Club Ninja

 

 

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This is a troubled album from a troubled time in the band's history. At this stage of the game, the only remaining original members were Bloom and Roeser (hence my joke about "TWO Öyster Cult"). No Allen Lanier equals no BÖC. (It's bad enough without the Bouchards.) Talented though they may be, they were not strong enough to carry this off by themselves.

The album has ONE excellent track- Roeser's "Perfect Water." Everything else falls short in some manner. "Madness to the Method" is a nice teen anthem with a nice hook and an awesome piano solo by Tommy Zvonchech (spelling? Sorry Tommy!).

The remaining tunes are WEAK.

Interestingly enough, "Dancin' in the Ruins" got a LOT of air play. It will get you tapping your foot, sure. But ardent BÖC fan expects more from a group capable of sheer genius.

My Recomendation: If you're new to Blue Öyster Cult, buy "Agents of Fortune" instead. If you're a fan, a pro collector, a Cultophile, a musician, etc. then this will make a nice addition to your collection. Just don't pay too much for it, that's all.

I'll never forget the first time I saw Club Ninja sitting in the music store racks back in '86. "How the mighty have fallen" I thought, responding only to the cover artwork that seemed to cater to the fourteen-year-old burn out and the album title that appeared to cash in on the popularity of the Ninja at that time. Once I finally got around to listening to this masterpiece, my mind was blown. Granted, one has to be interested in hearing an 80's style metal sound, complete with Def Lepard type couruses and a some standard heavy riffs, but beyond that, the music is very unique and tripped out (even by BOC's standards), and rocks to high heaven. BOC has always incorporated some of the contemporary pop conventions into their own sound, and far from cheapening the music, this attempt to stay current has always had a positive effect. On the other hand, many of the songs on this album retain the progressive, experimental feel that has marked BOC's music in the past. Songs like White Flags and When the War Comes (which contains a cameo vocal from Howard Stern and is based on a speech by Leon Trotsky), have this sort of acid rock, far out sound, while Madness to the Method has an open jam at the end that allows the drumer and the keyboardist to get it on a bit. Listening to Spy in the House of the Night and Beat 'em Up is like plugging your brain into an stack of marshalls on 11. Dancing in the Ruins was an attempt at a hit, containing a Burnin' for You style courus, but it's not too embarrassing to listen to, and Make Rock Not War is a decent tune. There's nothing wrong with an anti-war statement in my book, especially on an album that seems a little obsessed with the topic of war. Shadow Warrior is what you might call a title track, as it deals with the Ninja and his world view. This leads me to the lyrics, which in general are up to standard for BOC in their well written and thought provoking content. Some possible complaints about this album are that Albert Bouchard and Alan Lanier are missing and more than a couple of outside writers contributed material. All I can say is that Jimmy Wilcox and Tommy Zvonchek do an excellent job and if the band was running out of ideas at the time, they had the sense to accept some help in that department when it was needed. After all, the mid '80s were a pretty degenerate time in music, and I think BOC did a wonderful job of bucking the trend of mediocrity. Club Ninja may not be the best place to start listening to BOC (my vote would go to Agents of Fortune) but still, I would rank Club Ninja above The Revolution by Night, Fire of Unknown Origin and Secret Treaties. I know this is blasphemy, but we're all entitled to our opinions. Club Ninja is one of the best hard rock albums I've ever heard.

I mean, any record with "White Flags," "Dancin' in the Ruins," and "When the War Comes" is worth purchasing. And guess what? The only one with those three on it is this one. The good songs include the afore-mentioned "White Flags," (the band flirted with semi-progresive keys and solos and this one)the MTV hit "Dancin' in the Ruins," the somehow good yet still cheesy "Make Rock Not War," and the seriocomic "When the War Comes," what with the serious verses and the apparent "ooga-chaka"'s during the musical breaks. Unfortunately, there is filler. This comes in the guise of "Beat 'Em Up," the most derivative song I have ever heard from the BOC ("Imaginos" seems pretty good by comparison). However, this is a hard record to come by in many places, so you are advised to buy it on sight if you are a BOC fan.

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4.0 out of 5 stars stern connection
BOC trivia thats Howard Stern doing the voice at the beginning of "When the War Comes"

Published on April 3 2004 by paustin0816

1.0 out of 5 stars Simply: their worst!
I never write a review to slag people's opinions (I'll dump on a bad album, of course) but this time, I dunno, I guess I'm in the mood. I'm a B.O.C. fanatic. Read more

Published on Mar 19 2004 by David Parker

1.0 out of 5 stars BÖC`s worst record
I have all böc-records and this definetely the worst of. "White flag" is only flash of light...

Save ur money, don`t buy it, u lost ur money... Read more

Published on Dec 3 2003 by Juha Albert Kainulainen

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard times and only a mild letdown. *** & one half
It should be an easy matter being fair to 'Club Ninja'. 1986 was a very confusing time for established hard rockers as all the fresh hair metalheads seemed to be stealing the... Read more

Published on Nov 10 2003 by Johnny S Geddes

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome CD by an all-time awesome group!
I'll try to make this brief (good luck, right?). I got into BOC after their first album was released and they've been among my favorite groups ever since. Read more

Published on Aug 10 2001 by Ricardo Haskins

2.0 out of 5 stars WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
This album has to be the very worst of the B.O.C. efforts. But never to fear...after their worst album came, after almost two years...the best album by B.O.C.----IMAGINOS!

Published on July 21 2001 by Steven B. Mccrary

4.0 out of 5 stars a club i'm more than happy to join
Having bought the excellant 'heaven forbid' 3 yrs ago i have been slowly been building my b.o.c collection. Read more

Published on Feb 4 2001

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Enough Punch From This Club Ninja
BOC were long past their peak at this point;Fire Of Unknown Origin was the last LP that semi-mattered (still say they lost a lot after the first three records). Read more

Published on Jan 4 2001 by JOHN SPOKUS

5.0 out of 5 stars I Joined the Club
I received BOC's first album as a gift, and they've been my favorite band ever since. While Club Ninja has childish cover art, the music is superb. Read more

Published on Oct 29 2000 by PIP Squeaks

1.0 out of 5 stars Club Ninja: One Club I Won't Join
Continuing the downhill slide that began with "The Revolution By Night", BOC sprang "Club Ninja" on the world back in '86. Read more

Published on April 24 2000 by Grillmaster Deli

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