L.S. Underground "Bring It Down Now" 1996 gray dot records

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Though this saying usually concerns a bride on her wedding day, it is an apt description of L.S. Underground's new semi-retrospective "Bring It Down Now". We see all sides to L.S.U.; old, new, powerful, blue. We also hear songs which have borrowed musicians from other bands (C. Cummings, S. Hindalong...). As Mike Knott and L.S. Underground signed with Elektra Records last fall, the new band will go by Aunt Betty's. Although the line up for Aunt Betty's is the nearly the same as that of L.S. Underground, the change brings an end to L.S.U. as we know it. In that light, "Bring It Down Now" fits both the times and music well.

Though Mike Knott and company have played as Lifesavers since the early 80s, "Bring It Down Now" only includes songs from albums released between 1987 and 1994. 1987 marked the release of "Shaded Pain" a musical landmark for L.S.U. Other tracks are taken from "The Bomb" (1990), "This is the Healing" (1991), "The Grape Prophet" (1992), "Cash in Chaos World Tour" (1993) and Knott's Solo album "Rocket and a Bomb" (1994).

Musically, the retrospective disc includes classic L.S.U. cuts like "The Bomb" and "Tether to Tassel". Some songs have been remixed and are quite different than the original recordings. Others have been taken from a New Year's Day concert at the Strand. While the list of songs included is an excellent introduction to L.S. Underground for those unfamiliar with the band, the disc surpasses the feel of a general "best of..." which often come off as commercial scams to more dedicated fans. The collection also avoids the "progression of our band" syndrome and ends up with more of a musical collage feel to it. As listeners, we see L.S.U.'s aggressive rock/punk side as well as the more subdued, acoustic side. The variety of sound makes the collection easy to listen to straight through, especially for those familiar with the songs included here.

A few songs on "Bring It Down Now" originate from other sources. "Industry Inc." was first appeared on ACM Journal 1st Anniversary Compilation. Hints of songs both included and left off this recording can be heard floating through other cuts. A few songs are brand-spankin' new. Even though "Funky Space Cat" appeared on last summer's gray dot preview disc it is one such new cut. Baby Flies a Comet, also a new song, demonstrates both Knott's acoustic and electric sides, and is overshadowed by his ever-present creativity.

Overall, this collection is a must have for Knott fans of old. For those yet to be introduced to Mike Knott's genius, this is your last chance to see older L.S.U. tracks since many of Knott's were unfortunately discontinued due to L.S.U.'s label (Blonde Vinyl Records) going out of business. To all, the retrospective collection comes with high recommendation.

-Brian Smith. BSmith5530@aol.com

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