Revisiting: Jackyl's self-titled debut album (You know, the one with "The Lumberjack" on it?)

 Jackyl by Jackyl

Release Year: 1992

Last Time I Listened to It: Though I've listened to single tracks here and there, I haven't listened to this record top to bottom since before I went off to film school, so we're talking late 1990s...

Let us start with a humorous anecdote: Jackyl's debut platter was the soundtrack to many nights spent dragging main in Rexburg, ID and aimlessly rolling around annoying cowboys, churchy people and whoever else we might run across. When "The Lumberjack" would play, my pal Ham got into the habit of "singing" along with the chainsaw solo. He'd grunt, gurgle and roar in tune with the song, like "RRRRRRRRROOON RRRRRROON RRRROON RRRROON RROON RROOON!!!!" 

The sound of Ham's rendition of the solos on "The Lumberjack" has so embedded itself in my brain that it is now, like two decades later, impossible for me to listen to the song without hearing Ham accompanying it in my head. And that has made this record unforgettable for me, even at times that I've wished I could forget it.

"The Lumberjack" may be the most memorable song on this record, but it's far from the best. Jackyl produced some of the best straight-ahead, sleazy hard rock of the early 90s, recalling similar sounds from bands like AC/DC and Kix. These boys knew how to write catchy tunes. "Down on Me" has one of the most underappreciated sing-along choruses I've ever heard. "Redneck Punk" packs a vicious wallop of snarling guitars and fuck-you-I-don't-care lyrics that appeals to the pissed-off 16-year-old we all have buried inside of us. "Back Off Brother" addresses racial and religious tensions in a way that probably impacted how I treat people who look and believe differently than myself even today. And "When Will It Rain" is just classic bluesy-rock goodness.

The songwriting is focused on sharp hooks that snag you the get you rockin' out, but the performances are what really make this album work. Singer Jesse James Dupree wails, howls and bellows these songs like he's got a foot caught in a bear trap. Guitarists Jimmy Stiff and Jeff Worley fuse punk rock with old Aerosmith riffs and plenty of stolen lick and tricks from Angus and Malcolm young into an energetic maelstrom of roaring guitar noise. Bassist Thomas Bettini and drummer Chris Worley give the tracks a hard-rocking foundation and tie everything together. If you dig on rock music, you'll find something on this album to love.

The Verdict: This Jackyl album sounds even better to me now than it did when it first came out. And I liked it a lot back in the day. I don't appreciate the novelty of "The Lumberjack" or the dirtier tunes like "Dirty Little Mind" and "She Loves My Cock" as much as I used to, but there are a lot of well-crafted, hard-rockin' tunes on this record and once it hooks me, Jackyl really energizes me, something good rock music should do. This record here is a real shot of life.

Best Songs: "Down on Me," "When Will It Rain," Redneck Punk," Back Off Brother," "Brain Drain"