Rough Edge: Limp Bizkit CD Reviews

LIMP BIZKIT

"Greatest Hitz" (Flip / Geffen; 2005)

Those who have read my previous Limp Bizkit reviews know that I have a formula that usually applies to Limp Bizkit CDs. 50% of each CD kicks ass, while 50% sucks ass. It's a formula that I'll stick to despite the current trend of bad-mouthing every single aspect of Fred Durst and company.

Finally, however, along comes a Limp Bizkit CD that blows my formula all to hell. Of course, with a title like "Greatest Hitz," you'd expect the CD to be better than just 50% good stuff. And the CD doesn't disappoint.

Like all "Greatest Hits" packages, the tracklisting here can be argued, dissected and debated ad nauseum. We're not going to do that here. Suffice to say that this is all good Limp Bizkit material, with a minor exception here and there and that ... if you're completely unfamiliar with the band ... grab this CD and you'll know right away whether you're going to like their unique sound or not.

It helps that one particular track, "Take a Look Around," is included here and, as my personal favorite Limp Bizkit song of all time, its exclusion probably would have damned the CD. It's here, though, so the point is really moot.

Three previously unreleased tracks are also included: The surprisingly soulful "Why," the forgettable "Lean on Me" and Bizkit-ized and surprisingly emotional cover of Motley Crue's classic "Home Sweet Home," which isn't really bad at all but probably won't earn Mr. Durst and friends any points with the hard rock / heavy metal crowd.

Limp Bizkit weren't always the band that everyone loves to hate and "Greatest Hitz" is ample evidence as to why they were once so very popular. And might very well be again one day.

For more information, check out www.limpbizkit.com.

"Results May Vary" (Interscope; 2003)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

Before "Results May Vary," I had a theory about Limp Bizkit: Exactly one half of any Limp Bizkit album was absolutely kick-ass rock; the other half was total crap. With "Results May Vary," however, the formula has changed. First of all, there's very little, if any, total crap here. Unfortunately, also absent is anything that's absolutely kick-ass.

Some of this may have to do with the exit of Wes Borland and the entrance of Mike Smith on guitar. Smith's style and obvious talent certainly fit this smoother, more consistent Limp Bizkit - but Borland's raw edginess is missed, too.

There's plenty to like if you're a Limp Bizkit fan. The hard rock tunes are here ("Eat You Alive," "Re-Entry") as are the slower, ballad-like tunes ("Down Another Day"). There's even some rap tunes, including "Red Light-Green Light" featuring Snoop Dogg (you don't get much more rap than that).

A highlight is track #6, "Almost Over," which morphs Limp Bizkit madness with Harry Chapin-style emotion. You don't hear that everyday.

The bottom line here is that you're either going to like "Results May Vary" or you're going to hate it. Because you either like Limp Bizkit or you hate them. There's very little room in between. If you're a fan of the band's more unusual stuff, you'll probably like "Results May Vary" more than those who aren't.

My biggest complaint is that the CD is too long. Nearly 70 minutes it about fifteen minutes too much Bizkit. And that's not even counting the 35-minute DVD preview of the forthcoming full-length "Poop" DVD.

Limp Bizkit: Fred Durst - vocals, li'l guitar; Sam Rivers - low end, li'l guitar; John Otto - all beats; DJ Lethal - the icing; Mike Smith - guitars, guitars.

For more information, please visit http://www.limpbizkit.com.

"Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" (Flip/Interscope; 2000)

Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton

I always thought Limp Bizkit was just an okay band. Sometimes their music really rocked me; other times it just left me cold. Paco gave "Significant Other," the band's previous release, 3 1/2 chainsaws - I would have given it only two, maybe two and a half.

But then I heard "Take a Look Around," Limp Bizkit's contribution to the "Mission Impossible 2" soundtrack and I was floored. That tune was not only a killer, kick-you-square-in-the-ass song, but it gave the Tom Cruise movie an additional kick that even master director John Woo couldn't have given it.

So I was pretty excited when the interestingly-titled "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" was released. I even ran down to Best Buy so I could score one of those special two-disc sets that included a second CD with additional material.

First off, the bonus disc contains only two songs: "Snake in Your Face" and "Back O Da Bus." I could easily do without ever hearing "Snake In Your Face Again" (which might as well been recorded by Snoop Dogg) but "Back O Da Bus" is one of those tunes that make you realize that perhaps their is some genius to Limp Bizkit. It's a slow, melodic but grittily real song loaded with emotion. Impressive even at a running time of only 1:19.

The full CD runs over 75 minutes, and is almost equally divided up with nearly pure rap songs, rap/metal songs and the occasional aforementioned slow, emotional tune. Without going through the entire track listing, let's just say that "Take A Look Around" is still easily the best song on the CD, although there are others worth mentioning.

"Hot Dog," is one, in which Fred Durst uses the word "fuck" more often than Al Pacino in "Scarface," (and goes as far as to count the times he's used it). Others include "My Generation," a throbbing rocker; "My Way," an apparently heart-felt opus; "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" which rolls over the listener like a tank; "The One," a nice little groove funk; "It'll Be Ok" with its catchy guitar riff and "Hold On," which surprises with its vocal uniqueness.

But does "Chocolate Starfish" stand up to the hype? The answer is "maybe." There's some terrific work herein and this band's potential is apparent. But there's some standard fare here, too, and too many songs that are way more "rap" than "hard rock" or "metal." I'm sorry, but I'm a metal fan. For me, the balance is still too uneven.

"Chocolate Starfish" was produced by Terry Date and Limp Bizkit with additional production by Josh Abraham and Scott Weiland. The CD was mixed by Andy Wallace.

LIMP BIZKIT is: Fred Durst, Wes Borland, D.J. Lethal, Sam Rivers, John Otto.

For more information, please visit http://www.limpbizkit.com; http://www.flip-records.com or http://www.interscoperecords.com.

"Significant Other" (Uni/Interscope; 1999)

Reviewed by Paco

By now, you've heard "Nookie" from Limp Bizkit's latest CD ("Significant Other"). You've probably heard "Nookie" A LOT and you think it is a damned cool song. But, since that's the only song you've heard, you wonder if the band is just a one-hit wonder. Fear not, this CD is well worth the $16.

Led by singer Fred Durst (who also writes all the words), Limp Bizkit is an aggressive mix of hard rock and hip-hop, similar to House of Pain. Most all of the songs combine strong beats, aggressive guitar and samples. The music and overall sound is awesome. "Nookie" is one of the harder songs on the disc. A lot of them are fairly mellow. The strongest part of the CD, though, are the lyrics.

"Nookie" is a great example of the lyrics throughout the CD. They are exceptionally honest observations about life and growing up from a distinctly male perspective. Any guy under about age 30 can easily identify with most of the lyrics.

With 15 songs plus multimedia stuff for your computer on the CD, "Significant Other" is a very cool CD to own.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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