UMUR
"Pitchfork & Lost Needles" is a compilation album released by US hard rock/metal/hardcore act Clutch. The album was released through Megaforce Records in July 2005.
The 36:38 minutes long album features 10 tracks. The first 4 tracks on the compilation are from the band´s debut EP "Pitchfork (1991)". The next 4 tracks are demo tracks and unreleased tracks from the early nineties. Those 8 tracks are all in the groove based and aggressive hardcore style that Clutch practised in those years. Professional, powerful, and generally kick ass hardcore tracks. As a bit of an oddity the band (or the label) has chosen to add two studio outtakes from the "Robot Hive/Exodus (2005)" sessions to close the compilation. Don´t get me wrong here because there´s nothing wrong with the quality of those two tracks. Both "What Would a Wookie Do?" and "Bottoms Up, Socrates" are in the warm hard rock style of post-1995 Clutch and quality wise they could easily have been included on "Robot Hive/Exodus (2005)". It´s more the combination of predominantly hardcore oriented tracks and then a couple of hard rock tracks to end the compilation that´s a bit off.
Overall "Pitchfork & Lost Needles" is a very enjoyable compilation though and a great chance to hear some rare tracks from the early part of the band´s career (and a couple of rare ones from the later part of their career). A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong in my book.