Double Nickels on the Dime

by Minutemen

Overview

If What Makes a Man Start Fires? was a remarkable step forward from the Minutemen's promising debut album, The Punch Line, then Double Nickels on the Dime was a quantum leap into greatness, a sprawling 44-song set that was as impressive as it was ambitious. While punk rock was obviously the starting point for the Minutemen's musical journey (which they celebrated on the funny and moving "History Lesson Part II"), by this point the group seemed up for almost anything -- D. Boon's guitar work suggested the adventurous melodic sense of jazz tempered with the bite and concision of punk rock, while Mike Watt's full-bodied bass was the perfect foil for Boon's leads and drummer George Hurley possessed a snap and swing that would be the envy of nearly any band. In the course of Double Nickels on the Dime's four sides, the band tackles leftist punk ("Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing"), Spanish guitar workouts ("Cohesion"), neo-Nortena polka ("Corona"), blues-based laments ("Jesus and Tequila"), avant-garde exercises ("Mr. Robot's Holy Orders"), and even a stripped-to-the-frame Van Halen cover ("Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"). From start to finish, the Minutemen play and sing with an estimable intelligence and unshakable conviction, and the album is full of striking moments that cohere into a truly remarkable whole; all three members write with smarts, good humor, and an eye for the adventurous, and they hit pay dirt with startling frequency. And if Ethan James' production is a bit Spartan, it's also efficient, cleaner than their work with Spot, and captures the performances with clarity (and without intruding upon the band's ideas). Simply put, Double Nickels on the Dime was the finest album of the Minutemen's career, and one of the very best American rock albums of the 1980s. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	10/17/1990
Label:	Sst
UPC:	0018861002811
Rank:	31435

Tracks

1. Medley
2. Theatre Is the Life of You
3. Viet Nam
4. Cohesion
5. It's Expected I'm Gone
6. #1 Hit Song
7. Two Beads at the End
8. Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Truth?
9. Don't Look Now
10. Shit From an Old Notebook
11. Nature Without Man
12. One Reporter's Opinion
13. Political Song For Michael Jackson to Sing
14. Maybe Partying Will Help
15. Toadies
16. Retreat
17. The Big Foist
18. God Bows to Math
19. Corona
20. The Glory of Man
21. Take 5, D.
22. My Heart and the Real World
23. History Lesson-Part II
24. You Need the Glory
25. The Roar of the Masses Could Be Farts
26. West Germany
27. The Politics of Time
28. Themselves
29. Please Don't Be Gentle With Me
30. Nothing Indeed
31. No Exchange
32. There Ain't Shit on T.V. Tonight
33. This Ain't No Picnic
34. Spillage
35. Untitled Song For Latin America
36. Jesus and Tequila
37. June 16th
38. Storm in My House
39. Martin's Story
40. Dr. Wu
41. The World According to Nouns
42. Love Dance
43. Three Car Jam

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Minutemen   Primary Artist
John Rocknowski   Lead Guitar
George Hurley   Drums,Percussion
D. Boon   Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Electric)
Mike Watt   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Dirk Vandenberg   Lead Guitar
Joe Baiza   Lead Guitar

Technical Credits

Joe Carducci   Composer
Jack Brewer   Composer
Donald Fagen   Composer
Ethan James   Engineer,Producer
John Fogerty   Composer
Walter Becker   Composer
Vandenberg   Composer
George Hurley   Composer
D. Boon   Composer
Mike Watt   Composer
Chuck Dukowski   Composer
Henry Rollins   Composer
Martin Tamburovich   Composer
Joe Baiza   Composer