Fu Manchu's first album, No One Rides for Free (1994), was released by Bong Load Custom Records, an independent label. No One Rides for Free marked the beginning of the band's heavy focus on muscle cars and drag racing, common themes in the stoner rock genre.
Abshire left Fu Manchu before they recorded their second album, Daredevil, in 1995. He was replaced by Brad Davis. The band promoted Daredevil with extensive touring throughout the US and Canada, and reached a wider audience thanks to an opening slot with Monster Magnet, who at the time were the commercial darlings of the stoner rock genre.
Romano and Glass left shortly after the release of Fu Manchu's third album, In Search Of... (1996), citing personal and musical differences with Hill. They were replaced by Brant Bjork and Bob Balch, respectively. Glass, Romano and Abshire soon regrouped to form Nebula, a power trio that took the jam-influenced side of Fu Manchu and expanded on it. Members of Nebula have commented that "we're all family" to fans wearing Fu Manchu shirts at their concerts.
Fu Manchu went on to release several successful albums and reinforce their reputation as a powerful live act. The band had gained this reputation over the years due to their performance when touring with notable bands such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Marilyn Manson, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, White Zombie, Sevendust, and P.O.D., among others.
In 2001, the band released an album, California Crossing. Brant Bjork left the band soon after to pursue a solo career and was replaced by former Sunshine and Smile drummer Scott Reeder (often confused with bassist Scott Reeder, of Kyuss, Unida, and Goatsnake fame). In 2004, Fu Manchu released their eighth album, Start the Machine.
Fu Manchu's ninth album is called We Must Obey which was released on February 19, 2007. The band spent most of 2007 and 2008 on tour, playing several shows in North America and Europe.
In February 2008, the track "Mongoose" (from the California Crossing album) was featured in a Super Bowl ad for the Toyota Sequoia.
Their tenth album Signs of Infinite Power was released on October 19, 2009, in Europe and October 20 in North America.
On March 10, 2010, it was announced that Scott Reeder would play drums for Social Distortion for the South American tour dates in April. In June 2012, the band stated they had begun writing for a new record. In 2014, the band released its eleventh album, Gigantoid.
In December 2017, they announced their twelfth album, Clone of the Universe, which released on February 9, 2018.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu_(band)
Studio albums
No One Rides for Free (1994)
Daredevil (1995)
In Search Of... (1996)
The Action Is Go (1997)
Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust (1999)
King of the Road (2000)
California Crossing (2001)
Start the Machine (2004)
We Must Obey (2007)
Signs of Infinite Power (2009)
Gigantoid (2014)
Clone of the Universe (2018)
Shift Kicker
Fu Manchu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To this day I still think so
Type 2 in a door seat 3
And all with the greatest of ease
I couldn't see a damn thing
Engine wise slip through your hand
What kind of plan have you received?
Off we go, you bet, full speed
I couldn't see a damn thing
In a row, in a row we go
The lyrics of "Shift Kicker" by Fu Manchu talk about a car that catches the eye of the singer even twenty years after seeing it for the first time. The car is described as a Type 2 with a seat for three in the front, and the singer marvels at how easily the driver seems to maneuver it. The singer then describes how he gets into the car but is unable to see anything because of the engine, indicating that it is a powerful one.
The rest of the lyrics seem to describe a joyride. The singer talks about how the car slips through the hand of the driver because of the powerful engine and how easy it is to shift gears. The singer then asks what kind of plan the driver has received, probably referring to his driving instructions. The joyride starts, and the car speeds away at full speed, and the singer cannot see anything because of the powerful engine.
Overall, the song seems to be an homage to a powerful and eye-catching car, and the lyrics celebrate the power and ease of driving it.
Line by Line Meaning
A eye pleaser 20 years ago
Back in the day, this car was a sight to behold
To this day I still think so
Even now, the car still looks great to me
Type 2 in a door seat 3
A specific type of car seat that fits three people
And all with the greatest of ease
It's effortless to ride in this car
I couldn't see a damn thing
The car is so low to the ground that it's hard to see
Engine wise slip through your hand
It's easy to handle the car's engine
Speed gear, alone they stand
The gears of the car are designed for high speeds
What kind of plan have you received?
What strategy do you have for driving this car?
Off we go, you bet, full speed
Let's hit the gas and go as fast as possible
In a row, in a row we go
We're driving in a straight line, one after the other
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
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