Relationship of Command [Import]

1. Arcarsenal

2. Pattern Against User

3. One Armed Scissor

4. Sleepwalk Capsules

5. Invalid Litter Dept.

6. Mannequin Republic

7. Enfilade

8. Rolodex Propaganda

9. Quarantined

10. Cosmonaut

11. Non-Zero Possibility

12. Extracurricular

13. Catacombs

14. Quarantine (Steve Lamacq Version)

15. One Armed Scissor (Steve Lamacq Version)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Japanese reissue of 2000 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Quarantined' (Steve Lamacq Version), & 'One Armed Scissor' (Steve Lamacq Version). V2. 2004.

Tracks:

Arc Arsenal
Pattern Against User
One Armed Scissor
Sleepwalk Capsules
Invalid Litter Dept.
Mannequin Republic
Enfilade
Rolodex Propaganda
Quarantined
Cosmonaut
Non-Zero Possibility
Extracurricular
Catacombs

Album Description

From 1994-2000, At The Drive-In held the attention of music fans and critics alike. During their career, they released three albums and numerous EPs. You can hear their influence today on so many releases across the rock genre. Members have gone on to form The Mars Volta, Sparta, and various other projects. "Displaying an earnest intensity befitting pre-irony U2, At The Drive-In are an exhilarating and exhausting experience--the sight of five young men ever pushing against and beyond the limits of physical and emotional endurance with crusader zeal"--Rolling Stone.

Seemingly influenced in equal parts by hardcore punk, heavy rock, and modern industrial rap-metal, At the Drive-In provides music tailor-made for head-banging. Unlike such acts as Korn and Limp Bizkit, At the Drive-In isn't afraid to throw in the occasional semi-catchy melody, giving the uninitiated something on which to hang their hat. Other than that, however, there's little in the way of commercial concessions on RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND. Rampaging guitar riffs, turbo-charged drumming, and super-emotive, lung-challenging vocals are the order of the day. The lyrics are often a bit elliptical, so its sometimes hard to tell exactly what the boys are going on about, but that can work to their advantage too, allowing the listeners to fill in the blanks. Slightly more refined than some of their contemporaries, but undeniably hard-hitting, At the Drive-In stands proudly at the center of circa-2000 heavy rock, and RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND is their battle cry. In early 2005, look for the "Anthology" CD of greatest hits, exclusive unreleased tracks, rarities, covers, videos, interviews, and exclusive live footage.

Customer Reviews:

Good progressive hard rock.......2007-05-09

Before there was the Mars Volta there was At The Drive In. The singer and guitarist went on to form the more famous band. Since I hadn't heard of At The Drive In until after they went their own ways, I first heard the CD in comparison to the Mars Volta. There are a lot of similarities, the singing and guitar are of course coming from the same place. The songs are very dramatic, and some of the intros hint at the later noise experiments of the Mars Volta.

This is a very listenable CD, because the songs are a reasonable length, and they rock out. There's very little extraneous, and everything on the CD is good.

Perfect songwriting and alien madness.......2006-12-16

Before Cedric and Omar were pushing the boundaries of music nearly to the extremes in the Mars Volta, they were blowing minds in At the Drive-in. To categorize their music is nearly impossible. They've most commonly been labeled as "punk", but that's hardly even scratching the surface. Truth be told, this is a sound that was nearly unique unto itself. The closest comparsion one could perhaps make is Fugazi, but even that is misleading. Either way, you're probably not going to be prepared for this on the first listen.

Now, since the Mars Volta have gotten fairly popular these days, especially among fans of progressive rock, I suppose it'd be fair to make the comparison. While TMV fit somewhat into the prog category, with their huge epic compositions and technically audacious musicianship, I would not quite put ATDI into this same category, at least not quite as squarely. While the music here is highly sophisticated, experimental, and unpredictable, it doesn't really achieve what most would call a "prog" aesthetic. The songs generally aren't that long, and the musicianship is much more closely rooted to the song itself. However, it's not to say that this is necessarily more straight-forward. If you love the explosive oddness of TMV, then you'll most assuredly love this as well.

Describing the songs is basically useless. From one second to the next, this album takes you on a thrilling journey of pure alien madness. From the raw psychosis of "Arcarsenal" to the spacious atmospheres of "Invalid Litter Dept.", this is definitely an album of extremes. But, even in its softer and more tranquil moments, it never gets particularly "normal". Songs like "One Armed Scissor", "Pattern Against User", and "Rolodex Propaganda" are surprisingly catchy, but are still far from being tailor-made radio hits. The album ends appropriately enough with the powerful rocker "Catacombs", which finally culminates with a finale of electronic beeping. At the end, you get the same sensation of having your brain removed, rearranged, and shoved back into place as you do with the Mars Volta, but much more focused and compact.

