Urge Overkill - Sister Havana

[@allenczelusniak8577]

I have played with enough rock drummers to really appreciate how good Blackie Onasis is/was. RIP.

[@Kingfisher1215]

Hmmmmm.

[@pyenapple]

A lot of the album playing on the Geffen records was allegedly Andy Kravitz

[@memothemiddlingguitarist3160]

RIP Blackie O (Johnny “Blackie Onassis” Rowan, the former drummer of Chicago alt-rock band Urge Overkill, has died at the age of 57.)

[@sethputnamsghost]

oh no, I didn’t even hear that. I actually just did an awesome drum cover of this song today. I guess something was calling me towards it. I didn’t realize he was gone for full year already. R.I.P Blackie🕯️🙏

[@JamesAlee-no9tq]

I swear this band portalled in from the 70's back in the 90's! awesome sauce!❤

[@nicoleterlesky6317]

They were a 90's band This is from ,? 90-94 I'm too lazy to get exact date right now ( took all my energy to post my stupid comment)

[@christiancamlin3249]

I'm sure others have seen it but Nash Kato looks exactly like a Stoner version of Christopher Walken.

[@shellymcelroy6521]

totally! ha

[@johnnyb384]

looks like Uma Thurman's brother

[@SimonRHoule]

Also! Never realised until you mentioned it. But Christopher Walken... Definitely!

[@shawnfarris5361]

Christian Camlin Lol he totally does!!

[@maite8705]

Jajajaja yes he looks like... jajajaja

[@hinjurock]

This album and band were so shamefully underrated and overlooked. It's one of the best hard rock albums of all time and should have gone at least triple platinum.

[@kevinw8688]

Agree, damn good album. Certainly overlooked. One great song after the other. Positive Bleeding is kinda really cool for me, but damn near every song is a banger.

[@jackinthebox6143]

Played this non stop driving around LA in my convertible back in the day. It's a great album because every song is good so you don't have to fumble around driving and changing tracks Crash! I got to see them here in UK they played Reading I think in mid 90s. I was the only English guy who knew their stuff. I could never understand why they weren't bigger. I think maybe their dress sense was too good for the time everyone grungey and low profile and check shirts and that sloppy genx stuff. When I saw them they had glitter suits and werre TOTALLY FUCKIN' ROCK NROLL!!!!!!!!111yEAh

[@michaelkennedy5126]

Tequila Sundae is a hard rock classic imho

[@zenn5150gaming]

I agree...These guys and Kings X deserved so much more ...

[@hinjurock]

@@zenn5150gaming Also My Sister's Machine.

[@Άγγελος-π9κ]

Someone once said this about this brilliant song: "This song accomplishes more in less than 4 minutes than what most people accomplish in their entire life time". I remember seeing them in the early nineties at the Big Day Out in Melbourne, simply brilliant...

[@hanoigrillo70]

One of the best tunes of the 90s. RIP Blackie :(

[@palmerjohnson4982]

Rip Blackie! What? What!

[@robertgomez5248]

That guitar riff is still killing it in 2020.

[@mccanlessdesign]

And in 2021 . . .

[@altonbeckert506]

And in 2022. Damn, went too far in the time machine!@#%?$

[@booknerd1970]

They keep removing my comment, it's almost as if Urge Overkill doesn't want you to know that they blatantly stole this entire song from The Testors single from 1980 kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3ibqHZmiptnq68

[@Foldisfitch]

@@booknerd1970 Verse & Chorus chord progressions are the same but with totally different melodies and the middle break parts are completely different. Those same chord progressions are in many songs. No one owns simple chord progressions like these.

[@TheWinstonSlip]

Damn slick

[@tomvain6242]

1993 was a GREAT year for music!!! I was 20 years old and getting to see all of these bands play live. What happened to music?

[@a.champagne6238]

The Telecom Act of 1996 is what happened. It essentially gave Clear Channel (now iHeartRadio) a monopoly on the airwaves.

