Gumball
Super Tasty (1993)

Review by: Mike Webb
Date: 6/1/03

I was working at the label this record came out on when it was released. I think there’s a tendency for brainwashing when you’re closely involved with a project because you hear the music so often or because you like the band members or because you want your work to lead to something successful. So I always have to step back and question whether my affection for a particular record is true or brought on by other factors. But as soon as I put Super Tasty on I realized I like this disc because it’s great music.

Gumball is the work of indie producer Don Fleming (Sonic Youth, Posies, Screaming Trees, Teenage Fanclub) and his pals Eric Vermillion and Jay Spiegel. Future Garbage man Butch Vig helmed the boards (and also produced Nirvana, L7, Smashing Pumpkins, Freedy Johnston and Sonic Youth) and cranked out a muscular, distortion-riddled pop record. There’s nothing complex going on here, no genre mixing – just good, old fashioned rock’n’roll with loud guitars, slamming drums, and a goofy attitude. Just the way every album ought to be.

The opening four tracks of Super Tasty set the stage perfectly for what’s to come. "Accelerator" is a blast of slide guitar insanity matched with lyrics about trying to make it to the show on time. And the first verse of the second song starts with "I got a hell of a message from hell today, a mean dog chains its master." "Here It Comes Again" is more straightforward pop with a touch of keyboards and "Tumbling" is hard-charging melodic pop with screaming guitars. A lot of credit should probably go to Vig for keeping the songs compact, while not being afraid to let the distortion reach an obnoxious level. And though drummers like Vig tend to mix the drums a little bit higher than necessary, it really works well.

The next eight songs offer more of the same, but it never wears thin. Had they included their cover of The Damned’s "New Rose", Super Tasty could’ve been a contender. Instead it serves as a reminder of the many great albums Columbia Records released but failed to fully support. Unfortunately Columbia threw in the towel almost immediately when Gumball didn’t stick to the charts. But 10 years later, the band will still provide you with plenty of pleasure, as long as you don’t get depressed wondering why these guys were overlooked in the first place.