Freak369's Full Review: The Least Worst of Type O Negative [PA] by Type O ...
If you’ve read any of my Type O Negative reviews you know that my love of them goes beyond the goth appeal and erotic noir. I was attracted to their music for various reasons but it wasn’t until I sat down and really, really listened to it that I found a lot of comfort in the words and music. To me music is something that is a non-judgmental best friend. It’s always there when you need it, it never judges you or looks down on you when you screw up ... and when it comes to the music of Type O, no matter what mood you are in, they have something that will make the bad times a little more tolerable and will enhance those pyromaniac moments of lust and lechery. Most people say that it’s front man Peter Steele’s vocals that make the group so “out of the ordinary” but I have to whole heartedly disagree. If it weren’t for the keyboard work of Josh Silver, Kenny Hickey’s blistering guitar pieces and the steady beat of Johnny Kelly then eventually the music would hinder whatever Steele could belt out. “The Least Worst of ...” is a nice collection of songs from the group that was created to bridge the gap between studio releases. This isn’t your standard Type O release so if you’ve never checked it out, chances are you are going to be a little taken back with what’s on it. There’s the usual dismal and gloomy tracks but there’s some jocular moments tossed in to break things up a little.
Like every other Type O release, this isn’t something that you can listen to just once and come away from it with a clear cut and precise conclusion of what it all means. I made the mistake of doing that with Bloody Kisses and missed out on a lot of great music based on listening to the first fifteen seconds of a track. If you do that here I can almost guarantee that you are going to kick yourself when you do take the time to really dig into this CD. On the same token I’ll say that this doesn’t go down as smoothly as October Rust or the first few pieces from Bloody Kisses but that’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with the music on this. If you liked the darkness of October Rust, the erotic noir of Bloody Kisses and the dissension of Slow, Deep & Hard then chances are you are going to have a salacious episode when you slide this in your CD player. It’s best consumed at a high volume with a nice bottle of wine and if the neighbors complain ... politely smile, advance to track number six and watch them scurry in fear.
The Tracks
The Misinterpretation of Silence And It’s Disastrous Consequences Wombs And Tombs Mix
Everyone I Love Is Dead
Black No. 1
It’s Never Enough
Love You To Death
Black Sabbath From The Satanic Perspective Christian Woman
12 Black Rainbows
My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend Cheese Organ Mix
Hey Pete Pete’s Ego Trip Version
Everything Dies
Cinnamon Girl Depressed Mode Mix
Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty of Infidelity
Stay Out of My Dreams
Artistically speaking, “Everything Dies” is the stand out track in all respects. It’s got every element of the group working full force to deliver a song that you won’t soon forget. The grinding, almost scorching introduction gives way to a softer side of the group; with touching lyrics about family members that have long since left this earth and those that will eventually follow, it shows yet another level of the ‘death touch’ that the group has become known for. Some of the background vocals are a bit overdone but they add a certain flow to things and help elevate the deeper parts. Without a doubt, my personal favorite pick here has to be “Black Sabbath” if you are a fan of Peter’s darker side and his infernal vocals then consider this a song that you simply have to hear. Until this release the only way you could get this version was to buy the import of “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” [with slightly different lyrics]. All you have to do is read the lyrics on the fold out jacket of the CD to get a taste of what it’s all about but that’s sort of like reading the ingredients on a container of ice cream - sure you know what’s in it but until you pop off the lid and take a taste it’s just text. The real appeal to this is sensual, erotic and malfeasant tone of the music that completely compliments the spoken word. If you have the previously unreleased version of “Suspended In Dusk” you’ll pick on a hauntingly familiar tone when you hear the intro on this one.
Who is she that kneels so respectfully before me
A virgin of snow white purity
Do not fear my fortunate one
Let us consummate our igneous union
One song that needs a little explaining is “It’s Never Enough” written by Steele for his mother. Now, you might not be able to grasp that from just reading the lyrics one time. It’s a tricky song to understand and unless you’ve followed his life and times chances are it will come off as some disenchanted love song but there’s more to it than that, so much more. There’s a musical prologue and epilogue to the song [“Hedgeclipper” and “The Cruel Tactics of Emotional Warfare”] that really add a lot to the track. Some might find the line “f*ck you god” as offensive but if you take it as a three word statement then yes, it would be a blasphemous and vulgar edict but when you view it within the context of the song along with the resentment and bitterness then it put things into a more fitting perspective. “Christian Woman” is one of the groups definitive songs; with heavy keyboards ala Josh it has an angelic feel to it but make no mistake about it, the song is laced with thoughts of temptation and indulging in that which is the most forbidden of the forbidden fruits. If you have the “After Dark” video release from the band you’ll get a better understanding of how the song unfolds [there are two versions of the video included on “After Dark”] and it’s true meaning but it isn’t a requirement, no, all you need is to sit down with the lyrics [which aren’t included] to pick it apart. On the “Bloody Kisses” CD the song is broke into three parts but you are only getting ‘Body of Christ’ not ‘To Love God’ and ‘J.C. Looks Like Me’ in this format. You do lose some of the appeal of the song without having the other two parts included but you still get the basics of the track.