[@sydbarrett5]

I love how Blackie O gets arrested and Nash and King just keep playing.

[@domturiace3973]

This whole album rocked .I miss the 90s so much:(

[@kevincosgrove948]

AWESOME album. Had a great groove all the way through 👍

[@scuba1788]

Everything but nirvana

[@angelcitydevil73]

Totally!. Had to buy it twice on account of wearing out the first one. Saw them at the Troubadour in Hollywood early 2000s and it was fucking phenomenal !!.

[@feldspar3858]

90’s were ok, but 80’s is better.

[@NATEDOG001976]

Great CD, great band. Still sounds fresh!!

[@nicholasbryant1753]

They were so good. This was one of the best songs of the 90's.

[@frankielopez102]

Too bad they'll forever be known for covering the "girl, you'll be a woman soon." 🤦‍♂️

[@bogeythedog163]

@@frankielopez102 dang

[@tacticalbigfoot]

@@frankielopez102 they should've scrapped that song, but I bet some suit pushed for that song.. this song was awesome..

[@cmdc778]

Yeah. This is just a badass straightforward rock song. Love it.

[@pyenapple]

New album coming January 2022

[@joereilly8925]

Blackie O was a great drummer, super aggressive but on point! He passed away last month, but we will remember the talent he had, and they are rocking up above!

[@kirkhotopp2522]

Had The Impression URGE OVERKILL would make an approach to The HALL OF FAME OF ROCK AND ROLL so under rated !!!

[@derfunkhaus]

The whole song rocks, but can I put in a good word for the bass? Hard to believe this song is over 25 years old now.

[@jotteria79]

this guy gets it

[@summereyes]

UO has the joyful swagger that can make you forget earthly troubles, and revel in the now. RIP Blackie. What a criminally underrated band and "Saturation" is in the pantheon of all time great rock records...

[@baddfingerz]

Great comment 👏 Concise, eloquent, expressive. Don't ever apologize if you think someone might want to give you static just for being smart and not afraid to show it. 31 years gone and this song still blows me away.

[@mellowmoods8393]

Man, '93 didn't play! Still kickin' in '23!

[@skeeter197140]

I'm sorry, but for my money, the 90s were the best time to be alive. The music was awesome. The 70s music was great, but I was too young. I forgot this song existed, and stumbled into it, and it took me right back. My band used to play this song back then, and people just went nuts. What an awesome time.

[@jarodofficer]

Hell yeah! I'm 57, and the great thing about the 90's is it brought back a lot of the straightforward rock energy like the 70's had. So, a lot of us got to rock out to live bands in both eras, with the fun all-over-the-map 80's stuff sandwiched in between. Great years indeed. All of them. The 90's was a good time to be in Chicago with all the great music at bars, clubs, parties, outdoor fests and concerts. Urge Overkill were local boys. I used to run across Nash at random parties or hanging at the Hideout bar. Jay Bennett from Wilco was somewhat of a regular there, too. Good times.

[@skeeter197140]

@@jarodofficer Urge Overkill Hell yeah!! Guitar was back in the '90s. And we hadn't learned to quantize as much and sampling, autotune, blah blah blah. Chicago? You must have been a Smashing Pumpkins fan, too right?

[@jarodofficer]

@@skeeter197140 Oh, yeah. They weren't one of my top favorites, but yeah. Saw them once. Good stuff! I probably liked the Jesus Lizard even more.

[@staciecarverd8136]

I've almost forgotten about this song, and I wonder how I could have, it still excellent! And that guitarist is playing a Danelectro -- AWESOME!

[@mrsasshole]

Right? Eddie loves his Danelectro's. I've got a '57 Jade and while I have far more expensive guitars, it's my favorite guitar in my collection.

