--------------------------------------- INFORMATION STONER HIGHWAY --------------------------------------- Rift Zine Issue One Page 16 VARIOUS ARTISTS "Information Stoner Highway" Lucid Haze Records 2CD Length 109:14 Review by Mike Grover I love compilations. As I stated in the introduction to the CD review section, I try to do extensive research before I buy a CD by a band I'm not familiar with. CDs are so goddamn expensive, and I've been burned so many times just picking something off the shelf, I just don't feel like wasting my money (not to mentioon my time) anymore. This is where compilations come in. They give a chance to sample a whole bunch of bands and determine if you're going to like them or not. Of course, you can't make a definitive decision about a band by just hearing one or two songs, but at least it gives you an idea of what they sound like. Also, compilations are often priced lower to entice the casual buyer, which is another plus. This brings us to "Information Stoner Highway," which is a two-disc compilation put together by and for members of the Stoner Rock List, an online community of bands and fans. I paid a whopping six bucks for this release through Meteor City's website; that would be cheap for a single CD, let alone a double, so that makes this compilation an outstanding value. Of course, as with most compilations, there's some great stuff, some OK stuff, and some shit, but for six bucks, you absolutely cannot go wrong here. There are so many songs on this CD it would take a whole issue to go over them all in depth, so I'll just mention a few of the more notable offerings (most of the best songs, at least in my opinion, are concentrated on the first disc). The best song on this release is also the very first; it's "Haunted Sleep" by Plaster, and since the CD was compiled by members of that band, I think they've got every right to be the first ones out of the gate. Other goodies include the groovy boogie of "Dr. Satan's Robot" by Brits Blackrock; "In The Oven" by Jersey Devils Solace (see interview this issue); the very catchy tune "Fall Into Damage" by Finland's Spiral Sun, who, unfortunately, have seemingly disappeared since this CD came out; Abdullah's "Conundrum," a great example of their catchy brand of doom; "The Dance of Jim Beam," an exellent (improvised?) number by Californians Gammera; and H.P. Lovecraft fanatics Pickman's Model, ending things with an epic thirteen minute slab of Psychedelic Stoner Doom called "I Own the Sky." For the price, this is essential. Rift Zine ---------------------------------------