Double Nickels On The Dime

I don't know how to categorize this album. The California sound of the late 70's and 80's had a lot of great bands but the Minutemen don't sound like any of them, at least to me. This is power trio rock and roll stripped down, blown apart and put back together again. Talk about insanely catchy riffs; this disc is loaded with them. These guys loved music and, I daresay, you can hear how much they loved each other, both in the lyrics and the musicianship. Only people with a deep connection can make music like this that is heartfelt, intelligent, and, most importantly, ROCKS YOUR SOCKS. Punk rock music by three guys who could actually play their instruments and give voice to a unique philosophy. The other end of the punk spectrum from the Sex Pistols.

I am a fan of 80's punk, was never a big Minutemen fan. Do not know why, afterl listening again. If you are a 80's punk fan, this is a must have. If you don't already. If your a fan of new age punk, get this, you will be a Minutemen fan! This is there best Album and 1 of the best 80's albums. Every track is a great listen. That is hard to say about most LPs. Don't think it can be said about any other double album. Buy this if you are a fan of music, you will hear something you will like.

I rank Double Nickels on the Dime in the top ten albums released in the 80's. I am very glad I held onto my vinyl because for reasons I can't fathom, three songs on the original release are not on this reissue, which is why I am not giving it the five stars this album deserves.Minutemen really were not like any other band, so it's hard to compare them to anyone. This album is generally, and rightfully, considered the band's masterpiece - their most perfect synthesis of funk, punk, noise, folk, rock, and whatever else crossed their fertile minds during the feverish recording of this 46-song double (vinyl anyway) album.A lot has been written about Double Nickels already and mostly it's all correct - as long as the writers agree that this is truly one of the greatest albums ever. Ten careers' worth of ideas are crammed into just short of 80 minutes of the most fascinating rock music ever created.So what is the deal with the missing tracks? I won't lie to you - if you see this album in some vinyl bin, grab it because all three of these songs are as good as several relatively weaker songs that are on the reissue:"Mr. Robot's Holy Orders (Hurley/Watt)" - this was track 3, side 3 ("side george" - the inner clear part of the vinyl has "DANCE MUSIC IS THE NEW PASTURE" etched into it). This is a great funky song that deserves to be here far more than, say, the god-awful cover version of Doctor Wu (the one song on this album I don't like). But the exclusion of this track is nowhere near as egregious as the absence of ..."Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" - (Van Halen) - The Amazon review above alludes to the fact that in its original form, this album featured a hysterical cover of the Van Halen classic - and this is the version to have. The one on "Tour Speil" pales by comparison. They bashed out a 38-second version of it which was originally on side 4 (untitled - "CHUMP ROCK IS THE NEW COOL"), and it kills me that they left it off this reissue!!! The song is 38 seconds long! There is plenty of room on the CD for it, and "Mr Robot's Holy Orders" too for that matter. (total running time of this album: 74:50 - ATBL would have been no problem at all) It can't be a copyright issue - their other version of the same song is available on Project Mersh Vol. 3. What gives???"Little Man With A Gun In His Hand" - a better sounding version, because the bass is much fuller sounding than the still great version on Buzz or Howl. Plus, this version has a real ending.The senseless excission of great songs is the only gripe I have with what is still an album for the ages.By the way, side 1 was "side d." - "ARENA ROCK IS THE NEW WAVE" and side 2 was "side watt" - "PUNK ROCK IS THE NEW NOSTALGIA".Buy this album. Make a gift of it to anyone who calls him/herself open-minded. But keep your eyes open for the vinyl version.

I've always been bad at being part of a movement. It's the labeling thing that gets on my nerves. I suppose it works from a marketing standpoint, but it has always seemed too divisive to be of any real value for the listener. Minutemen, and this album as a standout, got my respect because they did not play within the lines of what was "supposed" to be punk rock, though they seemed to get lumped into the category. They just played what they wanted to, it seemed, and they were great at it. If you are just getting into Minutemen (and I heartily encourage you if you are considering it) this album is a clear statement of who they were as a group and how good they were as individual musicians. Yes, there is an unselfconscious poetic minimalism here that can only be called Art, but don't let that put you off - this is a f****ng great record. Play Loud.

This is by far the worst CD I've ever run across. Very poor production, sounds like it was recorded with a cassette player. The band sounds like they're playing in another county! The only recommendation that I can give this CD is that it would make an excellent frisbee!

Ditto Mr Solidays previous reveiw!I have owned this double ALBUM since it hit the racks.Got it when I saw a video for This Aint No Picnic on MTV.Mustve listened to it and it didnt hit me.Its alot to digest!Well about 6 montha ago I copied it to mini-disc,then to cd and now its on my I-Tunes!Amazing,Im trying to get my 12yr old into it and he likes it.I listen to this in headphones start to finish when Im sorting mail in the morning.Cant get it outta my player!! Mike Watt rules!Jazz-rock-punk and country;all with a good sense of humor and anger!

One of the best albums, not just from The Minutemen, but from any band ever.

Awesome album but terrible quality control at SST. I bought this album twice and each time one of the LP's had the hole that was off center by about 4mm. Terrible. I'm sending back and requesting a refund. SST: get your act together.

What more can I say but one of the best genre bending LP's of all time. Funk, punk, folk, rock and a whole lot more. Some pretty cool lyrics too. This Ain't No Picnic is probably on my Desert Island Discs.

..feast on the musical buffet ..

D Boon and Mike Watt and George Hurley creating a profound collection of music.I only got to the Minutemen through Jackass. This should be in the Top 10 albums of all time wiithout doubt.

I bought this album about six years ago (yes, a late review I know) and just keep coming back to it. It's packed with great tunes, great musicianship, and superb lyrics. A must-have album for anyone interested in Californian punk rock.

Turned up well on time!