[@sydbarrett5]

Blackie O was awesome. I saw these guys in 95 and Blackie O came out from behind the drum kit to sing Drop Out. He was swigging from a big bottle of Jack Daniels and at the end of the song he turned around and started smashing it down on one of the crash cymbals. One of the best shows I've seen.

[@dashodell]

Sitting at the PC feeling nostalgic. Still one of my all time favorites. Urge Overkill, one of the greats. Thanks for all the music over the years guys!

[@TheRippper]

Absolutely the BEST UO ever. They were wonderful! The whole album rules. I have to admit the line that says, " She comes on like a bicycle army" , I always thought was- "She comes on like a bunch of salami."

[@dougodyssey50]

Gives you reflux?

[@derekmr78]

that guitar tone! i loved this song back in the day

[@rexolio]

Agreed... was a guitarist in a cover band a couple of years after this song came out and was always trying to get the guys to do this one, but nobody else liked it. Losers!

[@GozerTheGozerian]

Indeed. The tone on this is beautiful.

[@intimatelyrearranged]

i do not care for the song at all but the guitar tone, especially the solo sections toward the end, holy fuck man it's enough to make it a favorite song lol

[@rickc2102]

It's a flanger, y'all. Little or no movement but a lot of resonance.

[@indiglo1971]

You don't need a therapist.

[@davidapple8047]

The instrumental @ 2:00... man....after this song and a few other songs, I'm feeling so nostalgic!!

[@davidlohnesjr8984]

You know it's a great song when they have the increase of build up to a crescendo, and they can go nuts after that feeling within the band and that's what's fun about playing live

[@deckardplisken]

I've listenened to this song pretty much since it came out & it hasn't lost anything. It holds up as one of the best songs ever written!! The opening riff on the guitar is so memorable & when they all come in together it just becomes legend.

[@ianlucas2003]

Total gold. Christopher Walken Jnr.. Thank you so much! Thank you Urge Overkill. So many great memories, I want live back there which you.

[@josephfalco3141]

They play this a good amount here in Austin on the local C-rock station 93.7 KLBJ

[@chriscordero1051]

Opened up for Pearl Jam in Little Rock in 93. Hell of a show.

[@jasonmccormack8993]

I saw that same show in boulder colorado!

[@Wiseask313]

What’s not to like? Great guitar and drum work and a band who can actually carry a tune and harmonize. A true rock ‘n’ roll classic.

[@gothfather1]

One of the greatest songs of the '90's!

[@MadmanXXVII]

I heard this song ONCE 20 years and never heard it again...stayed stuck in my head all that time. THAT'S how you know it's a good song! Shame these guys didn't get big. AMAZING TUNE!

[@davehughesfarm7983]

I was looking for it today...I couldnt remember thier name for 8 hours today..And forgot the title..This is my 90's rock.

[@scottcote4010]

It's right here... I've listened to it almost 500 times in the last 3 weeks

[@jasonmuhsmann5670]

I still contend that pound for pound Saturation is one of the greatest straight ahead hard rock albums ever recorded. Very underrated.

[@ultrasuede7757]

Totally agree. And Exit the Dragon is right there with it.

[@tyrekecantrell5941]

Absolutely phenomenal record

[@wesleysmith2045]

They remind me most of The Cult, if I was making comparisons. Extremely solid. Great tones. Sounds incredible.

[@davehughesfarm7983]

Them, and fastball maybe fasterpussy too

[@Stevesautopartsify]

Spot on 🎯!

[@Dad-Gad]

Wayyyy ahead of their time , and some real hooks on this album .

[@adomlee5969]

Walk in beauty, Blackie O. You will be missed. ❤

[@steveheissner]

Back in the 90's I bought the album just for this song. Great song!

[@mrsasshole]

And a great album!

[@dr4782]

"Sister Havana" peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Alternative chart on August 28, 1993. It also peaked at #10 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart on September 18, 1993.

[@davidg.9932]

Thanks for informing us on how popular this song was. I knew it was a great song the first time I heard it.

