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**The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Take It From The Man! ★★★★☆**

In the pantheon of 1990s psychedelic revival acts, few bands burned as brightly—or as chaotically—as The Brian Jonestown Massacre. By 1996, Anton Newcombe's sprawling collective had already established themselves as the most prolific and unpredictable force in the neo-psych underground, churning out albums with the manic frequency of a band possessed. "Take It From The Man!" arrived as their fourth full-length in just three years, cementing their reputation as both visionary artists and complete basket cases.

The album emerged from a period of creative fever for Newcombe, who had been absorbing everything from Spacemen 3's drone-rock to the Stones' country-blues excursions. Following the raw garage-psych assault of their earlier releases, "Take It From The Man!" found BJM expanding their sonic palette while maintaining their characteristic blend of beauty and chaos. The recording sessions were reportedly as tumultuous as expected, with Newcombe's perfectionist tendencies and volatile personality creating the kind of studio tension that either destroys bands or produces their best work.

Musically, the album represents BJM at their most accessible without sacrificing their experimental edge. The opening track "Vacuum Boots" immediately establishes the band's evolved sound—a hypnotic groove anchored by Dean Taylor's steady drumming and Matt Hollywood's melodic bass lines, while layers of reverb-drenched guitars create a wall of psychedelic bliss. It's the kind of song that could have soundtracked a Nuggets compilation if it had been recorded thirty years earlier, yet feels completely contemporary in its execution.

The album's crown jewel is undoubtedly "Straight Up and Down," a menacing, blues-inflected masterpiece that showcases Newcombe's songwriting at its most focused. Built around a hypnotic guitar riff that borrows heavily from the Rolling Stones' playbook, the track demonstrates how BJM could channel their influences without simply copying them. The song's sinister groove and Newcombe's sneering vocals create an atmosphere of barely contained menace that would later make it perfect for television soundtracks, introducing the band to a whole new generation of listeners.

"Ballad of Jim Jones" serves as the album's emotional centerpiece, a haunting meditation on cult mentality that hits uncomfortably close to home given Newcombe's own messianic tendencies within the band. The track's gentle acoustic foundation and ethereal harmonies mask lyrics that explore themes of manipulation and blind devotion, creating the kind of beautiful-yet-disturbing contradiction that BJM excelled at.

While "Take It From The Man!" stands as a remarkable achievement, it's best understood within the context of BJM's trilogy of classic mid-90s releases. Their 1995 effort "Methodrone" established the template with its Velvet Underground-inspired drone-rock, while 1998's "Strung Out in Heaven" would push their sound into even more experimental territory. Together, these three albums represent the creative peak of Newcombe's vision, capturing a band firing on all cylinders before the inevitable implosion.

The album's production, handled largely by Newcombe himself, strikes the perfect balance between lo-fi authenticity and studio sophistication. The guitars swim in reverb without becoming muddy, while the rhythm section maintains enough clarity to anchor even the most psychedelic excursions. It's the sound of a band that had finally figured out how to translate their live chaos into compelling recorded music.

Today, "Take It From The Man!" stands as BJM's most cohesive and enduring statement. While the band continued recording prolifically—they've released over a dozen albums since—none have matched the focused intensity of this mid-90s period. The album's influence can be heard in countless indie and psych-rock acts that followed, from The Black Angels to Tame Impala, proving that Newcombe's vision extended far beyond his own chaotic orbit.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre may have been defined by drama, dysfunction, and documentary cameras, but "Take It From The Man!" reminds us that beneath all the chaos lay genuine musical brilliance. It's an album that captures a band at the perfect intersection of ambition and ability, before success and self-destruction began their eternal dance. For 45 minutes, everything clicked—and rock and roll was better for it.