Making God Smile Review by Alex Henderson
The members of Drop Acid -- singer/guitarist Kevin Seconds, bassist Chris Carnahan, and drummer Brett Spain -- had a Nirvana/Pearl Jam fixation before it became fashionable. Making God Smile, the obscure power trio's debut album, came out in late October 1991 -- that was a month after the release of Nirvana's seminal Nevermind and two months after the release of Pearl Jam's first album, Ten. Had this grunge CD come out a year or two later, Drop Acid could have easily been accused of bandwagon-jumping; in 1992, 1993, and 1994, countless bands were hopping on the grunge bandwagon and trying to be as Nirvana-esque or as Pearl Jam-minded as possible. But when Drop Acid recorded Making God Smile, grunge only had an underground cult following -- grunge had not become mainstream, and pop-metal hair bands were still enjoying a lot of MTV exposure. Even though Drop Acid was based in Sacramento, CA, tracks like "Dirt and Strain" and "Reunion" sound like the work of a Seattle band. Obviously, Drop Acid was heavily influenced by Nirvana's 1989 debut, Bleach, and they no doubt caught some of Pearl Jam's early gigs. Although generally competent, this CD is not in a class with Ten or Nevermind -- for that matter, it isn't in a class with Bleach. Nonetheless, Making God Smile isn't without historic value; this Restless release is an early example of a non-Seattle band recognizing the importance of Seattle's alternative rock sound. When Drop Acid's three members first got together, many A&R people would have laughed at the idea of grunge bands causing Poison and Warrant to go out of fashion. Little did they know! Although not fantastic, Making God Smile is an album that historians and hardcore grunge collectors will find interesting -- flaws, shortcomings, and all.
Tracklist
| 1 | Reunion | |
| 2 | Choke | |
| 3 | Sometimes | |
| 4 | Around The Bush | |
| 5 | Mother Wheel | |
| 6 | Whisper Hard | |
| 7 | Dirt And Strain | |
| 8 | Bluesy | |
| 9 | Yeah | |
| 10 | Pilgrim Zero | |
| 11 | Dirge Two | |
| 12 | Knew |
