![]() 8-Way Santa sounded cleaner and better detailed than Tad's previous work without sacrificing the roar of the guitars, and Doyle's vocals were a serious improvement over what came before, still gruff and full of menace but better articulated and with a welcome touch of drama. While the results lacked a bit of the monster truck impact of God's Balls, the album certainly favored Steve Wied's drumming, as well as the taut guitar crosstalk between Tad Doyle and Gary Thorstensen. Tad worked with producer Butch Vig for the 8-Way Santa sessions, shortly before he helped Nirvana craft the game-changing Nevermind. ![]() But by this point, the bandmembers wanted to broaden their palette a bit, and they upped their ante on 1991's 8-Way Santa. This CD bears a reminder of why Tad was once regarded as the biggest band in Seattle.Tad had documented their unrelenting parade of heavy riffage and antisocial behavior with no small skill on their debut album, God's Balls, and the follow-up EP, Salt Lick. While 8-Way Santa doesn't reach the likes of Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger or Nirvana's In Utero, it is still far from being a horrible album. These songs more or less fall of the rails, and with the instrumentation not quite there, they just seem too ludicrous listen to half the time. Other tracks that completely missed the target include "Jack Pepsi", "Crane's Cafe", and "Stumblin' Man". I didn't make it sound vague on purpose, that's just what all one could manage to get out of it. It consists of the rambling of a woman scolding someone with a voice over of Doyle describing something he did. It has nice bass line and one of the few guitar solos here on 8-Way Santa. Another highlight track is the Dinosaur Jr.-esque "3-D Witch Hunt". It also features Doyle's gnarled vocals and asinine lyrics. It opens with a groovy noise, with verse riffs you would expect to hear on a White Zombie track. The heaviness of "Giant Killer" is the epitome of a Tad track, where everything comes together. Doyle's clean vocals, makes this one of Tad's easier songs to listen. The steadiness on "Flame Tavern" is also impressive. The drumming really plays off the guitars nice. Meanwhile, Steve Wied's drumming is exceptional on most of 8-Way Santa's tracks. "Jinx" changes momentum well and "Delinquent" has a catchy outro. Thorstensen's guitar work on "Jinx" and "Delinquent" are some of Tad's best. While it's nothing extreme, it definitely sets the band apart. Much of the instrumentation on this album pushes the experimental envelope a bit. In fact, 8-Way Santa's best tracks are products of good guitar riffs and drum work. Some say he created fictional characters, which influenced his lyrics.ĭoyle might be Tad's driving force, but he in no way hides the other band members. I can't really write much more about them. Even when the words are clear, it's hard to attain any cognitive meaning from them. At times these lyrics may draw a laugh, while other times they might be hard to decipher. "She yells, she's a drunken ninja" and "Trash truck, trash truck, get me outta here" are notable examples. Doyle is known for his ridiculous lyrics, and the lyrics on 8-Way Santa are no exception. I'm not talking about his weight mind you, I mean his lyrics. One thing that didn't change was Tad Doyle. It did make the album more marketable though. Not quite sure if that's a good or bad thing. They also turned down the crudeness a tad from God's Balls. Mainly because the song production improved. Hampered by copyright infringements, nothing music related, Tad didn't take off as some might have predicted.Ĩ-Way Santa was a step forward for the band. ![]() Two years later, 1991, the Sub-Pop label is thriving and Tad releases 8-Way Santa. Their debut captured their energy well but had sub-par production. With little time to waste, Tad released their debut album God's Balls. This band turned up the guitars and the indecency louder than anyone else. Tad is fronted by big man Tad Doyle, who despite his size was always a constant threat of stage diving. Tad, got a bit of each, and their gigs were the talk of the town. Some attained instant success immortality others moderate success, and many simply enjoyed the ride. Grunge gave way to several successful bands. The combination of raw energy and record labels gave way to what many call "Grunge", a form of alternative rock associated with the early 1990's Seattle. In the late 1980's, the Seattle scene began to wake. Groups form, gigs crash, music prosperity happens. ![]() In towns and cities, these movements of loud noise can only be described as concentrated chaos. 'Nuff Said.Įvery music scene breeds bands, a great deal of them.
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