“Kiss always
fashioned themselves as the Beatles on steroids”—Gene Simmons, Billboard, 10/3/09
◆◆◆
Singer/guitarist
Parthenon Huxley, aka P. Hux, is “rock’s most underrated pop genius” according
to the L.A. Weekly. Inspired as a kid by the British Invasion, Huxley’s
melodies are ridiculously catchy. Think Beatles On Steroids: great songs,
insane hooks, smoky vocals, and lyrics good enough to recite to your
friends.—Publicity page for P. Hux
◆◆◆
[Charlie
Bernardo’s] other duty is rhythm guitar which he attacks with a vintage classic
rock sound through a Vox amp and Gibson SG guitar, which he affectionately
refers to as the “Beatles on steroids” sound.—The Sketches’ web page
◆◆◆
Ryan and Matthew also gig with their own rock band
in Omaha, Moses Prey, that has been described as “Beatles on steroids.”—Web
page for Beatles tribute band Yesterday and Today
◆◆◆
It’s a muscular, track-by-track cover version of Meet the Beatles! that, as one
Smithereens fan on Long Island told DiNizio last year, sounds like “the Beatles
on steroids.”—Review of John, Paul,
George, & DiNizio, by the Smithereens, Asbury
Park Press, 01/12/07
◆◆◆
“That’s a good one. I remember when I first heard
this, it sounded Beatles-esque. Like the Beatles on steroids.”—Keith Strickland
on "Setting
Sun," by the Chemical Brothers, The Onion,
4/21/08
◆◆◆
The raging “Nexus Icon” begins with a distorted staccato howl decrying
celebrity worship, and segues into the disarmingly sweet-natured “Only Love,”
which suggests the Beatles on steroids--or at least ephedrine.—Review of The Wildhearts Must Be Destroyed!, by the Wildhearts, Spin, 1/28/04
◆◆◆
On “If You Want My Love” the band sounded like the
Beatles on steroids, which was the way Cheap Trick sounded in their late ‘70s
heyday.—Review of Cheap Trick gig in L.A., livedaily.com
◆◆◆
Sounds Like: The Beatles (on steroids...and cocaine...doused with gasoline and set
on fire)—MySpace page of Those Bastards
◆◆◆
Man, those guys can move, and play and
sing. They practically vibrate. They’ve got ants in their pants. They’re the
Beatles on steroids.— Review of Prabir and the
Substitutes gig in Washington D.C., DC
Rocks blog
◆◆◆
The ballad Tomorrow’s
Gotta Secret features slow, contemplative verses, with a powerful
Beatles-on-steroids chorus.—Feature on Hot Action Cop, 3 Minutes, 49 Seconds blog
◆◆◆
Sounds Like: Kings Of Leon, John Forerty, Status
Quo, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi, Kiss, Gary Moore, The Darkness, Cheap
Trick, Pearl Jam, ZZ Top, AC/DC, Hinder, Jimmy Barnes, Faith No More, Chilli
Peppers, Grinspoon, Oasis, Stone Temple Pilots, Green Day, Metallica, Crowded
House, The Living End, Choir Boys, Foo Fighters, Guns’n’Roses, Led Zep, Jet,
Neil Young, Golden Earing, The Angels, Dragon, The Screaming Jets, The Beatles
(on steroids), INXS, Status Quo, John Fogerty, Bon Jovi, etc.—MySpace page of
Strange World
◆◆◆
Sounds Like: The Beatles on steroids!!—MySpace
page of Blind for No One
◆◆◆
Unlike Paul and Linda,
they layer on the buzzing Weezer guitars and make a racket. Think of it as Wings on steroids.—iTunes review of Big Little
Eye, by the Golden Dogs
http://aboombong.bandcamp.com/album/asynchronic
Tt's the ringing left in the Beatles' ears after they've been beaten savagely by someone in a steroid rage.
Posted by: icastico | January 25, 2010 at 03:24 PM
Isn't there a little lexicon of phrases that are seen nearly exclusively in rock reviews? I remember reading the Rolling Stone Record Guide as a kid and noticing that while there were some generally uncommon adjectives that were profusely overused.
It makes me so annoyed I feel like I took steroids, of which each indivudual syringe was also on steroids appropriate to syringes full of steroids.
Posted by: bartleby | January 25, 2010 at 03:43 PM
Well, the Beatles were already ON all the GOOD drugs!
Posted by: 2000s | January 25, 2010 at 04:23 PM
and those steroids in turn are also on steroids. But the steroids that this third set of steroids are on
are just chilling out on the sofa watching Magical Mystery Tour and drinking a glass of milk. The milk, however, contains steroids. But those are cow steroids which won't work on beatle steroids and will just get peed out.
