I've been listening to bands that Mike Patton has been in for years - like most I started with some Faith No More and Mr Bungle, eventually adding some Lovage and Peeping Tom into the mix, as well as with his excellent album with John Kaada; at Roskilde Festival one year I saw him play in four different bands over the weekend; I even made it about half way through one of his solo albums (which is quite something, I can tell you). He's released a lot of music over the years and I doubt there's anyone out there who can enjoy all of it (possibly even including Mike himself). Personally, I've found his metal bands to be less rewarding - I saw Fantomas (at Roskilde) and quite enjoyed it, but I've never been able to get into their albums; similarly, I have a very hit-and-miss relationship with the Mr Bungle albums. Throughout all of this, Tomahawk remained the one band I never actually listened to.
That changed on Record Store Day in 2012. I'd seen that there was a boxset of Tomahawk's first three albums and thought it could be a good chance to finally get into them. As I stood in the queue that day, chatting to the guy behind me about what records we were hoping to get he pretty much convinced me that I'd enjoy Tomahawk and it'd be a great purchase. The key consideration was the price - RSD records tend to be obscenely expensive, but the Tomahawk boxset was a US release meaning that it stood a good chance of being reasonably priced (a very backwards system indeed. It was the same logic that meant I got the first three Piebald albums for £26). We also agreed that if there was only one copy left, he could have it. Luckily, there were still quite a few when we got into the shop and, even better, it was under £30 (even less with the Banquet vouchers I'd been saving from my loyalty cards).
It's a pretty nice package, but suffers from my usual RSD complaint - yes, it's nice to have these albums on vinyl and the box is a good addition, but otherwise it's a fairly basic reissue; no coloured vinyl, download codes, inserts, etc. None of these are vital, but they are nice and I always feel they go a long way.
Of the three albums, Mit Gas is my favourite. It feels like it works best as an album and has some genuinely catchy songs (Desatsre Natural is my favourite of the lot my a long way). In comparison, the other two albums have their faults along with their better moments. The first "eponymous" LP lacks those moments that make it stand out (whereas Mit Gas has plenty). Laredo is a pretty good song, but I usually find that the rest of the album has passed me by and that one catches my ears at the end. Anonymous on the other hand mostly suffers from its concept - traditional Native American songs fleshed out into rock songs. Despite that, Ghost Dance and Omaha Dance are highlights.
There are moments throughout the boxset that are really great, but it doesn't get as much play as I thought it would and, when I do think to play it, I generally find myself listening to Mit Gas. I enjoy it, but it's not my favourite Patton-related band by a long shot.
Format: Triple 12", boxset
Tracks: 38
Cost: £18.24 new
Bought: Banquet Records
When: 21/04/12
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
