dead Montana, he himself a big fan of Glenn and his music. Thanks!

[slipkid]

Can anyone tell me if this album is going to come out domestically here in the USA? I really would like to get this but refuse to pay $40 for it!!!!!! (which is what I saw it going for in a record store I was at today)

***EDIT***
Well I feel pretty stupid....never thought to look on Amazon for it (also the hughes-thrall reissue)....got 'em both coming now for OK prices****

[David]

Welcome aboard slipkid It's now also available at Apple's iTunes Store for $9.99

[slipkid]

Thanks for the welcome David. I was a member of the forums a long time ago but haven't been up here in awhile (I think this is all new now?)....I got motivated to find out what's going on with Glenn after seeing his new album in a record store today for 40 $*%#ing bucks!!!!! Was hoping to find out if it was coming out domestic for cheaper or what!!!!

Now I am a happy camper after ordering it from Amazon for about $15

Actually I am ODing on Glenn orders - also bought the Hughes-Thrall remaster plus HTP 2, which I didn't even know had come out, jeez I am so out of it anymore as far as what is coming out with a lot of my old faves, ever since some old places I used to buy from folded like Buccaneer Records, and the demise of ICE magazine. Ah the good ole days of CD shopping....

[David]

Originally Posted by slipkid

Was hoping to find out if it was coming out domestic for cheaper or what!!!! jeez I am so out of it anymore as far as what is coming out with a lot of my old faves, ever since some old places I used to buy from folded like Buccaneer Records, and the demise of ICE magazine. Ah the good ole days of CD shopping....

No worries slipkid F U N K is due for a Stateside release in September, but no details to share right at the moment, soon obviously! I can recommend a good replacement online CD store for Buccaneer Records, they are called NEH Records based in Colorado, they get your orders out on time and in some cases before release date, just like Buccaneer used to do.

[slipkid]

Originally Posted by David

No worries slipkid F U N K is due for a Stateside release in September, but no details to share right at the moment, soon obviously! I can recommend a good replacement online CD store for Buccaneer Records, they are called NEH Records based in Colorado, they get your orders out on time and in some cases before release date, just like Buccaneer used to do.

Thanks David. I am checking out & bookmarking NEH now.

One of the great things about Buccaneer, not just their selection and prices, ordering from them, waiting eagerly every month to check out their ad in GOLDMINE to see what's new, was talking to them on the phone, finding out what was what, I think the owner's name was John if I remember right. The internet is great and convenient and all that but I think it is one of the big things that put guys like him out of business, and we (the consumer) are poorer for that, missing the old personal human touch....

And thanks for the heads up on the FUNK USA release. I've got it on order from Amazon now though, I can live with the $15 import price tag. I was a bit put off by seeing it for $40 today in a store I was at!!!

[Crystal Karma]

Hi everybody, just received the japanese edition, imperfection "acoustic love mix" is another version with Anders (probably) on keys is a very good version, Perhaps I prefer this version to the other one ... I don't know if it's just now because I just dicover it ou because it's a "roots" version ...

In fact I love this one ...

Thankx you Glenn for this bonus ...

N & J

[David]

Originally Posted by Crystal Karma

Hi everybody, just received the japanese edition, imperfection "acoustic love mix" is another version with Anders (probably) on keys is a very good version

Yes indeed For others...you can hear a sample of the "love mix" here

[captmidnite1962]

Slipkid brought up two of my favorite sources of merchandise and information; namely Buccaneer and ICE magazine. Many of us here know about Buccaneer Records and bought CD's from them. I seem to recall that the gentleman who owned the business had a really severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome and had to take a lengthy leave from his business.....too bad it became permanent.

I LOVED ICE magazine! They were not only a great source of upcoming new and vault releases but the articles were crammed with info; much of which I have often shared here. When I moved from Harrisonburg to Churchville, the magazine suddenly stopped arriving. I dug around on the Net and found the site largely shut down; only the forums remained. What a shame!

[FVD]

FUNK totally funks. Love the ballads. Oil and Water is a great tune especially the chorus. Imperfection is lovely. Love Where There's a Will in a big way. Crave is really cool not to mention Satellite. The solo in Love Communion is really nice as well.

Another fine effort from the Voice of Rock (and Funk).

[David]

Here's a snippet featuring the USA release of F U N K

Quote:

Goldmine Magazine Peter Lindblad October 3rd, 2008 First Underground Nuclear Kitchen is the new album from former Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes, a daring, innovative musical chameleon who continues to push the envelope as far as it'll go. Hughes' latest release, his 12th solo record, is due out Oct. 7 in the U.S. on Blistering Records, and if you take the first letters of each word in the title, you can pretty much figure out what the new record is all about. He is definitely out to bring the FUNK and bring it hard, albeit with heavy doses of soul and rock.

