3 FOOT CLEARANCE

BUCKETHEAD is not only the master of confusion in categorizing his music due to his genre blender and musical smoothie approach of unorthodoxies but he is a nightmare for those even trying to categorize his albums in a database. This album is the perfect example of how crazy this dude's discography is.

Originally released on 21 Dec 2010 as an untitled album with untitled tracks and then renamed HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM BUCKETHEAD (with still untitled tracks) that included a hand drawn holiday greeting card drawn by BUCKETHEAD himself as a limited edition. Each edition was an original hand drawn cover. It was basically a homemade dealie bop to give the fan an artist's hands-on feel. This was released just before the beginning of the PIKE series and then the album was re-released as the regular edition and renamed PIKE 3 - 3 FOOT CLEARANCE under the BUCKETHEADLAND moniker on 17 Aug 2011 with the new album cover that fits into the PIKE series. The album is unique in the PIKE series for being one of the few to be significantly over the half hour mark by clocking in at 40:23

Of course if that wasn't enough. The tracks are all the same but moved around depending on which edition it is and there were different versions of different editions. Someone give me an aspirin, please. THIS review covers the track order of the PIKE 3 - 3 FOOT CLEARANCE edition

"Griffin's Spike" starts out as a heavy metal rocker with a classic metal riff that is powerful and loud. After building up the melody and rhythmic patterns we are treated to an outstanding tasty emotionally provocative guitar solo, the kind that sets BH apart from the others. This is a pretty decent opener although it's not the most original thing he's ever done. It still however reaffirms he can make "normal" heavy metal :P

"Rammellzee: Here Of The Abyss" Well, he couldn't stay normal too long. This one starts out with a stop and go type of riff and a "chirping" sound. It's definitely a heavy metal track but has more progressive time sigs. It continues the patterns and has some electronica flair ups and wah-wah guitar parts as well. It ends with a Hendrix inspired guitar riff. Another decent track.

"Floating Graveyard" starts off creepy and slow with an echoey guitar and background noises. It breaks into a slow tempo doom metal riff with a higher register lick and then speeds up to a nice bouncy metal rocker and then back to the doom riffage. It continues to alternate between the two styles adding bluesy solos.

"Ballad Of Jerry Mono" lives up to its name and is a slowed down number that starts out with clean echoey guitar with that jittery riffage BH is known for. The track develops melodically and remains slow with an uptick of speed at the end where a guitar solo shreds into the scene. The percussion is pretty busy for a ballad and follows the jittery echoed guitar's lead.

"H.D. Autopsy" does a total 180 and we get an instant frenetic thrashy guitar riff and then some sizzling guitar soloing that sounds like wailing souls or angry ghosts. Not sure which.

"Droid Hunt" is weird. It is mostly electronic noises that sound like a machine malfunctioning and then joined in by a funky bass line with a cool funky guitar as well. The riff trades off with the "talking robot" effect of the electronically manipulated guitar(?). Very cool and very original. Strange time sigs and strange lead guitar that accompanies in the end. Ends franticly.

"Battlefields" is another rowdy metal rocker where guitars, bass and drum attack with full fury. It slows down a bit and carries out a more subdued riff for a while and then alternates with the speedy one. OK and kind of the type of track he'd do to death on future PIKES.

"Handprint Ornament" is another slowed down mid-tempo track with clean guitars and a bass that is more energetic. There is ambient keyboards in the background and the instruments take turns dropping out and letting the others have a chance to shine. The guitar solo is slow and melodic, not fast.

"Three Headed Guardian" starts out with what sounds like a harpsichord but then breaks into a jangly alternative rock sound which adds a bluesy guitar lick over the top and then the jittery riffs come into play. It eventually turns into a strange kind of mellow thrash and then a classic heavy metal sound and then fast guitar solos that become freaky.

"Harpoon The Goon" starts out as a hard bluesy rock riff, kinda like old AC/DC then breaks into a heavy bluesy rock riff with lots of percussion and cymbal action. Pretty much creates a blues rock melodic development. Nothing special but well done and then has some slower parts that remind me of ZZ Top breaks but becomes a bouncy AC/DC rocker again.

"Critical Leg Assignment" cranks out an avant-garde feedback scratching effect? This is the strangest track on here. It has a nice steady drum beat with an oddly-timed guitar doing strange chugging that follows. It manages to throw in a weird guitar solo. I love it! So original and BUCKETHEAD at his most freaked out state.

"Siamese Butterfly" is a short little heavy rocker that has only a guitar riff and a drum playing together in a strange time sig dance. It all changes it up often in different ways in its 1:56 playing time. Very original and pretty cool. Lots crammed into this one. Kind of a psycho-bluegrass feel to the whole thing.

"X-Ray" (0:49) is a strangely distorted guitar riff that stops and goes really fast and then goes really wild and then before you know it the album is done.

I love this one! This one crams the traditional with the zany. These early PIKEs rock!