Take It from the Man!

The Brian Jonestown Massacre's obsession with the Rolling Stones continues unabated on the brilliant Take It From the Man!; where the group resurrected psychedelic-era excesses on the previous Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request, here they jump further back in time to the Stones' mid-'60s period, with even more superlative results. From the opening "Vacuum Boots" onward, Take It From the Man! is gritty, swaggering R&B-influenced rock, delivered with remarkable assurance and attitude; singer Anton Newcombe is half madman and half shaman, and he commands each delirious moment with absolute mastery, emerging not so much a disciple of Mick Jagger but as a serious threat to the throne. Tracks like "Who?," "(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six," and the epic finale, "Straight up and Down," are simply amazing, evoking rock's golden age without ever disintegrating into slavish devotion -- clearly, the BJM is a group that believes in killing their idols, and their intensity begs the question: just who is the World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band again? ~ Jason Ankeny