You can read more here

[David]

Here's a very amusing but astute review courtesy MetalJazz.com

Quote:

Glenn Hughes, “First Underground Nuclear Kitchen” (Blistering Records) After hyping “F.U.N.K.” as his most fabulous and dazzling solo work, former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath singer-bassist Glenn Hughes (currently touring Russia!) first issued it only in Europe, then sneaked it into U.S. release three weeks ago with barely a whimper. And guess what? It’s fabulous and dazzling. Hughes has front-loaded this monster with five of the hookiest, heaviest, dick-yankinest slabs ever cleft from the juicy butt of funk-rock. If you harbor reservations about vintage urban black music, you can stop reading now. If you don’t, hold on, cuz this is like Rufus meets Aerosmith, or the Ohio Players meet Zeppelin. “Crave” squonks and parties down while making room for a sweet soul interlude. The title tune brings on horns, Sly vocal touches and smackdown rhythms. If the shuffling love ballad “Satellite” doesn’t have you breaking out the Courvoisier, you deserve no stank. “Love Communion,” which would’ve been unavoidable on radio 30 years ago, not only swaggers with unstoppable shoogabooga, but tosses in a shock-echo guitar solo and even a muted trumpet caress. Hughes requires only a two-note bass riff to get you grunting on “We Shall Be Free,” while laying on a stunning falsetto that’s only one example of the pinnacle to which his already daunting melismatic vocal prowess has now climbed. After this knockdown songcraft, “F.U.N.K.” steamrolls you with its groove -- cushioning, crunching and incensing you into a state of sensual submission; check out, for instance, the combination of Chinesey acoustic strums and nasty electric riffing on “Oil and Water.” And if you ain’t slaughtered yet, wait till Hughes brings on a STRING QUARTET to introduce the epic “Too Late To Save the World,” which then proceeds to batter the door with its beat and inspire yer spirit with a crafted chorus and a spiraling instrumental bridge. Ample credit must go to Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, the most physical and funky stooge on the planet -- damn, does he kill. And on guitar, Luis Maldonado shows himself a master of a thousand tones who’s ready to go space truckin’ at the drop of a tab. Since in the past Hughes has teamed with Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi and Jeff Kollman, it’s wise to lend an ear when he picks an axman. Long off drugs, Hughes now has nothing but music to occupy him. Lucky we, the beneficiaries of his abstinence.

[supermazna]

Thanks for this review, David! I liked it very much, even though I had to use the dictionary to fully understand it!!!

"Long off drugs, Hughes now has nothing but music to occupy him. Lucky we, the beneficiaries of his abstinence. " - I'm happy to be one of those beneficiaries

[purplemusic]

yeah, i'm glad to be one of the benificiaries too. always have been, always will be. thanks for the post David. it's always good to see Papa w/ some possitive exposure. it makes me want to go out and buy the record..... again
peace to you all,

[Chip]

We all know Glenn can sing in many different styles and it was hard to classify him in any one of those styles. Now with this latest review from Metal Jazz, we now have a new term for Glenn.

"The Voice of Shoogabooga"

Just visualize the t-shirts

Chip

[strat335]

I'll take a XXL, no sleeves, thanks. lol

Great review.

[Grace]

Originally Posted by Chip

Just visualize the t-shirts

Hey - you with the t-shirts!
Just get in line.

I've been waiting for the:
~ Glenn Hughes ~ The Voice of Latin ~
t-shirts to come out, ever since the Christmas CD was released, at the end of 2000.
And it better have some snappy Gregorian Chant artwork on it, too.





Yeah, yeah, I know.
"The Voice of Latin" t-shirt will be available, the day after "Hughes/Thrall II" comes out.......



*

[David]

Here's a just published USA based review of F U N K from All Access Magazine

Quote:

Glenn Hughes “First Underground Nuclear Kitchen” www.glennhughes.com Style (Funk / Rock) All Access Magazine (Mike Cavanaugh) I wasn’t expecting anything from this because of the basic artwork packaging on the promotional copy, but my expectations were nowhere close. This is truly a funky fun sounding CD that gives the 70’s sound an updated revival that would sound great live or at a party. The songs have some killer horn work, rippin’ grove guitars, fat bottom bass mixed with steady drums, all coagulated with Hughes mid-high pitch vocals that are a combination of rock howler blended with funk junkie. The advice I have for anyone catching this act live is to hang onto the bumpin’, grinding, swingin’ hips because someone just might get hurt. And don’t get me started with what might happen in the bedroom with this playing. All I can say is someone’s gonna need some ice later.

[scrub2112]

i think F.U.N.K. is one of the best albums glenn has recorded to date.