Double Nickels on the Dime by the Minutemen

Wow.  Double Nickels on the Dime, might be one of, it not the greatest punk album to come out of America in the 1980’s.  I inform you of this partly out of jealousy, because my two friends, who I jam with back home, happened to see the Minutemen bassist, Mike Watt, perform last night up in Cleveland (darn you, OSU quarters).  For those wondering their thoughts on the show where, “That concert was fantastic!” and “It was fabulous!!!!”  Due to emotional weakness I do not know if I can comment on the show any more…

Double Nickels on the Dime is one of the most unique albums to ever have reached my eardrums.  Comprised of 45 songs (or 44 or 43, depending on the reissue and joining of tracks on the CD version), with only about 5 of them surpassing the two minute mark, the album is meld of genres ranging from punk, rock, funk, jazz, country and spoken word all smashed on to two LPs or one CD.  It would be impossible to review a single song from this album that sums up what the album is all about; all I can do is recommend that you check out this album, and listen to it all the way through.  Driven by Mike Watt’s unique bass lines, and D. Boon’s jangly guitar the album is a stand out from much of the other hardcore punk albums of the 80’s, and is still certainly a stand out today. 

The Minutemen are also one of the most interesting bands that I have ever listened to, partly because they have pure D.Y.I. punk ethics.  One of the more famous things the band would do is actually write and rehearse all of their songs to the finished product prior to booking a studio.  They could then go in and record their songs straight though without wasting any tape or time to re-edit the order for the final records.  (if you are fan I’m sure you are aware of that, but if you’ve never checked them out I would google them and certainly check them out) Sadly, D. Boon would be killed in 1985 in a van accident; he was 27.

Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley would continue on in fIREHOSE, and Mike Watt has also formed a successful and prolific solo career, most notable would be his work on Ball-Hog or Tugboat?  that featured collaborations with J. Mascis, Eddie Vedder, Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Dave Grohl, Kris Novolesic, Flea, Frank Black, and many others.  He also frequently collaborates with many other musicians and played bass for the reunited Stooges.

With all that being said Double Nickels on the Dime is an album any music lover should check out.