Read somewhere else about the WTO (or better yet, buy Jello Biafra's godlike triple-CD spoken word CD Be The Media); I'm a record reviewer, not a political analyst.
Except when it comes to OJ. Damn that OJ!
This CD was recorded by a quickly-thrown-together supergroup during the world-famous WTO Seattle riots/protests from a while back. The supergroup, which included Boz Burrell from King Crimson, Mick Ralphs from Mott The Hopple and Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke from Free, here put forth four songs of rage, distribution, anger, oh shit hang on
The supergroup is comprised of former Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, former Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil and current nobody drummer Gina Mainwal. Jello runs off at the mouth (as he is wont to do) for twenty minutes as the band does a groovy late-60s-style blues jam in the background, then they hurl into the DK classic "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (which is REALLY amazing, by the way - Jello has been avoiding playing old material for quite some time, I'm led to understand), the old fifteen-minute Jello/DOA "Full Metal Jackoff" and two killer new Jello surf-hardcore-political-punk tunes that would fit in perfectly on a reunited DKs album if they didn't hate Jello's fucking guts now and vice-versa (Jello's fucking guts aren't too fond of the ex-DKs either - you should hear what his duodenum told me the other day about Klaus Flouride's hairy ass - hoo!).
It's not the most indispensable document of all time, seeing as how most of Jello's speech is rerun on that triple-CD I mentioned earlier, but it's neat to hear these guys playing together - you'll be ASTONISHED at how closely Kim Thayil is able to accurately recreate East Bay Ray's old echoey surftone guitar sound. "Full Metal Jackoff" is no longer a dual-guitar punch in the teeth, but it's still a cool tune - Kim plays some nice breaks and solos and things that weren't in the original. And "Let's Lynch The Landlord"? STILL A KILLER DILLER AND LITTLE AMOS GIRLY WITH THE ANUS CURLY WHIRLY AND ASKED ME IF I NEEDED A RIDE!!!!
The No WTO Combo's record is a neatun. A neaTUN. The originals are lyrically based on Jello's spoken word material (especially "New Feudalism") this is probably because Jello wrote them himself without the help of East Bay Ray and his surviving sister, Courtney Cox Arquette. Gina's drumming on the album is superb, like Fastpack without the 6/8 time signatures and moody ride cymbal patterns. This is Gina Mainwal we're talking about, Gina Mainwal of Sweet 75 fame. Whatever became of Sweet 75? Don't tell me Krist is STILL trying to milk the same bass line for ANOTHER twelve years, please. The last I heard, he was spinning at a JAMPAC event in Seattle in early June of 2001. Did anyone see the "Electronic Plantation" video where the camera did that neat pan of the front of a Starbucks? Anyone? We're talking Camcorder Truth Jihad here.