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No this is not some political thing, although when you think about it... just kidding. Uncle Sam was a group
of fine young Rochester lads that were around in the mid-late 80's and early 90's. They put out three
albums, this one being their last, and it's very good to boot. Now technically, this was released in 1993 or
thereabouts, but it was recorded in 1991, that's why I can highlight it in my little Vintage Vault. So
ha ha ha to you, crackheads! According to their website info that's been compiled by the folks over at
GaragePop, 14 Women 15 Days was the darkest of the Uncle Sam albums; take one listen and you'll
understand. The album opens with "Long Gun", a song that's fast catchy, loud, and thunderous. The
sneering vocals, courtesy of Dave (who now sings for the Veins) combined with the deep bass work well
and help to establish the mood for the remaining songs that follow. The breakdown in the middle has
some great guitar going for it as well. "Caretaker" presents a slightly different sound; there's a funky
groove beat going on in it that works surprisingly well. The song also has some great organ sounds
worked into it that create a nice lingering eeriness. Of course though, the end speeds up, bringing back the
typical punky, metal-ish sound. "Carnival Knowledge" and "Draggin' the Coffin" both start off as dark,
melodic ballad-type pieces. "Carnival..." then moves into a solid, rock steady song, and has a great
explosive ending, while "Draggin'..." is for the most part, explosive (more so vocally) throughout and
turns slow again at the end. The exotic rhythm that the drums have is a nice contrast to the rest of the
sound, and the harmonies at the end are great as well. Anyone who's seen the Veins or owns the
Garage Pop Records Rock and Roll Compilation (and if you haven't or don't, you're a loser), has
heard the Veins' version of "Fallout Shelter". It started off as an Uncle Sam song though, and is one of
the tracks on this album. I think that it's a great song, but I'm not too sure how much I like the Uncle Sam
version of it. It's more hard rock than anything else instrumentally and vocally, and thus is a very dense
arrangement. At times it sounds as if the chords and instruments are just blending together in one big
wall of sound. However, one song really can't change my opinion of the album, which I think I've already
said that I like a lot. Uncle Sam were some of the great hard-rockers of Rochester's past, and should be
recognized for it.
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Uncle Sam: 14 Women 15 Days