Review Summary: Resurrecting the early Ministry bops.
Al Jourgensen’s disdain for his early-to-mid ‘80s Ministry output was always a subject the media enjoyed poking at, especially due to the radical changes in sound the project went through soon after. Whether it was the record label’s push for commercially viable singles or the man simply got into heavier music and soon saw those songs as puerile, it doesn’t matter anymore. Various successful acts got sucked into the ‘80s pop music machine at the height of its craze, so a young Al can’t be blamed for taking his chance at what was the hype at the time. Nevertheless, the man seems to be more at peace these days with his first two studio albums, so much that he decided to offer some of them a second life.
The Squirrely Years Revisited compiles what Jourgensen probably thought was worth resurrecting from
With Sympathy,
Twitch and surrounding singles from the respective era. The production has been updated, the catchy dance vibes are still there, but overall, the cuts have been beefed up. “Revenge” or “Work for Love”, for example, share prominent guitars, especially the former, which is the most arena rock number on the LP. Meanwhile, “Every Day Is Halloween”, probably the most popular tune here, boasts a sturdy, thumping groove with meatier riffs. One would have expected a drastic sonic make over given how little interest Al had in this sound. However, he maintained their charm without forcing them into Ministry’s current direction.
A fair number of the tracks on the album were restructured, thus, emphasizing their appeal more than on the original recordings. “All Day” benefits from more poignant vocals and a richer production, whereas slowing the tempo on “I’m Not an Effigy” and cranking the guitars created a moodier version of it. The latter plays closest to the band’s current style. Also, “Here We Go”, whose crude keyboards were rather grating on
With Sympathy, feels much more organic and fun here. For the
Twitch material, the EBM foundation was preserved, but was definitely polished in a Front Line Assembly way. The fan favorite, “We Believe” remains a highlight with its distorted vocals, aggressive yet groovy sequencers over a smooth, dancefloor-ready beat. Same goes for “Over the Shoulder” and its sample-heavy melody. Remastering helped balance its sound with a nice low end to the mix. The diversity on the LP definitely makes it more interesting, letting the disco tinged moments breathe between harder hitting tracks. While somewhat enjoyable, this was a very polarizing period in Ministry’s timeline. As a result,
The Squirrely Years Revisited is bound to cater to longtime fans who bothered listening to these tunes in the first place. Still, these updated versions can be much more easily enjoyed by anyone else now. The originals were a product of their time and inevitably sound outdated. Al Jourgensen & Co. have done a solid job polishing the songs, so the man can finally be at ease with his early years.
