Mental Floss [Explicit Lyrics]

Editorial Reviews
Icon of Iowa City, June 15th 2000 issue

Mental FLoss is a duo from Mt. Vernon comprised of Abby Petersen and Jeff Jones.

About the Artist
Mental Floss got started in the summer of 1999. A CD was recorded at Junior's Motel Records. Mental Floss played at Pride Fest in Cedar Rapids in June of 2000. The Icon, of Iowa City, reviewed the CD favorably. The Mental Floss CD was released in April of 2000.

Album Description
Mental Floss features the spoken word poetry of Abby Petersen, an award winning poet, and the music of Jeff Jones.

Mental Floss [Explicit Lyrics]

Average customer rating:

Very Underrated
Rap rock's breaking ground.
Completely "Mental".
Blazing rap-rock--from da lowlands
All aggro/raprock/hip-rock = Playpen UDS

Mental Floss for the Globe
Urban Dance Squad
Manufacturer: Triple X Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Rap Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Persona Non Grata
Artantica
Planet Ultra
It Takes Two

ASIN: B00000HY6Y
Release Date: 1999-01-05

Tracks:

Fast Lane
No Kid
Deeper Shade Of Soul
Prayer For My Demo
Big Apple
Piece Of Rock
Brainstorm On The U.D.S.
The Devil
Famous When You're Dead
Mental Floss For The Globe
Struggle For Jive
Man On The Corner
God Blasts The Queen

Tracks:

Struggle For Jive
Big Apple
Prayer For My Demo
Brainstorm On The U.D.S.
Hitchhike H.D.
Deeper Shade Of Soul
Man On The Corner
Underground
Let Me Guide You
.45 Caliber
No Kid
Fast Lane
Famous When You're Dead
Sunshine Of Your Love
God Blasts The Queen

Customer Reviews:

Very Underrated.......2006-02-22

The only hit UDS had in the US was, of course, Deeper Shade of Soul. That's not even the best song on this CD. From start to finish this is a very solid effort.

Rap rock's breaking ground........2005-07-08

Grossly overlooked (maybe some people thought they sounded too much like RHCP) this early 90's album has stood the usually cruel test of time. They have other great albums, but this is their best; plus, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, was doing anything like this in 1989. If you're older than 6 years old and already outgrown Limp Bizkit, do yourself a favor and buy this.

Completely "Mental"........2003-12-17

This disc has been out since the early 90's actually, and I don't know a single person who knows it, but I'm glad I do. They're not the first or last band to do the rap-rock thing, but they do it really well. Close comparisons would be "Fishbone" or "311". The hit from this was "Deeper Shade Of Soul", and while that probably is the best track, alot of the others are near as good. "No Kid" has an infectious hook, and "Fast Lane" and "Brainstorm On The U.D.S." are sweet too. The original version of this comes without the 2nd disc, but getting it makes this twice as nice. Don't forget to floss.

Blazing rap-rock--from da lowlands.......2003-02-06

I have had to settle for listening to the UDS debut album on tape for years; finally I got smart enough to order this reissue, with the bonus live CD (more on that later). What a great album this is, still...

The Squad, formed in Utrecht (not in Amsterdam--there is more to the Netherlands than just Amsterdam) in 1987, apparently dissolved itself for the last time in 2000, after an impressive set of albums, and after leaving audiences overwhelmed all over Europe as well as a few happy places in the US (they played at the New York New Music Seminar twice, in 89 and 90). "Mental Floss" was their first album, and still one of the best on the list. Other reviewers have listed the bands influenced by them and their explosive combination of rap and rock, so I don't have to do that again--it would be nice if some of those artists would pay their dues.

Even though I think this album is fantastic, I don't consider it a perfect effort--there are true gems on it, but also a few not-so-good tunes: I've never cared much for "The Devil" or for "Big Apple." However, songs like "No Kid" (there's a real hardcore version of this semi-acoustic song out somewhere), "Fast Lane," and "Brainstorm on the UDS" more than make up for that. The Rudeboy's style has always been unique--over the top, edgy, fast--and he's backed up by a set of great musicians. Silly Sil's funky bass, welded tightly with Magic Stick's aggressive but sober drums, form a solid background for DJ DNA, a truly innovative DJ, and Tres Manos, a guitar player who was never satisfied playing in just one style (the latest from him: he plays pedal steel in a band called the Yearlings)--he ranges from howling electric to blues (like that other dude you couldn't pin down--Jimi H.).

On a sidenote: if this is one of those few Dutch records that ever did well overseas, it is due perhaps in part to other input from the low countries: Peter Te Bos, of the trendsetting (well, in Europe anyway) garage band Claw Boys Claw, did the artwork (and when is the CBC back catalog coming out on CD?); the production was done by Jean-Marie Aerts, of the Belgian band TC Matic, a guitar player who deserves much more recognition than he gets.

The live CD that accompanies this re-issue, taped in Hollywood, 1990, is nice to have. The set was rocking, as usual, but the sound quality is a bit underwhelming. The UDS had a habit of gulping down a lot of Jack Daniels and of sometimes working out their personal differences on stage--none of that seems to bother them here. They are tight, the Rudeboy plays the audience, they seem comfortable playing on a different continent. It's a pity I've only met one person as yet in the US (back in LA in the early nineties) who had heard of the UDS and liked them: they deserve more play here.

Alright--I've sung their praises long enough. If you want to know who was there at the start, who mixed it up and rocked the house for a decade, "Mental Floss" is there for you, as fresh as when it came out.

All aggro/raprock/hip-rock = Playpen UDS.......2001-11-20

Urban Dance Squad came out with an album in 1989 that changed the way people listened to music. Problem was, only the band and their few fans knew about the impact from the get-go. Grossly overlooked, this band is the source of pretty much every musical style that blends r&b, soul and hip hop with rock or metal influences. From Korn to Sugar Ray, from RATM to Roots, from Beck to Kid Rock, these guys beat them all to this sound by about 3 to 8 years. "Struggle for the Jive" is heavy aggro-rock at its finest, "Fast Lane" out-smacks Prodigy and "Deeper Shade of Soul" features one of the best blends of mellow soul, sampling and loopy guitar work I've ever heard. Seeing these guys live was something else. Totally under appreciated band that more people seriously need to recognize.