Posted by Icky (24.24.168.81) on May 28, 2004 at 01:22:48:
...I dug up these "treasures" - some really entertaining (I thought) articles & reviews of ID from the past few years. Bone Ape Tit!
These are the "Customer reviews" that people write on Amazon.com.
Imperial Drag - Amazon.com reviews
Audio CD (May 7, 1996)
Original Release Date: 1996
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Sony
ASIN: B000002BCP
Average Customer Review: Based on 8 reviews. Write a review.
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 145,441
1. Zodiac Sign Listen
2. Boy Or A Girl
3. Crosseyed
4. The Man In The Moon
5. 'Breakfast' By Tiger (Kiss It All Goodbye)
6. Playboy After Dark
7. Illuminate
8. Spyder
9. Overnight Sensation
10. The Salvation Army Band
11. Dandelion
12. Stare Into The Sun
13. Scaredy Cats & Egomaniacs
14. Bonus Track 1
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
From Kiss to the Sex Pistols, and Patti Smith to Neil Young, nostalgia was one of rock's biggest enemies in 1996. It was pervasive and suffocating, but it was also seductive as hell, providing it pushed the right buttons. The self-titled debut by Imperial Drag certainly pushed mine, bringing me back to the days of my Riunite-fueled early-teen rebellion and a soundtrack consisting of cock-rock riffs and posturing (Ted Nugent and Led Zeppelin), glam hooks and gender-bending (T-Rex), and full-blown prog-rock heaviosity (ELP's stomping synthesizers). By revisiting these unheralded and now mostly unloved sounds with such unapologetic flair and flamboyance, Roger Joseph Manning and Eric Dover almost redeemed themselves for the smug power pop they used to in their Jellyfish days. Imperial Drag is the album Urge Overkill should have made to follow Saturation, and the one Redd Kross should have released to top Third Eye. Of course, it comes complete with long, greasy hair, wild bell bottoms, over-the-top lyrics ("I'm unoriginal, it's fine... I've got a boner for your zodiac sign"), and bona-fide fist-in-the-air anthems ("Boy or a Girl," "Overnight Sensation")-the better to fuel the way-back machine.
Jim Derogatis
The album Jellyfish should have made after Spilt Milk, September 22, 2002
Reviewer: A music fan from SUISUN, CA USA
Although not as immediately catchy as the first two Jellyfish albums, Imperial Drag's self titled debut demonstrated the direction Jellyfish might have moved. Well, maybe not but regardless, this is a fine first and only album from ID. It would have seemed a natural direction for Jellyfish after the 5 star Split Milk.
The songs are catchy with riffs worthy of any classic 70's rock album. In fact, some of the songs play almost as clever parodies of the genre. Regardless, this is a fine album. A pity that Andy Sturmer wasn't involved and that Jellyfish didn't record this album. It would have just added luster to an already outstanding reputation.
If you remember a time..., March 4, 2002
Reviewer: Andrew ward (see more about me) from Bellingham, WA. United States
Do you remember a time when bands actually had members who could play their instruments? You do, Weird, me too.
If you're in your mid to late 30's and used to listen to rock music, you might just enjoy every second of this CD. There is no need for me to go further, the reviews I glanced over are pretty much right on the money, enjoy the music. This should be an easy selection to make (add to shopping cart) see there, that was easy. In a few days when you get this CD in the player you'll feel a whole lot better about music in general. Thank me later.
A more refined version of "Jellyfish" w/o as much 70's pop., July 12, 1999
Reviewer: havocnkaos@aol.com from RI, USA
If you take the image of "Kiss meets the Phantom of the Park"'s kitsch aesthetics, and mix it with Freddie Mercury's (Queen) vocal prowess, (and vocal cleanliness), throw in a pinch of the Beatles for harmony's sake, shaken, not stirred, you get Imperial Drag. The singles that fell off the album are by far less than the best of the tracks. Spyder has the decent howl in lead vocals, Boy or a Girl of course has the catchy refrain, but throw in sounds like that of Dandelion, and you get an almost 60's folk-music-on-old-vinyl feel. Guaranteed eargasm.
Fine album from former Jellyfish members..., May 25, 1999
Reviewer: A music fan from Northern California
It isn't fair to compare this album to the best work of Jellyfish, but it will be. Imperial Drag more than holds it own. The album works from a different tradition borrowing much more from mid-70's mixture of glam and hard rock.
Eric Dover does a very good job as lead vocalist, but I still miss Andy. Although not quite as good as Jason Falkner's debut (Author Unknown), this is a fine album full of memorable songs.
Customers who bought titles by Imperial Drag also bought titles by these artists:
Brian Reitzell
Owsley
Jason Falkner
(-Whatever)
This is one from a Bay-area Mag that chronicles a really fun part of the Alanis tour.
