and had its albums produced at the time when no one with a major budget was knocking down the doors of a Denver band that was clearly drawing on the likes of Detroit proto-punk, Nuggets-era garage psych and the Stones. But the songwriting had been strong from the beginning. The raw excitement of “You” from the first album is undeniable. Clear Black Paper is a long-time fan favorite and gets a boost in sound with the remaster kicking off with the classic raver, “Cold Outside.” The highly underrated Roadmouth and Glue are the best sounding records in their original form the band ever put out. But both are packed full of songs that showcased how The Fluid were not really riding the grunge bandwagon, but had plenty of bite and intensity on their own with songs about gritty human reality. Except The Fluid’s music never seemed to be brimming with personal darkness, its songs burned with an expansive spirit of perseverance and even joy. Kulwicki tragically passed away on February 15, 2011. But this reintroduction of The Fluid’s work in such a loving format would have made him proud, because it has aged better than a lot of the music of its time and is worth revisiting in full. FOR MORE, VISIT QUEENCITYSOUNDSANDART.WORDPRESS.COM 25
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