[@3YearsApart1613]

wish bands were more like this. real rock bands are no more

[@shannonstraughan4383]

Love these guys! Cover is of the Houston Skyline, my hometown. Great song, love the mid 80s-90s. One of the best bands during that era!

[@amkacerik]

You can say they were good for one song but you clearly never heard this whole album. Each song was different, but good. VERY good.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Back then when I heard this I went and got the album...no doubt they were good but alas what happened ....ah well good times and good memories.

[@riched283]

Bottle of fur

[@daxxaa238]

Tequila sundae The stalker

[@TheLarryburns84]

Exit the Dragon was, in my opinion, even better.

[@robertpreston2220]

Chicago sure knows how to put out some great bands!

[@dowens3781]

Quite simply one of the greatest hard rock songs ever written.

[@dowens3781]

@Marcellus Bull Miranda WTF are you talking about?

[@gergnotsloh]

This is hard rock - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rF7WpKWmmt2IZ9E (same era)

[@dowens3781]

@@gergnotsloh Nah, dude - that's death metal/extreme metal. Bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Van Halen, etc are hard rock. I'm sure you know that though - you must just be trolling.

[@ponderosalemons]

Does anyone know where this was filmed? The performance and fountain scenes look like St. Augustine.

[@delorme9]

It looks like The Keys or South Beach to me

[@seabassseabass8835]

It's Miami...the Everglades... South Beach and Vizcaya. Google Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

[@DOHC2L]

This album and Offspring Smash were the anthems of my highschool life.

[@mattd6086]

This is one damn solid rock tune. Killer groove.

[@killerontheloose80]

Quite possibly the greatest rock song ever done hands down bar none seriously

[@scottcote4010]

I actually went to Reddit and asked if it was weird that I was listening to this song like 50-80 times in a row... They said it's cool

[@joshuagallua]

Girl, you'll be a Sister Havana soon

[@pepper1188]

I wish it was 93 again...

[@mitchellschultz8958]

heard this on my local rock station today for the first time in prolly 20 years, that's why I love that station, the are locally owned and have a lot of freedom, they even have bad hair Fridays which is an hour of 80s hair metal every Friday at noon

[@pedropolanco9042]

Dear Mitchell Schultz: Hi There! Good held memory for a good piece of Hard Rock song! Glad they have nothing alike to this danm 'muzak' stuff of these days. Neverthenless, love about that local radio live station placing, onto the happy hours bad hair day each Friday night time...!

[@callinglast]

One of the most under-rated bands in all of history.

[@Crazyfeline]

Remember when this was the shit? Great tune, video friendly group. These guys disappeared faster than my first wife.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Heh , no doubt, it's was good stuff!! Grunge was what was happenin at about this time though and that probably killed the party.

[@Crazyfeline]

This and Positive Bleeding were on heavy rotation back in the day. Chicago band, I think.

[@shiznicks74]

UO doesn't begin or end with Saturation. All of their records are great.

[@docsavage8640]

Grunge was the year prior but boy did it kill good music for a while.

[@Vaga365]

A little more push from Tarantino and poof!

[@sam1174]

Who is the woman in the video? She looks familiar.

[@sam1174]

Thandie Newton?

[@jamestownvirginia8463]

Without a doubt one of the best songs ever made!

[@fernberfel]

Guitar Distortion meet Flange Pedal Flange Pedal meet Guitar Distortion Still UO Brilliance!!!

[@tbnterprises]

This is just such an awesome song. The melody and the hook are just infectious.

[@timluneack4030]

Saw them in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Orbit Room sometime around 1992 (?), they were spectacular.

[@michaelbryan3900]

These songs in the '94 MTV were woven into a tapesrty of perfection spear-headed and fueled by the success of Nirvana.

[@jimmycrackkorn1596]

I love that Powers Boothe became the lead singer of his own rock band.

[@boydmanuel9257]

I haven’t seen this video in like 15 years. I almost forgot how fine “Sister Havana” is. Kinda looks like Tandie Newton.

