Ham Fisted

Ham Fisted Artist: Local H
Label: Island
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 731452407320
EAN: 0731452407320
ASIN: B000001E7N


Release Date: 1995-01-24

Ham Fisted


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Post Grunge Post Grunge
Categories | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

  1. Feed
  2. Cynic
  3. Mayonnaise And Malaise
  4. User
  5. Manipulator
  6. Bag Of Hammers
  7. Scott-Rock
  8. Sports Bar
  9. Chicago Fanphair
  10. Strict-9
  11. Skid Marks
  12. Grrrlfriend

Similar Items:

  1. Here Comes the Zoo
  2. The No Fun
  3. Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles
  4. Pack Up the Cats
  5. As Good as Dead

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Underated, Uncommon and Undeniable.......2004-04-25

Words can't explain how I feel about this album. This is tied with Siamese Dream as my favorite album. But Ham Fisted is meatier and more muscular. I think they're underated because people seem to write them off as minions of Nirvana. Yes they get their influence from Nirvana but they have their own sound (completely their own). Feed starts it all of with a bombast of drums and yells. Scott really let's all his emotion out on this one. Cynic starts to get the vibe more refined, (but the guitars are still throbbing). This song has alot of feed back which I like and lays it all out on the table for you to take or leave. Mayonnaise and Malaise is the reason I bought this album and was all I needed to hear. While all the guitars are blaring, the melody in this song coasts you up and down like a rollercoaster. The beginning drum rolls of User tells you that this song is going to rock the way it wants to, period...and it does. The drum beats though out are very very good. Manipulator is a strange one at first, but is still very much consistant with the rest of the album. It's a sly rocker and will grow on you after repeated listens. Bag of Hammers is another one Scott lets loose on. The melody on this on is unbeleivable! Scott Rock is a very sweet ballad with grungy guitars. Sports Bar is more introspective but rocks especially toward the end. Chicao Fanphair has the best melody in the whole album. I like the way he takes the chorus and rocks it towards the end while keeping the same melody, (the Smashing Pumpkins use that formula alot). You would think the intensity would wan by now but it doen't and the spiteful Strict-9 proves it. It's kind of slow but the guitars are still way solid. Skid Marks is the hardest rocking one but ironically my least favorite, (get ALL your aggression out with that one). Grrrlfriend is the quietest song but oddly at the same time one of the grungiest. It has a quiet beauty to it. Boy, the grunge era has the best music!!!! (Sorry I didn't mean to use the "G" word).

5 out of 5 stars One of the best debut CDs available.......2003-01-06

All 12 of the songs here are probably the 12 most underrated songs around. Local H's semi-popular release, As Good As Dead (thanks to "Bound For The Floor"), is what got this band going, but Ham Fisted stands as an excellent debut. Coming only years after Kurt Cobain's death and the fallout of Nirvana, many people were quick to label the H's music as `grunge'. And if that label fits any of their CDs, it fits this one. But this 2-member group brings their own cynical, smart sound to the table. Although this release may not be as good as their next three, this is still an exceptional album. Besides, it's good to see a band progress in their career rather than regress. It's so sad to see good bands come out with great debuts and then disappear gradually with latter releases. Since you probably know nothing about these tracks, here's a short overview:

1. Feed -- This is a simplistic song, lyrically, yet it really gets you pumped for the rest of the CD. The line `I don't need my ego fed / I just wanna feel I can trust' is repeated over and over. But it never becomes bothersome. Even though it doesn't rank in the top five on the album, it's acts as a delicious appetizer.

2. Cynic -- I think the title kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? This track is a real change of pace from the first, and really shows the lyrical talents of Scott Lucas. It's a truly inspired song; and will easily become a favorite.

3. Mayonnaise And Malaise -- I suppose you could consider this one a single. The sound is more well-rounded than the previous two, which is probably why it stands out so much. This is my favorite song on the CD; and that also goes for a lot of other Local H fans.

4. User -- There's no question this is one of the coolest songs on Ham Fisted. It's also my second favorite. The irony that Scott brings to the song and it's crude edginess allow it to be so great. It makes my top 10 list of Local H songs as well (it'd be at about #9).

