Published on Apr 3, 1997
Featuring one of the most interesting combinations of musicians
assembled in recent memory, the Neurotic Outsiders are a surprising
group. The lineup features Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, Matt
Sorum and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, and most suprisingly,
John Taylor from Duran Duran. The lineup in itself is interesting,
featuring members from three of the most recognized bands in
history. The Sex Pistols took punk to the mainstream. Guns N’ Roses
still have one of the biggest selling debut albums ever, at over 11
million copies shipped. Duran Duran anchored the 80’s as a pop
staple.
What is even more interesting is that this unusual combination
turned out a suprisingly solid album. When I first heard of this
band, I figured the album would be a mess of different styles and
muddled messages. In reality, the cranked out a very solid hard
rock album. It’s not that this is a breakthrough album, it’s not.
It’s just an enjoyable listen that has the ability to relate a
mood.
The album starts out poorly, “Nasty Ho” is a lame track about,
you guessed it, a raunchy hooker. Lines like, “Yeah you…feel so
good…dick is like a stiff hard piece of wood” are a real head
scratcher. It gets better, “But you don’t mean a thing if my ding
dong don’t swing”. Hmmm.
Fortunately, the album gets better from here. “Always Wrong” has
simple chord changes and a thumping rhythm that makes you want to
grab a beer and crank the stereo up to 11. The theme is one we all
know, a troubled relationship. Ever feel like no matter what you
say or do, your partner will always find fault with you? These guys
sum it up well with lines like, “You’re the kind of pain I can do
without.” This isn’t to say that you should throw in the towel
every time you have trouble, but when it’s hopeless, this song
feels like I have felt many times.
“Good News” is another relationship hate song that has a cool
melody and a bitter message that I’m not sure I agree with. “The
good news is, you’re dying, the bad news is, I’m alive” summarizes
the message. I guess I don’t agree because I’ve never hated anyone
this much. Regardless, my job here as a reviewer isn’t to rate
every song based upon my own morals. My job it to rate the song
based upon how well the song is done, which it is, very well.
My favorite is “Feelings Are Good”, another song about pain that
features a catchy drum beat compliments of the very polished Matt
Sorum. What’s interesting here isn’t the message of pain, which we
all know of and have heard before. The interesting passages speak
of pain in a way that we usually don’t think about, that pain is
sometimes good for us. It brings us somewhere. It also speaks of
pain and the confusion that surrounds it. “This feeling thing has
got me not knowing what to do…with the feeling.”
Neurotic Outsiders is a dark album not suitable for a cheery
date. But it’s very human, and speaks of things that most of us
have experienced before. (Even “Nasty Ho” is human – if it wasn’t
popular, it wouldn’t be the oldest form of employment) Although the
message gets repetitive, this is still a good album. If you’re the
lucky one who hasn’t felt this dark thing called pain, it may help
you to purchase this album to experience what pain is like, because
you will feel this way when you listen to this album. For the rest
of us, this album speaks in simple terms that makes us realize that
we’re not alone. When you listen to this album, you’ll say, “These
guys feel just like I feel!” The difference is, you’ve probably
never expressed it. We all have a dark side that we hide, stashed
like a skeleton in the closet. Sometimes, it scratches to get out.
When it does, the Neurotic Outsiders are waiting.