Posted by: bartleby | January 25, 2010 at 04:37 PM
With Animal from the Muppets on Drums
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/05/the_most_influe.html
Posted by: Brian Turner | January 25, 2010 at 05:18 PM
Isn't there a little lexicon of phrases that are seen nearly exclusively in rock reviews?
We can start a few right here:
* More hooks than a tackle box
* [x] is worth the price of admission alone
Posted by: Andy Lester | January 25, 2010 at 06:18 PM
I've always described Sloan as Canada's well thought-out answer to the Beatles.
And regarding steroids: Sure steroids, but are they steroids FROM HELL? From Hell ON ACID?
Posted by: just john | January 25, 2010 at 06:57 PM
About as original as a movie reviewer saying an actor's portrayal was "pitch perfect." If I ever hear "pitch perfect" outside of a reference to pitch again, I may run amok.
And justjohn, you beat me to it re: your "ON ACID" comment. Was it the '90s when every album/TV show/film was "(something) on acid"? Ugh.
Posted by: elizabeth | January 25, 2010 at 07:40 PM
if for any reason Animal can't make it, the French Captain Caveman is a substellar, if capable, stalwart with a soupcon of new licks understudy:
http://dacjosvale.free.fr/mp3/Capitaine%20Caverne.mp3
Posted by: bartleby | January 25, 2010 at 07:40 PM
But the Beatles _were_ on acid. They were _not_ on steroids. I'm confused. Does the combination have some hitherto unknown synergistic effect?
Posted by: K. | January 25, 2010 at 08:08 PM
I have an old clipping that referred to The Beatles as "Gerry and the Pacemakers on steroids," but I just can't seem to put my hands on it.
Posted by: Jim | January 25, 2010 at 09:52 PM
that's the deal with "x on $drug" comparisons: it's always something the band was not known for taking. "...like Motorhead on birth-control pills." Maybe there's still room for "The Beatles on Robotussin."
Posted by: eh | January 26, 2010 at 01:15 AM
Back when I used to actually read music reviews (geez maybe 15 years ago) one of the phrases I used to hear a lot was "swirling guitars". What are swirling guitars? Does Kiss really have anything in common with The Beatles? Maybe Beth , or whatever that crappy ballad was, actually has some melody to it. If you took away the steroids from Kiss what would be left?
Posted by: Chris | January 26, 2010 at 11:34 AM
elizabeth:
Let's see if I can remember this Peanuts comic correctly.
Schroeder sings a note and hits a piano key, which plays a note. He goes to Charlie Brown, who's watching TV.
Schroeder: I've got perfect pitch!
Charlie Brown: You mean A perfect pitch. And who cares? Baseball season is months away.
Schroeder stomps away.
Schroeder: Sometimes I feel like putting in a transfer to another comic strip.
Posted by: just john | January 26, 2010 at 11:48 AM
People don't realize how serious Schroeder was about going to Miss Peach. In fact Schulz was going to bring in Vince Guaraldi, who he had already been working with, as a replacement. This was before Schulz was tapped to appear on Hogan's Heroes and Mel Lazarus rose from the dead to pinch-draw for him under the same name.
Posted by: bartleby | January 26, 2010 at 02:49 PM
and the kicker was that Mel Lazarus was not even dead. Boy, some people will believe anything.
Posted by: bartleby | January 26, 2010 at 05:30 PM
I love this post!
Posted by: someone7 | January 29, 2010 at 02:29 PM
That guitar/vocalist is just awful.
Posted by: Abe Normal | January 30, 2010 at 10:31 AM
I always thought Kiss sounded more like The Beatles on human growth hormone.
Posted by: Jaybone | February 03, 2010 at 11:05 AM
The Surface looks pretty good; but in my view, the price point is too high and well, Microsoft just doesn?t have a following in the lucrative and quickly growing mobile sector?that will take time.
Posted by: HGH Supplements | February 08, 2013 at 03:28 AM
Singer/guitarist Parthenon Huxley, aka P. Hux, is “rock’s most underrated pop genius” according to the L.A. Weekly. Inspired as a kid by the British Invasion, Huxley’s melodies are ridiculously catchy. Think Beatles On Steroids: great songs, insane hooks, smoky vocals, and lyrics good enough to recite to your friends.—Publicity page for P. Hux http://hghenvy.com
Posted by: http://hghenvy.com | February 09, 2013 at 05:44 AM