Favorite Rez Song - Civil Rites

Well I am truly embarrassed, as I know very little about this album. I have it, and have had it since it was released in '91. However, when it came out I guess I was into other things. For one thing I was getting more into metal: Stryper, Mortification, Deliverance, Tourniquet, Holy Soldier, Vengeance Rising, Recon, etc. Also, 1991 is the year I got married, and one thing my wife is not is a rocker ... nope, she's pretty much a Michael W. Smith, Avalon, Cathedral Quartet person. So I suppose I was listening to less hard rock and metal, seeing as how I was no longer the only one in the house. Regardless of my excuses, I was still a Rez fan, but only enough to keep up with the album releases.

I think another reason I barely recall this album is because it was more of the same. The band had really established themselves as a sold blues/rock band, and this album pretty much stuck to the same formula as the last one: plenty of hard and fast rockers, some good blues-based tunes, a couple of straight blues tracks, and a cover song. All excellent tunes with stellar musicianship, but nothing really so special that it stands out as better than the previous CD.  Lyrically the band was in fine form, singing about the usual topics centered around current affairs and social consciousness. 

There is something significant about this album: you won't find Jesus' name used in any of the Lyrics, and while the word god is used a couple of times, God Himself is only referred to in two songs. Does this mean they sold out, "taming down" their lyrics to make more money? Nah! After all, they still lived in JPUSA. Who knows why their lyrics because less "gospelly", and who cares.

Album tidbit: This is Rez' longest studio album to day, with 12 tracks. 

UPDATE:

I indicated that In My Room is my favorite as I love Glenn's blues songs, but that just shows how much I listen to the CD! I didn't even realize before tonight that my MP3s are mistagged! I have just discovered that four MP3 tracks on my computer are mistagged, with the song I like the best -- Footprints -- being tagged as In My Room! AARRGH! And I've already voted ... DOUBLE ARRGGHH!  <sigh>

UPDATE (7/2/14):

The QA department pointed out that I typed the album title incorrectly, correctly spelling "Rites" as "Rights", even though that is actually incorrect and the band's way is correct, even though the band's way is incorrect. Are you dizzy yet? Anyhow, I have corrected (or would that be incorrected?  Uncorrected?  Discorrected?  ) the post title, but I cannot correct the poll title because the system does let me. That blasted system!    BLOW UP THE SYSTEM! BLOW UP THE GOVERNMENT!    Wait ... did I say that out loud! oops!

Sorry ... these guys made me do it! ->   

This is hands down my favorite Rez album (it was also my first Rez album so that might have something to do with it too).

When I ripped the cd to my computer when I first got it, several of the tracks were also mistagged.  I had to fix them as well.

IMHO there are a ton of fantastic tracks on this album Lovespeak, Misison Bells, Linconls Train, In My Room, Little Jeannie, and Wendy's fantastic rendition of Jefferson Airplanes "Somebody to Love" (probably my favorite song of hers)...But when forced to pick a single favorite I would have to go with Players it's just got this smokin driving blues soaked bass and guitar line that really rocks (but I have to admit that In My Room & Somebody to Love could have easily been my favorite...it's such a great album).

^^ kinda makes me wonder how many other CDs I have ripped that are mistagged. Obviously the ones I listen to all the time are good, or I would have noticed. But how about those oddball CD's that don't get a lot of spin time? I don't relish the thought of going through my entire collection to verify each and every song is tagged correctly.

Finally, you get to the only Rez CD I have. I really like this album. There are a bunch of great songs on here. Shoot, none of them are bad at all, though I could do without the cover song. I never liked the original and the cover doesn't make it better.

Favorite song? Lovespeak, by a hair over Pauper's Grave, Comatose, Little Jeannie and In My Room. But really, the whole album is awesome.

Mission Bells!  Great song with a lot of attitude and a great message!

BearDad wrote:

^^ kinda makes me wonder how many other CDs I have ripped that are mistagged. Obviously the ones I listen to all the time are good, or I would have noticed. But how about those oddball CD's that don't get a lot of spin time? I don't relish the thought of going through my entire collection to verify each and every song is tagged correctly.

I've noticed a few in my collection as well. I tried going through the whole collection a few cds at a time earlier last year to check for mistakes. I only made it about 2/3 of the way through before I lost steam. I haven't picked it back up in over 6 months.

Follower of Jesus wrote:

Favorite song? Lovespeak, by a hair over Pauper's Grave, Comatose, Little Jeannie and In My Room. But really, the whole album is awesome.

Agreed   

Gotta go with Lincoln's Train..... yes Lovespeak is awesome but the message of Lincoln's Train and the slow build musically this track is stellar....

All this Rez Band talk has me wishing I didn't have to sell my collection a year or so ago...  

ishmael81 wrote:

All this Rez Band talk has me wishing I didn't have to sell my collection a year or so ago...  

Now you can rediscover them by slowly collecting back each title! (see there is always a bright side).

Staybrite wrote:

ishmael81 wrote:

All this Rez Band talk has me wishing I didn't have to sell my collection a year or so ago...  

Now you can rediscover them by slowly collecting back each title!  (see there is always a bright side).

That's true. And I always try to... Stay Brite... see what I did there?

Wouldn't you be more of a grampa nazi than a grammer nazi.  Both er my grammers wur wimen.

trogdawn wrote:

The Jefferson Airplane cover   

And not to be a Grammar Nazi...oh, screw it...I *am* a Grammar Nazi! The title of the album is actually Civil "RITES" not "Rights"...as it's a play on words with the witchdoctor mask on the cover and everything   

You are correct. I should pay better attention to my typing.  Good thing we have the QA department to keep us rednecks in check.

As you can see I have corrected the incorrect spelling,  Or would that be incorrected the correct spelling? I'm confused.

alldatndensum wrote:

Wouldn't you be more of a grampa nazi than a grammer nazi.  Both er my grammers wur wimen.

BearDad wrote:

As you can see I have corrected the incorrect spelling,  Or would that be incorrected the correct spelling? I'm confused.

This place is full of descendants of the Weisenheimer family!   

Lincoln's Train. More of the same? Maybe but not many are doing this especially when this came out.

Redeemed Fool wrote:

Lincoln's Train. More of the same? Maybe but not many are doing this especially when this came out.

By "more of the same" I didn't mean in comparison with other bands, but with themselves.  Style-wise there isn't much difference between Innocent Blood and Civil Rites, or for that matter, with Reach of Love either. It's not necessarily a bad thing; most bands have a specific style that they stick to.  However, one of Rez' strengths is that they always evolved as a band. Personally, I believe they found their niche with the three albums I named above, as it is when they were at their best. However, at the time I was younger and always looking for something different, so an album that to my mind was more of the same stuff from the previous album was of little interest to me. I look back now and say, "Doh! what a fool I was!" because Civil Rites was a great album.  I still don't think it was as good as Innocent Blood, but it none-the-less was worth the money spent on it.

I getcha, Reach was when I kind of felt they were stuck in a rut.

We can only vote for one song?  That's totally not fair.  This album is a fave of mine.  I went with Lincoln's Train.  Other faves are Mission Bells, Players, Pauper's Grave.

Too hard to pick, but tonight Lincoln's Train edged Somebody to Love.