The point is, you need this album. Anyone who enjoys original, bizarre, daring music simply can't be without this. And, if you like TMV, but perhaps think they're a bit too excessive musically, you'll really love this. But either way, this is essential.

Important.......2006-10-31

Released to near unanimous critical acclaim, _Relationship Of Command_is a shocking, tightly constructed, highly accessible album which careers between genres, bristles with experimental qualities and shines with delectable, bright melodies.
But on first listening, this CD may soundlike a serious of random explosions set to a completely off the wall drum track with some guy punctuating it all with gibberish lines of screaming and energetic shouting. And yet, the energy is the key: this must be the most energetic, frantic album _ever_. At heart it fuses punk sensibilities (fast, riotous songs, a destructive and uncompromising musical aesthetic) with ideas more common to experimental rock (unpredictable song structures, grandstanding eclecticism, instrumental virtuosity), and importantly, it combines these disparate elements seamlessly. Indeed, I've never heard any other album that sounds quite, or anything like this. The band that splintered off from this, The Mars Volta, share some common ideals (and members), but where TMV will throw some ideas together and make (force?) a 30 minute epuc out of them, ATDI will shoehorn _all_ these ideas, maybe even a full albums worth, into one 4 minute song! And what songs they are: 'Arc-Arsenal' literally explodes into life out of nowhere, with gorgeous, melodic guitar lines underpinning a punk infused anthem, with unpredictable twists all over the place. 'Invalid Litter Dept' is some sort of space age, epic harcore anthem, with completely insane lyrics and soaring, epic melodies. 'Enfilade' kicks off with a genuinely creepy spoken intro (hear to believe) then flys off the handle with static and looped beats, and a truly devastating chorus section. 'Catacombs', possibly the one song in my collection that truly can only be described as 'angular', is an impossible fusion of atonal guitars and wailing, schizophrenic vocals. Avant-rock-progressive-punk anyone? Throughout the album, the vocals rarely stray from deranged screaming and random interjections, but the instrumental play - fluid guitar melodies, meaty power chords, utterly _insane_ drumming and little touches of so much else (the production is a smooth, accessible marvel) never fail to reatin my interest.
After six years with this CD, and having discovered countless bands and albums since, it surprises me how ell this album stands up in my estimation. Such a high energy explosion of viruosity and anger has been taken to extreme limits by The Dillinger Escape Plan, but ATDI created something here which I doubt will ever be repeated or topped. A truly remarkable album, this is a stunning work, brimming with vision and invention, and with the chops, utterly stellar songwriting and plain old courage to make it work.

Beyond Words...........2006-08-24

I honestly don't think I can put into words how great this album truly is. Its truly one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. Although, it took me awhile to feel that way. At the Drive In takes awhile to set in, Omars voice is at first a bit disrupting and rough around the edges, but you gradually grow to love it, as you do with everything else about this band. At the Drive In is in your face with funky and crazy riffs that are accompanied with Omar's unique voice. You really can't describe their sound, you just have to experience it for yourself. But let me tell you, they are one of the most creative and unique bands I've ever experienced. They are truly one of the most influential bands of the post/hardcore punk scene. Many bands have been influenced by ATDI that are popular today. And this album delivers what ATDI do best, and thats rock your socks off. And you keep coming back to get your socks rocked off again and again. Its raw, emotional, intense and emotional. I love the unique guitar riffs and sounds the band produces. Its a very complex album, you hear piano's in some songs, and other little atmospheric effects are littered throughout.

This is by far the strongest ATDI album. 2nd in my book would probably be Vaya, which has some great tracks on it. Its too bad that this is the last ATDI album, it would of been nice to see where these guys could have gone had they stayed togeather. Altough you now have 3/5ths of them in the Mars Volta. While The Mars Volta and Sparta are great bands in their own right, they have branched off into different directions and don't quite match the energy and magic that makes up ATDI. Some bands just have that chemistry, that cohesive nature too them that makes them something special. ATDI had this and this album epitomizes what makes them great.