A dying godman full of pain, when will you cum again?
Before him to beg or serve, on your back or knees
There’s no forgiveness for her sins, prefers punishment
Would you suffer eternally or internally?
㥸 Black Rainbows” is a piece of aural therapy. You can try and decipher the song and define it but it goes in so many different directions that it’s hard to say, “yeah, it’s about death” or “it’s about vampires”. To me this is one of Kenny’s best songs, the guitar work is elevated, gripping and ever-present through the entire song but if it weren’t for Johnny’s beat the song would definately lack impact. “Hey Pete” is a take off on the classic “Hey Joe” this is the previously unreleased studio version of the track so it does have a different feel from the one that appeared on “The Origin of Feces”. This is a song that you have to listen to a couple of times to really get the most from it. It does have a violent lyrical composition to it but it’s the music that really smokes on this track. Songs like “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” and “Cinnamon Girl” are the upbeat ones and to some fans they were seen as ‘sell out’ pieces because they lacked the darker tones. To me this is a ludicrous; al lone has to do is really listen to the music and hear the words to find the carnality and sex appeal in the songs. It’s not put right out there for you to spot easily so you do have to use your imagination ... but that’s one of the best parts. Isn’t it sexier to see someone in just a little bit of clothing rather than completely naked? It leaves something to the imagination and keeps you guessing. That’s the premise of these songs, it lets the listener get a taste of things but leaves it wide open so you can use your filth trap mind to fill in the blanks.
It’s no secret we’re close, like sweaty velcro
Like latex, fur and feathers, stuck together ...
They keep me warm on cold night, we might be quite a sight
In our meat triangle, all tangled ...
The first time I heard “Unsuccessfully Coping With The Natural Beauty of Infidelity” it was during a Type O concert that was prefaced with a long and belabored keyboard intro. This version is from “Slow, Deep & Hard” and has almost the same intensity as when I first heard it but the lead in is what made it such an awesome memory for me. Since this comes from their earlier works it’s got a harder edge to it, an almost punk feel to it and you can’t tell me that the moaning and groaning mid-track doesn’t get you more than a little turned on. This is where it pays to listen to this with headphones on, without them you miss out on hearing all the little things that the song has to offer. Being the longest song on this CD [12:29] it combines a lot of different themes and topics but the biggest one is betrayal. Fans of Type O’s slower stuff might not find this all that interesting but it’s something that you have to listen to in order to fully appreciate the group. About the only thing ‘negative’ that I can say about this is that there are only lyrics for four songs on the fold out jacket [It’s Never Enough, Stay Out of My Dreams, Black Sabbath and 12 Black Rainbows]. Sure I could go online and get the lyrics if I really wanted them but come on, would it have been so hard to have shoved a leaflet into a side pocket?
The Bottom Line
I can’t honestly say that there is a track on this release that I dislike, some do get played more than others but there isn’t one that I’d remove from it if I had the choice. If you are a fan of any facet of Type O Negative’s evolution then you’ll want to have this for your collection because it represents a wide spectrum of their work to date. .This is stickered with a Parental Advisory Label for explicit lyrics [uhhh F*ck You God might have had something to do with that] so this isn’t something for the kiddies. There was talk of releasing a “clean version” with the naughty bits removed but to me that’s like ordering a bucket of fried chicken and a Diet Pepsi - if you are going to indulge you might as well go all the way. I never bothered to look and see if this actually happened so I can’t say whether this is available in a squeaky clean format. With a total of thirteen tracks [ok, fourteen] to pick from you are given a hell of a lot of variety, when I asked the group what their favorite track was in regards to this release they all laughed and said, “The Misinterpretation of Silence and Its Disastrous Consequences”. Peter added that it was indeed their best piece ever and fully represented what they thought of the music they make. You’ll have to listen to the song to get the joke ....
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