Artist: Faith. No Man.
Album: Quiet In Heaven / Song Of Liberty
Year: 1983
Genre: Post-Punk
Sometimes I wonder where the hell my brain is?!?! Faith No More is an all-time favorite of mine. Honestly, I have just as much admiration, respect and love for the Mosely era as I do the Patton era. I have consistently claimed they are the most the most fearless and experimental band to ever gain worldwide success. Their albums were never intentionally made to be commercially viable, but when you are opening for Metallica and Guns 'N Roses, you've made it to the big time. So, back to my brain question...how did I not know there was a very early incarnation of Faith No More called Faith. No Man. and that they released a 7" in 1983? It just seems like something I would've researched, learned about or just run into at some point as I've been an active listener of the band since late 1988. Before last week, I never knew about this release. Better late than never, I suppose.
So, Faith. No Man., featuring the Billy Gould and Mike Bordin, the original and only rhythm section of Faith No More. The lineup was rounded out by keyboard player Wade Worthington and guitarist/vocalist Mike Morris. Once I found this 7" existed, I went on a search to purchase a copy. Well, unless I feel like spending above $200, I won't be owning this record any time soon. So I flew over to YouTube with my fingers crossed that someone has the songs uploaded. What I was met with were two very solid songs that can only be described as post-punk. Both songs are massively driven by rhythm as the drums take over Side A and the bass is the focus on Side B. It appears that Mike Bordin has had his signature tom-heavy approach to drums since the inception of his playing. His unique style is all over these songs. Guitars and keyboards nicely fill in the spaces left over. The vocal are, dare I say, typical for the style; mostly monotone with a few note jumps and volume changes here and there. They fit the songs well, but it's easy to see why the guys' next pick for a vocalist was the charismatic Chuck Mosley and his off-the-rails delivery and lyrics. To say Faith. No Man. were massively influenced by Killing Joke and PIL would be an understatement. Those two bands are worn directly on their sleeves. This isn't a bad thing at all, but the fact that this is a 2 song 7" makes the band intriguing, whereas, if they did a full-length I could see it becoming monotonous. It's a very interesting starting point to what would become one of the most diverse rock bands in the last 35 years.
Listen to "Quiet In Heaven" here.
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