Lyrically, this album is great. Some of the lyrics are out there and funky, like: "Yes this is the campaign slithered entrails in the cargo bay, A neutered is the vastness Hallow vacuum check the Oxygen tanks." How can you not love lyrics like that? The lyrics fit perfectly with the style of the music being played.

There is really not a bad song on the album, Enfilade is one of my favorites, as is One Armed Scissor and Quarantined. But the real gem of this cd for me is Non-Zero Possibility. Its easily one of the most amazing and songs I've ever heard. I can't get enough of it. Its different from most of the tracks on the album and it sounds almost like a pre-Mars Volta song. Sometimes I use that song to fall asleep, or at least listen too it right before I go to sleep, and has very moody atmosphere and almost puts you in a trance. Truly unbelievable. If you like Sparta or The Mars Volta, try ATDI and see where they started. You really can't go wrong with this album. Pucker up and kiss the asphalt now and go buy this Relationship of Command.

The Mars Volta 1.0.......2006-08-02

At The Drive-In_Relationship Of Command *****

Since their demise in early 2001 At The Drive-In has gone on to be somewhat of a legend. Their punk fueled music combined with progressive sound-scape's make for what is or what was one of the best bands of the 1990's. Relationship Of Command is a true testament to this legend as it is by far the best release of the bands career. While the bands first three records, Acrobatic Tenement, In/Casino/Out, and the Vaya EP were all great records Relationship Of Command is by far superior. Here Cedric and Omar's tag team had come together in full swing insuring their position as one of rock music's most dynamic duos. After this release however the band would separate and Cedric and Omar would go on to create the largely successful and amazingly original The Mars Volta.

Relationship Of Command begins with the pile-driver of a song `Arcarsenal' which couldn't be better for starting the album. Fast vocals and even faster guitar make this song a sure win. `Pattern Against User' keeps the album going in full swing with awesome guitar work and out of this world vocals, truly one of the best songs the band ever made. `One Armed Scissor' was the bands closest song to a hit single, because it was actually played on the radio and on TV regularly. It's probably the best song the band ever recorded. It contains and instantly memorable chorus which is always a good thing. `Sleepwalk Capsules' is very stop and go and contains a lot of time changes and rhythm switches which makes for one interesting song that never gets boring. If `One Armed Scissor' isn't the bands best song then `Invalid Jitter Dept.' easily fills the shoes, its one of the more brilliant songs you could ever hear in your life. Performed mostly in spoken word with a semi-chorus in the mix. A social political poem in true punk fashion and performed wonderfully, those who had the luxury of seeing the band perform this track live are few and lucky. `Mannequin Republic' is a very intense track with lots of yelling, not screaming, yelling, but he does it while singing so Cedric's voice still sounds fantastic and never gets annoying. `Enfilade' begins with a really strange phone call intro the goes into a techno beat then a Mexican samba all before hurdling the listener into a full speed sound attack on the ears, and it's fantastic, truly was a sign of things to come in The Mars Volta. `Rolodex Propaganda' aside from having a pretty cool title is a very cool song as well complete with over the top vocals accompanied with incredible guitar playing by Omar. `Quarantined' is slower then the rest of the songs on the album but don't let that fool you this song is just a great and just as powerful as the rest of the songs on the album. `Cosmonaut' is a lot like `Mannequin Republic' but with better music and over all it's a lot better. Next us `Non-Zero Possibility' is a slower more spacy piano driven song. It was also the real end to the album, but if you buy the record instead of down loading you get the two extra bonus tracks `Extracurricular' and `Catacombs.' `Extracurricular' is very guitar driven and very good. `Catacombs' is excellent and is a very cool way to end the album.

Relationship Of Command is like I said the best album your going to get from the great At The Drive-In. But I would recommend checking out all of the bands albums as they are all great as well as the two Mars Volta albums. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Beyond Words...
Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day
their second best
Brilliant and powerful
"Have you ever tasted skin?"