5. Manipulator -- This one is very similar to "Feed". The lyrics are short-lived, but still not weak. The manipulative lyric `I never said no / I never said I wouldn't lie to you' probably makes this my third favorite. I have never found a better song with so few words.

6. Bag Of Hammers -- It may take you a while to come to like this track; as that's how it went for me. The lyrics aren't as catchy as the others, but they're great nonetheless. Also, the CD cover features a bag of hammers. Go Figure.

7. Scott-Rock -- This song could've been a single; as it's rather user friendly. Its lyrics are very good, and a bit more personal than the previous` are. It's very easy to enjoy it; hence it is one of the best on the album.

8. Sports Bar -- Again, Local H uses some great emotion and suspicious lyrics. The song is over five and a half minutes and carries itself on and on. The stellar line `they're ripping my favorite song' always brings out a laugh; as it's both amusing and intelligent at the same time. It's most likely the fourth best track.

9. Chicago Fanphair `93 -- I have to say this is the weakest song on Ham Fisted. The opening music/lyrics don't really mix... pleasingly... but once it slows down for the chorus it becomes more enjoyable. The song's not horrible, but it's not great either.

10. Strict-9 -- `You're not asking questions / that I don't have answers for' is how this song starts. It really makes you think; and you have just over six minutes to do so. As with "Bag Of Hammers", this one has grown on me over time. I like it, but others may not.

11. Skid Marks -- I never really liked this song. Until I heard it live. If you think it's annoying (you may not understand the words), just listen to its sound. The numerous, subdued screams of `no! no! no! no!...' are awesome and, in the end, quite witty. This is certainly a hidden gem within the H-song library.

12. Grrrlfriend -- Up till now, Ham Fisted lacked a slow, melodic song. But with this lasting, epic masterpiece the album is complete. Even though it's only 1:27 long, it's easily one of my favorites. It's a drum-less piece; and again could be considered a hidden gem.

If you are one of those people who know Local H as the [infamous] `copasetic guys', this is a great chance to get to know them better (also get PUTC and HCTZ). As I've noted, this is not Local H's best album. But on my listmania list for the best all-time albums, Ham Fisted rests nicely at around #18 or so. The whole album is well-formed, pleasing, and near perfect. 11 of these 12 tracks are excellent; and even the one that's not is still good. Scott Lucas and drummer Joe Daniels really started something special with this unheard-of CD. If you like rock music, you'll love this album. And if you like Nirvana, you'll love this band. Don't overlook this.

5 out of 5 stars Local H's Debut.......2002-05-25

This is the H's heaviest album yet. Much different that Pack up the Cats or Good as dead but stick to ya the same way

3 out of 5 stars Half-decent band shows promise of potential greatness (3.5).......2002-05-16

Local H is one of my favorite bands, but this album is not the reason why. Very few of the truly great bands in history had an earth-shattering debut and this group is no exception.

There is, however, signs that they would break out of that "just another grunge band" mold that they were so firmly in at this point. Songs like "Mayonnaise and Malaise", "Sports Bar" (which paints a picture of a period of life that is eerily close to what I'm up to lately), and my personal theme song, "Cynic", show that Local H is capable of being better than every grunge band whose name doesn't start with the letter "N" and end with "irvana".

Of course, the few strokes of greatness here could be considered a fluke... but time has shown otherwise, as Local H essentially grows into a stronger band with every album they make, moving away from the straight-up grunge sound they have here to a more epic and (dare I say) artsy approach to what is still, in the end, fun music that you can get drunk to and think about all while singing along (trust me, it is possible).

I'd look into their other works first (especially the amazing "Pack up the Cats") if I was new to Local H, but this album is certainly an interesting peek at the roots of their sound.

5 out of 5 stars got ham?.......2002-04-24

I started listening to Local H with "as good as dead" cause I loved the grungy guitars. I got this cd on [line] and I loved it!!! My second favorite album by them! Since it's their first release, it's a bit under-produced (which makes it sound rough, but that's not a bad thing here.) and overall "untouched by fame" sound, y'know what I mean? It's like nirvana (and he actually sounds alot like kurt) without the pop-esque element ... That comes through a bit in "Pack up the cats". Overall "ham fisted" definately lives up to the rock in grunge/punk rock. Absolutely awesome, a must have for any rocker!

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