Flipper

Flipper: GenericGeneric (1982)
Warner Music Group

Reviewer Rating: 5

User Rating:

Contributed by: BrandonSideleauBrandonSideleau
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on June 27th 2003Flipper is one of the most unique and underappreciated punk rock bands of the early 80's. The band played a mid to slow tempo brand of hardcore punk rock, with menacing vocals thanks to Will Shatter. The lyrics range from depressing to deliciously obnoxious to random as hell. Most dealing with disil.

Flipper is one of the most unique and underappreciated punk rock bands of the early 80's. The band played a mid to slow tempo brand of hardcore punk rock, with menacing vocals thanks to Will Shatter. The lyrics range from depressing to deliciously obnoxious to random as hell. Most dealing with disillusionment with life and conditions of anomie. But some songs, like "Sex Bomb", which only features a few priceless vocals and screams (She's a Sex Bomb Baby, YEAAAAHHH!!!) and a mixture of horns and heavy bass, are just intentionally hilarious in a "Ramones" sort of way.....only clocking in at 7 minutes and chugging along at a slow pace. This is obviously an album that influenced Black Flag's heavy bass sound used in "My War".

My favorite way to describe Flipper's sound is "Grungy Post-Hardcore". The first song, "Ever", sets the down beat tone of the album. With lyrics like "ever feel stupid and know you really are" "Ever wish the human race didn't exist, and realize you're one too" and a clap beat in the background the song is mesmerizing. The second song, "Life Is Cheap", begins with a rather haunting intro and leads into chants from Will and a screechy, feindish voice in perfect sync with him. Pretty crazy stuff, but undeniably genius as well. The song, "Way Of The World" is the first really catchy song off the album, with lyrics like "There are hearts no longer beating, and entrails spilled on the floor, that's the way of the world." The song, "Nothing", is another gem. With more rather simple yet excellent lyrics "Nothing nothing nothing, sitting around and you're wasting my time.". My favorite song on the album is the second to last track, "Living For Depression", which is almost.....positive? Well, not really, but encouraging. With a catchy chorus and a great ending with the shouted vocals "I'm not living life to be a real cheap fucker like you cop out!".

Musically Flipper may seem rather chuggy, but it is also extrememly powerful and effective....and very creative. The album sounds like it was recorded in one take and it's great, you get a real feeling that this band can play great live. Which is later cemented in their magnificant live album "Blown' Chunks". Flipper obviously heavily influenced grunge bands like Nirvana and the sound of some latter day Black Flag songs. Check it out, you'll find it catchy and strangely pleasureful.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

AnarchoDeeDee (May 15, 2012)

To all you hipsters:
Up yours! This is awesome music that means something to us

Sedrick (February 18, 2007)

Very fuckin nice album ! The grunge that you can add

notfeelingcreative (September 2, 2006)

"the worst shit i ever heard!!!!"

God, I hope you don't speak like you write! Plus, you don't know good music.

Anonymous (December 6, 2005)

the worst shit i ever heard!!!!

Anonymous (December 6, 2005)

flipper did'nt give a fuck and i dont give a fuck,so it worked for me.

Anonymous (December 7, 2004)

One of the only albums on here that acutally deserves the fucking ten!!

-notfeelingcreative

Anonymous (July 21, 2004)

Flipper is my kinda noise.Fuck blink 182 pussiesand fuck youi'm a n asshole like Zappa says oh yeah and you're always leaving me out!

notfeelingcreative (March 10, 2004)

Nothing to say other than fuck yeah!

Anonymous (June 30, 2003)

Flipper suffered for their art, now it's your turn.

One of the best albums regardless of genre.

TheOneTrueBill (June 30, 2003)

"at first, I read Will Shatter as "will Shatner", which scared the living shit out of me."

when someone first showed me this band, they honestly thought Shatner was the singer.

Spikedd (June 29, 2003)

I saw the Lords of Acid cover Sex Bomb live in 95 or 96. Funny stuff.

Anonymous (June 29, 2003)

at first, I read Will Shatter as "will Shatner", which scared the living shit out of me.

Anonymous (June 28, 2003)

The newer album, American Graphisy, features a different singer than this one since Will passed away in '87.

Anonymous (June 28, 2003)

I'd blame the moronic human creators for crappy television, not the abused, intelligent dolphin. And, as for THE BAND Flipper, they own and it's a damn shame that Will Shatter is gone. The best always die way to young, we've seen it all too much recently.

Manman (June 28, 2003)

Wow, who would ever have thought that a dolphin with a crappy TV show would ever produce such quality limericks. That one got me. How in the world does he even understand our language? It sure is lucky that he didn't get stuck in a tuna net. What? This Flipper is not the dolphin? Well crud wipels!

Anonymous (June 28, 2003)

I know, I didn't mean to making it sound like the Flag copied Flipper, I'm just syaing that Black Flag, my favorite band, was playing around with new and different sounds....just like flipper.

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

Excellent Album. Unique to say the least, I can't really say they had a peer in terms of sound. Not to rag but the whole Flag thing was going on simultaneously, and one of the best thing about this band is that they weren't really "post-hardcore", they were completely orignal when the whole hardcore thing was getting going. Blowin chunks is most excellent, there was also a re-issue with most of the singles and an album in the late 90's which was actually pretty good called American graphishy or something. I highly recomend checking these guys out.

TheOneTrueBill (June 27, 2003)

This is great. I can put sex Bomb on repeat for an hour (and have) and not get sick of it

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

yea I agree, the melvins are pretty badass. i still gotta check this band out.

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

AHHHH!! Fuckin great album! Cheers.
-Janelle

waste_elite (June 27, 2003)

flipper is awesome, glad to see a review here

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

Flipper are probably the best band of all those less serious/funny old hardcore bands. No trend were also great though.

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

Moby played bass for Flipper at one point.

Mr_Pink (June 27, 2003)

Flipper's great. I didn't know they were underappreciated, though, until I saw the lack of comments on here. I just sort of figured having heard Flipper was a given, just like the other big-name bands of the time. Times have changed.

eyeball_kid (June 27, 2003)

Will try to check this out asap. Review makes it sound great. And the Melvins worship them (and I worship the Melvins) so, yeah.