Relationship of Command
At the Drive-In
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Emo | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

In Casino Out
De-Loused in the Comatorium
Vaya
Porcelain
Wiretap Scars

ASIN: B00004X0Q0
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Arc Arsenal
Pattern Against User
One Armed Scissor
Sleepwalk Capsules
Invalid Litter Dept.
Mannequin Republic
Enfilade
Rolodex Propaganda
Quarantined
Cosmonaut
Non-Zero Possibility

Amazon.com

It's rare that a band can provide a visceral thrill--Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name"--and still work the gray matter as well. Here's a band that's refined the art. Hailing from El Paso, Texas, At the Drive-In come poised somewhere between the rabid showmanship of the Make-Up and the complexity of emo pioneers the Lapse, but through sheer adrenaline, they leave both bands choking on their exhaust fumes. Sure, they've got their unique selling point--lead singer Cedric Bixler and guitarist Omar Rodriguez both sport immense Afros--but this band isn't about gimmickry. Recorded after touring with Rage Against the Machine, Relationship of Command is the punk-rock real deal, the angular hardcore dynamic of "One Armed Scissor" and "Rolodex Propaganda" (the latter featuring Iggy Pop) as focused and affecting as any recent American rock. "And the paramedics fell into the wound like a rehired scab at a fair-headed plant, an anaesthetic penance beneath a hail of contraband! / Dancing on the corpses' ashes!" spits Bixler on the album's high-water mark, "Invalid Letter Dept." What does it all mean? Do you really need to ask? --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews:

Beyond Words..........2006-08-24

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day.......2006-06-14

Omar and Cedric must have figured out some black magic before they recorded this one with the boys. From the opening distorted and processed squalls materializing from Omar's guitar on "Arc Arsenal," every time a listener rides ATDI's wave on this one it is a mysteriously thrilling experience. One can only say this about a release or two every year. I mean, really, I got this when it came out six years ago (the hyperkinetic video to "One-Armed Scissor" prompted me [see it on _This Station Is Non-Operational_]) and I've never looked back. While I no longer play it three times a day like I did then (never been bored listening after literally hundreds of listenings), I think it's something more like once a month that I listen to it these days. And it's right back into the headbanging, the chills, singing/screaming along with lyrics that still don't make perfect sense to me ("intravenously polite/ it was the walkie-talkies that knocked the pins down/ as her shoes gripped the dirt floor/ in the silhouette of dying"--"Invalid Litter Dept."), but will nonetheless grow with me for the rest of my life, like Joyce's _Finnegans Wake_ or poems by Celan.

Really, this is as good as anything Mars Volta has done (MV is my favorite operating band followed closely by Radiohead and Wilco--hallowed company!). _Relationship of Command_ is really the leaping board to the heights unknown they have reached with MV. It is also the culmination of the considerable accomplishments of ATDI, while representing a quantum leap from their nonetheless excellent preceding LP, _In/Casino Out_. What makes it a diving board to MV is the fact that we hear more of the stratospheric guitar from Omar than we had heard on previous ATDI releases and the song-writing and lyrics are leaning more towards byzantine prog tendencies. What makes it still ATDI and the culmination of everything they did is that it is still just punk, except it is refined by Andy Wallace's huge production skills and the band's (especially Omar's and Cedric's) relentlessly visionary drive. To put it in a nutshell, this rocks you on every level: emotional, intellectual, aesthetic, and mostly your BODY: Cedric and Omar didn't thrash around on-stage like possessed dervishes for the show of it (it's that black magic)!

This is to say that _Relationship of Command_ is the best "punk" CD of this decade and I would be stunned (and delighted) to see anyone come to this level by the end of 2009. Really, as far as pure punk CDs go, I can really only think of Patti Smith, the Clash, and a few other stalwarts who created a product this uniformly mind-shattering. If ATDI had stayed together, they may have been able to top this, but, then again, CDs this brilliant only seem to emanate from the kinds of rough straits that the ATDI members were in at this time, and the impending break-up energy must have had everything to do with the manic surge that crackles from every second of the 45 minutes of this CD. Instead, ATDI broke up and Cedric and Omar chose to infuse their punk roots with prog and in turn came up with something different altogether (prunk?).

Everyone who has any sort of sincere love for extreme music of any sort has to own this one. And if you're not a lover of extreme music? ATDI may just expand your mind with their William Burroughs-style lyrical approach and unceasingly energetic performance/compositional approach. Put this one in a time capsule with a few other CDs to help define what both "punk" and "rock" meant in the first thirty odd years of its existence.

their second best.......2005-12-03

Even though most people will say this is their best album, it doesnt come anywhere near In Casino Out. Sure the production is sharper but the music is not near as powerful. This is still, however, one of the best albums lve ever heard. Its a good mix of rage against the machine and fugazi and the same type of confusing but meaningful lyrics that were present in Nirvana. They are one of my favorite bands but Im still quite glad they broke up. Starting The Mars Volta was a great way for Cedric and Omar to explore new heights and show their true genius and I expect much from thme in the future.

