When we were buying physical recordings of albums there would often be those purchases that were not perfect but they might be one of your favorite albums to listen to. This was ‘Riders Of The Storm’ for me. In the summer of 1994 I discovered The Boogiemonsters during one of the many moments I tried to position the antenna on my T.V. to pick up the fabled Video Juke Box. This was a platform that required viewers to dial in a request for music videos. Although I never made any request it provided me with exposure to many new acts at the time. ‘Recognized Thresholds Of Negative Stress’ was not only a mouth full of a title for a song but also had a very annoying or captivating hook. In 1994 the whole song was different and these voices were fresh with ideas and energy. The album would present more of the same but over the years I have come to the realization that there was a common theme behind the songs. Recently there was an article asking was this a “Christian Rap album?” Something that never dawned on me as I was always taken by the music but did catch the meaning behind songs like ‘Mark Of The Beast’ and the almost gospel like vibe of the title track. As HOP music went back then, there was going to be positive and inspiring lyrics with certain groups so I always took their mentioning of certain religious references as just a part of their music. Boogiemonsters had a good thing going with this record because rarely did it ever get boring but maybe the pace would slow down on ‘Muzic Appreciation…’ and ‘Salt Water Taffy…’ but would pick right up with a track like ‘Honeydips In Gotham;’ which was relatable to young men searching for the opposite sex during those days. The song that has to be the most talked about, and at the time odd but impactful is ‘Old Man Jacob’s Well.’ This was a song about child abduction and although I was fourteen at the time it creeped me out and reminded me of the days when television movies like ‘Adam’ warned children to stay away from strangers. The unique thing about the song was it comes from the perspective of the abductor and how his motivation was not malice but as natural as a predator in the wild. The Jimi Hendrix-esque guitar rifts in the music drove the track home and really leaves an imprint on the listener but this also why ‘Riders Of The Storm’ is such a cultural hit for those that know. What did you think of the album?
Singles include:
‘Recognized Thresholds Of Negative Stress,’ ‘Honeydips In Gotham’ & ‘Strange’
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