FOOD FIGHTERS
Imperial Drag, currently on tour with Alanis Morissette, found themselves in a backstage dispute with the headliners at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. The "argument," such as it was, involved some good-natured barbs & chuffs regarding the relative merits of each group's dressing room accommodations. Somehow, the row escalated into a full-on food fight, with the backstage deli platter serving as armory & arsenal.
The whirling vortex of flying comestibles and slapstick high-jinx actually worked as an icebreaker and bonding mechanism between the Alanis and ImpDrag camps. Post-show, the whole lot went out for some serious wind-down hangtime, marking the first time both sets of musicians got together "socially." The show was a homecoming of sorts for Imperial Drag keyboardist/vocalist Roger Manning, a native of Pleasanton, California. Included among a plethora of ImpDrag friends and family in the audience were Roger's very own mother & father (who weren't informed of their son's poor table manners backstage until later).
You can catch Imperial Drag on the Alana’s Morissette tour path:
June 12 Santa Barbara, CA County Bowl
June 13 Las Vegas, NV Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts
June 14 Las Vegas, NV The Beach (Imperial Drag only)
June 15 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
June 16 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
June 17 Hollywood, CA Virgin Megastore In-store (Imperial Drag only)
June 18 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
June 19 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater
June 20 Irvine, CA Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre,
June 21 Hollywood, CA Viper Room (Imperial Drag only)
June 22 Del Mar, CA Del Mar Fairgrounds Arena
June 23 Phoenix, AZ America West Arena
Imperial Drag has also begun lining up club dates -- with Super 8
and Super Deluxe -- on the other end of the Alanis tour:
June 25 Albuquerque, NM Time Out (Imperial Drag & Super 8 only)
June 27 Austin, TX Electric Lounge
June 28 Dallas, TX Galaxy (KTXQ Show)
July 2 Atlanta, GA The Point
July 4 St. Louis, MO KPNT Show
July 6 Minneapolis, MN State Fair
July 7 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
Aug 12 Chicago, IL TBD
Aug 13 Detroit, MI TBD
(..."Mem-o-ries...")
This is an absolutely hysterical one from a German Amazon review. The syntax is priceless!
Completely clearly: The Sweet were better. Although by the most diverse sides (e.g. "Rolling Stone") of terms like "space skirt" to be stated, or the volume of "The one in The Moon" as a "klanglichen counterpart to Kubricks" 2001: Odysee in space "speaks, then imperially dragees remain nevertheless a only one" The Sweet"RipOff. Badly however "dragee" is not imperial, the album, therefore. In the opposite, because the quartet around the two Songwriter Eric Dover and Roger Manning control also their Bowie to "major Tom" Tom"-Phase and its Pink Floyd lesson (naturally still saved with Syd) from the EFF EFF and without a doubt the
certain Pop Appeal have," dragee "a beautiful, versponnenes, sometimes even great album is imperial. Nevertheless: The Sweet were still better.
The last is an interview of Eric Dover from a Dallas, Tx. Newspaper.
From: David Whittaker (dmw@lookingglass.net)
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
June 28, 1996, Friday, HOME FINAL EDITION
HEADLINE: Gender benders are retro-groovy by accident'
BYLINE: Kendall Morgan
KEYWORD: PREVIEW: IMPERIAL DRAG AT THE ORBIT ROOM
No song could sum up the gender--confused '90s as succinctly as Imperial
Drag's current single, Boy or a Girl.
A sugary piece of pop candy, the tune manages to sound both '70s- and
'80s-influenced at the same time, as well as being chock-full of lines like, "Do
you get off casting hexes/assuming forms of either sexes?"
"Growing up in the South, I guess I used to hear a lot of snide comments,"
says singer--guitarist Eric Dover.
"I wouldn't say I'm sensitive, but you'd hear, Are you a boy or a girl?' a
lot. There comes a time when you're 12 or 13 and you've never kissed a girl and
you have people calling you names, so there's a little gender confusion."
Not to worry, Mr. Dover survived childhood and went on to join the acclaimed
pop band Jellyfish. Now, he and former Jellyfish keyboardist Roger Manning have
enlisted drummer Eric Skodis and bassist Joseph Karnes to create Imperial
Drag's groovy noise, which has been compared to everyone from Humble Pie to T.
Rex.
Although the band does have a glam-rock feel, Mr. Dover says his real
influences are a bit more buried.
"I don't think it's Jellyfish Mach 2 or whatever. A lot of the sound was
like making a pot of stew. If it's retro, it came out by accident.
"I don't have any influences at this particular time, but in the future, I
may want to do an homage to somebody. . . . I may wind up doing an homage to
Mrs. Drysdale if I happen to be watching The Beverly Hillbillies."
And the band's name?
"It's sort of open-ended. Drag' could be hot-rod hick culture or drag queens
- take your pick. We think it sounds cool. It's something grand, maybe it's
sublime. It's a little bit beautiful in its ugliness."
Ah, to be remembered in one's lifetime.