Brilliant and powerful.......2005-10-12

I became aware of the work of At the Drive-In after I heard the album "Frances the Mute" by The Mars Volta, one of the bands that derived from At the Drive-In. Upon hearing "Relationship of Command" the first time, I thought I was in front of one-more-of-those-neo-punk-albums out there, but then I sat back and listened to it a few more times and realized too that this album came in late 2000, before the neo-punk movement started taking shape. It was then that the brilliance of this album started to strike me.

The work by At the Drive-In is not for everyone, nor is The Mars Volta. Just like bands of the caliber of King Crimson, these are musicians that are in it for the art, not the fame, and as a result, they pour their hearts into their music. At the Drive-In will pose striking changes in tempo and a few challenging moments that you will need to go through in order to fully immerse yourself in the musical proposition they have to offer. The best example there is of the type of work they put together is the song "Enfilade", where they even drop in a few beats of fresh congas, right in the midst of a powerful track that brings to mind Rage Against the Machine and the likes.

Once you listen to the album, you will be glad you did. My advice, quite simply is: get it.

"Have you ever tasted skin?".......2005-06-05

Sounds more like a rhetorical question to me...
An energy driven experimental post-hardcore/alternative gem of an album that brings the sweet sting of nostalgia to my nostrils. I love this album and band, enough said.

Average customer rating:

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day

Relationship in Command
At the Drive-In
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004YSD7
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Arcarsenal
Pattern Against User
One Armed Scissor
Sleepwalk Capsules
Invalid Litter Dept
Mannequin Republic
Enfilade
Rolodex Propaganda
Quarantined
Cosmonaut
Non-Zero Possibilities
Catacombs

Album Details

This May Be the First of the Bands Albums to Harness the Chaotic Balance of Adrenaline and Intellect that Fires the Band's Live Performances. Includes Exclusive Euro Bonus Track 'catacombs' .the First Incarnation of Atdi Emerged from It's El Paso, Texas Breeding Ground in the Alternative Nation Heyday of 1994, and Steadily Amassed a Loyal Following Through Non Stop Touring and Early Releases on Southern Californian Indie Fearless. Iggy Pop Guests on 'rolodex Propaganda'.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day.......2006-06-14

Average customer rating:

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day
Please

Relationship of Command
At the Drive-In
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Emo | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000055QBX
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Tracks:

Arcarsenal
Pattern Against User
One Armed Scissor
Sleepwalk Capsules
Invalid Litter Dept.
Mannequin Republic
Enfilade
Rolodex Propaganda
Quarantined
Cosmonaut
Non-Zero Possibility
Extracurricular [*]
Catacombs [*]

Album Description

Japanese version of the alternative act's 2000 release and third album. Called an '11-track masterpiece' by All Music Guide'. Includes two bonus tracks, 'Extracurricular' and 'Cataombs'. 13 tracks including 'Rolodex Propoganda' feat. Iggy Pop. Standard jewel case. Japanese version of the alternative act's 2000 release and t

Album Details

The Japanese version features 2 bonus tracks: 'Extracurricular' & 'Catacombs'.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day.......2006-06-14

Please.......2002-11-08

Dear Readers,
I know that At The Drive In is one of the greatest bands ever. But you are sopposed to rate an album on how that album is not comparisins to its counterpart just because of the price. I myself would not buy it for 30 or 40 dollers, but please rate the way you are suppost to. Thank you for your time, Have a good day.

Average customer rating:

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day

Relationship of Command
At the Drive-In
Manufacturer: V2
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Emo | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Hardcore | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0006B9ZCC
Release Date: 2005-01-03

Tracks:

Arcarsenal
Pattern Against User
One Armed Scissor
Sleepwalk Capsules
Invalid Litter Dept.
Mannequin Republic
Enfilade
Rolodex Propaganda
Quarantined
Cosmonaut
Non-Zero Possibility
Extracurricular
Catacombs
Quarantine (Steve Lamacq Version)
One Armed Scissor (Steve Lamacq Version)

Album Description

Japanese reissue of 2000 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Quarantined' (Steve Lamacq Version), & 'One Armed Scissor' (Steve Lamacq Version). V2. 2004.

Album Details

Japanese Release featuring a Bonus Track

Customer Reviews:

Maybe We'll All Catch up to This Some Day.......2006-06-14

Average customer rating:

Relationship of Command
At The Drive-In
Manufacturer: Phantom Sound & Vision
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000BRHWOO
Release Date: 2000-11-21

Rock Music:

Rock Music