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The Very Crystal Speed Machine
Studio album by
Thee Hypnotics
Released1994
StudioRumbo Recorders
GenreHard rock, garage rock, psychedelic rock
LabelAmerican Recordings[1]
ProducerChris Robinson
Thee Hypnotics chronology
Soul Glitter & Sin
(1991) 		The Very Crystal Speed Machine
(1994)

The Very Crystal Speed Machine is an album by the English hard rock band Thee Hypnotics, released in 1994.[2][3]

The band promoted the album by touring with You Am I and Tripmaster Monkey.[4]

Production

The album was produced by Chris Robinson, who proved to be a taskmaster in the studio; Robinson had persuaded American Recordings to sign the band.[5][6][7] Recorded at Rumbo Recorders, in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, it includes contributions from Black Crowes Eddie Harsch and Marc Ford.[8][6] Four of the songs are instrumentals.[9]

"Goodbye" is about the death of former bass player Craig Pike.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Calgary HeraldB[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
Rock Hard8.0/10[5]

Trouser Press concluded that "the album completes Thee Hypnotics’ transition from self-conscious fetishists aping a vintage sound to dedicated retroids ready to join the real things in the road-goes-ever-on trenches."[8] The Washington Post thought that "Ray Hanson's guitar still has an appealing swagger that gives its familiar blue-rock riffs a contemporary edge, and tracks like 'Ray's Baudelaire' and 'Peasant Song', if minor, are distinctively eccentric."[4] The Calgary Herald declared that Thee Hypnotics "do to the head what the Black Crowes do to the soul."[12]

The New York Times determined that "making good, original rock-and-roll usually means executing an effective synthesis of styles, but Thee Hypnotics kept its influences separate."[13] The Province opined that the band "are the closest they've come to getting the balance right between citing their sources (in the early days it was The Stooges and MC5) and finding their own voice."[14] The Arizona Daily Star called The Very Crystal Speed Machine "one of the finest mainstream rock albums of the year so far."[15]

AllMusic deemed the album "a finely crafted piece of classic rock, much more inspired than the last Thee Hypnotics album."[11]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Keep Rollin' On" 
2."Heavy Liquid" 
3."Phil's Drum Acropolis" 
4."Goodbye" 
5."If the Good Lord Loves Ya" 
6."Ray's Baudelaire" 
7."Caroline Inside Out" 
8."Tie It Up" 
9."Down in the Hole" 
10."Peasant Song" 
11."Fragile" 
12."Look What You've Done" 
13."Broken Morning Has" 

References

  1. ^ "I'm Your Fan". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. May 3, 1999. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Thee Hypnotics Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  3. ^ "THEE HYPNOTICS HYPED UP TO PLAY TUESDAY AT CLUB". Deseret News. July 22, 1994. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "HYPNOTICS UNDER INFLUENCE OF OTHERS". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b "THEE HYPNOTICS - The Very Crystal Speed Machine". ROCK HARD Heavy-Metal-Magazin. Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  6. ^ a b "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Thee Hypnotics And The Breakthrough Album That Never Was". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03.
  7. ^ DeLuca, Dan (26 Aug 1994). "THEE HYPNOTICS/DUMPSTER JUICE". The Philadelphia Inquirer. FEATURES WEEKEND. p. 17.
  8. ^ a b "Thee Hypnotics". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. ^ McGarrigle, Dale (11 June 1994). "'The Very Crystal Speed Machine' (American) -- Thee Hypnotics". Bangor Daily News.
  10. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 115.
  11. ^ a b "The Very Crystal Speed Machine - Thee Hypnotics | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". Archived from the original on 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-11-03 – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. ^ a b Muretich, James (22 May 1994). "RECENT RELEASES". Calgary Herald. p. B11.
  13. ^ Strauss, Neil (3 Sep 1994). "ROCK REVIEW; Evidence of Mick Jagger's Influence". The New York Times. p. 15.
  14. ^ Harrison, Tom (27 July 1994). "PRIMAL SCREAM: Give Out But Don't Give Up (Sire). THEE HYPNOTICS: The Very Crystal Speed Machine (American)". The Province. p. B4.
  15. ^ Armstrong, Gene (August 12, 1994). "Thee Hypnotics to fire up noisy pop week here". Arizona Daily Star. p. 3E.
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