Project 1001: Wonderful Rainbow by Lightning Bolt
An aural assault that leaves you wondering what the hell was that?
My first impression of this album was confusion. I had no idea what this band were trying to say. And then it dawned on me. This is a bunch of drunken college kids who recorded themselves throwing their instruments down a very high stairwell. And I began to wonder why this is one of the 1001 albums I must hear before I die.
I typically listen to these albums entirely and then I put my thoughts to pixels before reading anything about the record. Not this time. I found the music so confusing and challenging that it was like sitting down at a restaurant and rather than taking your drink order the server slams a frying pan into your head a few times and then demands to know if you want more of that.
So, I started with the Wikipedia page and discovered that this noise was made by just two people wielding a bass guitar and a drum kit. This entire aural assault was made with just two instruments? Suddenly I found the record more interesting. And I began to listen more carefully discovering there was quite a bit more than first meets the ear.
I can’t say that I love it or even that I like it very much. But I do concede a certain amount of respect. Even though this clamorous, tumultuous tour of pandemonium seems intentionally off putting, you can still hear hints of some hooks. The fellas really do want you to like it. I probably won’t listen to this very much again, but I give Brian Chippendale (drums and vocals) and Brian Gibson (bass guitar) credit. A tip of the hat for doing something different. So, I’ve created a new rating:
AllMusic had this to say about Wonderful Rainbow:
It's hard to believe that all this noise is made by only a guitarist and a drummer, and it's sometimes even harder to believe that no electronic manipulation is involved. But however it is that they create this glorious ruckus, it's a sound that attracts at least as strongly as it repels, and there are a few tracks (let's not call them "songs," thank you) on Wonderful Rainbow that come perilously close to actually having hooks. The brilliant "Dracula Mountain," for example, with its heavily processed and thoroughly indecipherable vocals, or the equally baffling and wonderful "Assassins," both of which pummel and dance in equal measure. Imagine all the best aspects of Fred Frith, Derek Bailey, the Ruins, Slayer, and Ornette Coleman all thrown into a blender together. Then imagine them on speed. This one's a keeper.1
Blender’s 4-star review asserted:
If the White Stripes gave up blues-rock for steroids, acid and death metal, they might sound something like this. Powered by a 3,800-watt bass amp and a drummer who spills across his kit like a waiter trying to catch dishes, Lightning Bolt arrange raw noise into barreling hooks.2
The Pitchfork review was highly complimentary with its review:
Though already known for naked aggression executed with highbrow overtones, Lightning Bolt have gone even artier on us with Wonderful Rainbow, and by balancing their strong-armed aesthetic with unexpected dynamics, they're now proving themselves as artists with actual range, a band that can deliver beyond the novelty that got people talking; perhaps for the first time on a broad scale, Lightning Bolt will have them listening instead.3
Enjoy and listen without prejudice.
“And just remember, different people have peculiar tastes”
~ Lou Reed
Cheers!
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For details about this project, read this: Project 1001 Albums
Charts
• Peak on Billboard 200 album chart: n/a
• Singles on Billboard Hot 100 chart: n/a
• RIAA certification: n/a
Released on March 4, 2003. Here’s what else was happening:
Pop Culture
• Number one song: “All I Have” by Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J4
• Number one album: Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent5
• Number one movie: Cradle 2 the Grave by Andrzej Bartkowiak6
• Most watched TV programs: CSI, Friends, Joe Millionaire, ER, American Idol7
• NYT bestseller, fiction: The King of Torts by John Grisham8
• NYT bestseller, non-fiction: The Savage Nation by Michael Savage9
Some other albums released that day
• Avalanche by Matthew Good
• The Best of Run-DMC by Run-D.M.C.
• Fallen by Evanescence
• Hootie & the Blowfish by Hootie & the Blowfish
• Joyride by Oleander
• La Bella Mafia by Lil' Kim
• The Power to Believe by King Crimson
• Revolusongs by Sepultura
• So Long, Astoria by The Ataris
• Street Dreams by Fabolous10
Sport
• Mar 1 Legendary Mount St. Mary's basketball head coach Jim Phelan wins final game of 49-year career as Mountaineers win 60-56 over Central Connecticut State; Phelan: 830 wins in NCAA record 1,354 games.
• Mar 1 World light heavyweight boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. wins a unanimous decision against champion John Ruiz to capture the WBA heavyweight crown in Las Vegas.
• Mar 2 America's Cup, Auckland: Swiss yacht Alinghi beats Team New Zealand by 0.44s to sweep series, 5-0; Alinghi's Russell Coutts wins last 14 America's Cup races he's competed in as skipper; most in history.11
Notable Births
• Mar 6 Millicent Simmonds, American deaf actress (A Quiet Place), born in Bountiful, Utah.
• Mar 9 Sunisa Lee, American gymnast (All-round Olympic Gold 2021), born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Mar 26 Bhad Bhabie [Danielle Bregoli], American rapper (These Heaux), born in Boynton Beach, Florida.12
Historical Events
• Mar 01 Capture of 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed: Pakistani authorities successfully captured Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, along with his key financial associate Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi. This arrest was a significant breakthrough in the global counterterrorism efforts following the 9/11 attacks.
• Mar 04 Deadly Airport Bombing in Davao City, Philippines: A terrorist attack occurred in Davao City, southern Philippines, when a bomb hidden in a backpack exploded at an airport, resulting in the tragic death of 21 people. This incident highlighted the ongoing security challenges in the region.
• Mar 05 France, Russia, and Germany Oppose Iraq War Resolution: France, Russia, and Germany jointly announce they will not support a United Nations resolution authorizing military force against Iraq, signaling significant international diplomatic resistance to potential US-led military intervention.
• 06 Mar 2003 Invasion of Iraq Begins: Airstrikes by an American and British-led coalition signal the beginning of the Invasion of Iraq, marking a significant geopolitical and military intervention in the Middle East.13
Notable Deaths
• Mar 2 Hank Ballard [John Henry Kendricks], American rocker (The Midnighters - "The Twist" - pre-Chubber Checker), dies at 75.
• Mar 3 Horst Buchholz, German actor (Magnificent 7; Raid on Entebbe), dies at 69.
• Mar 6 John Sanford, American author (b. 1904).14
Ibid.