{"id":26807,"date":"2025-08-07T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26807"},"modified":"2025-08-03T14:40:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T13:40:25","slug":"white-trash-si-o-si-que-elektra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=26807","title":{"rendered":"White Trash – \u2018Si O Si, Que?\u2019 (Elektra)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

For those of us that remember the transition from the 80\u2019s to the 90\u2019s, music went through a dramatic transformation that was not quite as overnight as we might remember. Yes, the video for \u2018Smells Like Teen Spirit\u2019 represents the transformation, but the changes were already slowly happening. I would point to bands like Jane\u2019s Addiction who were already releasing \u2018Ritual de lo Habitual\u2019 in 1990 as one of the key transition bands that set the stage for what was coming, but they were not the only one. Mother Love Bone had released \u2018Shine\u2019 and was due to release their full-length debut \u2018Apple\u2019 in March 1990. Soundgarden and Faith No More were touring with Voivod. So-called \u2018hair metal\u2019 was still selling albums, but it seemed there were fewer bands in that genre selling huge numbers of albums or breaking into the mainstream. Albums like \u2018Rust in Peace\u2019 and \u2018Seasons in the Abyss\u2019 were driving the thrash genre while Pantera completed their transformation to the \u2018Cowboys from Hell.\u2019 With all the changes taking place, there were bands that just did not fit in with a designated genre, such as the funky hard rocking White Trash. They released their self-titled debut album around the same time as label mates Metallica released their Black Album, which a few people have bought over the years. Their debut also then had all the other key albums released in the late summer\/ early fall of 1991- \u2018Nevermind,\u2019 \u2018Ten,\u2019 \u2018Badmotorfinger,\u2019 and the \u2018Use Your Illusion\u2019 albums to name a few. Given all that, it was amazing that MTV played White Trash\u2019s video at all, but I remember it getting a decent number of plays. Their debut album became one of my favorite albums as it really stood apart from its peers with things like a full horn section and some rather unique lyrics. Unfortunately, it would be almost three years before this second full-length album would see the light of day, and commercial music would be moving into the monster sales of Green Day and the Offspring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White Trash also went through an overhaul of members which at the time gave us the promise of two bands with Hash rising from the former White Trash rhythm section. At the time, neither album grabbed me the way the debut had, and they both struggled for spins in the CD player. The horn section was no longer part of White Trash which was one of my favorite aspects of the band. The years have been kind to both albums that followed though. \u2018Si O Si, Que?\u2019 may look like a title you would expect from one of the last band\u2019s trying to get a deal on the Sunset Strip, but the music continued to forge a path similar to their debut with a focus on funky hard rock that deserved to be heard on the radio. The song destined for mass radio play was never released as a single, and the band would fade away for awhile before coming back with more albums. This second album though deserves another look through the eyes of today and what happened after it was released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I mentioned earlier the band\u2019s unique lyrics which has been a staple of the band. It will reveal itself as we run through the songs and song titles, such as opening song \u20186 Toe Sid.\u2019 A funky engaging guitar riff sets the stage for Dave Alvin\u2019s vocals to cut through the mix. There is not much room in the mix as the song quickly gets into a catchy chorus, and there isn\u2019t really a reprieve before we are into the second verse and back to the chorus. The guitar riffs pop out of the speaker. Musically, the bridge and guitar solo are reminiscent of Mother Love Bone on their \u2018Shine\u2019 EP. With the amount of vocals in the song, the pace is frenetic. Through the years, the song has connected with me in ways it didn\u2019t when I first heard it all those years ago. The transition into \u2018Got to Get Away\u2019 is quick with a quick riff once again giving way to the first verse. The chorus here is more immediate and the funky rhythm is also addictive. I remember when this was new to me this was one of the songs where I really missed the full horn section. It sounds like there are little pieces in places at the very back of the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n