[@andrewturney7602]

Can anyone tell me what happened to Blackie after this. Excellent, powerful drummer.

[@brettchong6328]

is it just me or does anyone else keep replaying the opening of this song? awesome song, but the intro fucken rocks, I always remembered the first time I heard this song just coz of the intro

[@robgonsalves6128]

At 2:52 the drummer kills it.

[@davidg.9932]

Blackie Onassis.. Real name Johnny Rowan.. Fell into a hard core drug use stage. So sad. I hope he's doing better.. He does kill it..

[@ryanwood1288]

After SLTS hit, there was a sudden shift back to minimization in drum kits and guitar solos. People blamed the nose dive of 80's rock bc "it became about the glam." My contention is that people were ready for something different. 40 minute bass solos, 37 piece drum kits, and 2 minute guitar solos that looked like spider legs going up and down the guitar neck simply became passe.

[@billhannum4117]

Miss this band they have that 70s vibe that bands are bringing back today .

[@talpajam]

31 yrs. later - still want those shades at 1:57

[@johnryder1713]

Someone get me a time machine to get me back to the 90s

[@craigbeckman5278]

You kids don't know how good Urge Overkill was...

[@Dehmitz]

Much as I enjoy the song, I get sad listening to it. Maybe because it makes me realize I'm not 19 or 20 years old anymore, and haven't been for a long time...heh. Or because it makes me wish I could go back to that time period and make better decisions. I don't have the budget for a therapist right now so I'm availing myself of the free services from the KZbin peanut gallery.

[@andybutterbaugh2998]

Right? I was 19 when this song came out. The future was wide open and far away. Now I'm 43, and I can't figure how it went by so fast.....those were fucking great times for me.......

[@Dehmitz]

I'm glad I'm not alone! Fast-forward from going to concerts every weekend (and drinking too much, not wearing earplugs), to the optometrist telling me I'm at the age where my near vision begins to deteriorate...ha!

[@jeffreybeshears8211]

My sentiments exactly

[@Donkeyno9]

Just because you're old doesn't mean you have to suck.

[@markusantonio4866]

93' was when they played this song late night on Alternative Nation on MTV. I member those times

[@JordyJayHomer]

I used to love playing this in my coverband in the '90s. I'm suss on the charting info about it on Wikipedia. It says it didn't chart here in Australia, or perhaps there's just no info on it. I'm sure it got plenty of airplay here, so I'd be shocked if it didn't chart. They had enough success to tour here

[@joescully5633]

Lucky enough to see them live at a taping of the old Jon Stewart show.

[@brendangamble8824]

As if the warm-up is not scary enough then there's a black tie Onassis. This is pure gold.

[@scottkaye8050]

What ever happened to that run of bands that came out of the windy city during the mid 90s ?

[@MrJett1971]

Like what...these guys and smashing pumpkins? I’m not sure I could name another.

[@godozo]

These guys self-destructed. Liz Phair muddled about for a bit, then did a failed sellout that consigned her to also-ran status, pretty much. Smashing Pumpkins also self-destructed, although they took much longer to do so and could point to continued chart success while they were a group.

[@charliebe28]

My Pop music interests actually date back to the late 60`s and 70`s; and the "Grunge" period (by my estimation) often had "dull periods" when there wasn`t much that seemed very impressive getting airplay. During those times, when there WOULD be an especially good song, I would actively "hunt" for an airing of it on MTV during cable TV browsing sessions. This was DEFINITELY one of those songs.

[@mordacaidog6151]

i feel ya man this song blew my mind i was working at a small record shop when this came out and i also discoverd ARC Angels at the same time i was like what the fuck

[@LOSTINTOUCH30]

it's been 21 years already where did the time go?

[@janicekent2140]

Hey better late..... then never!!

[@onthemarginofgrace]

I was lucky enough to have caught Urge Overkill at a smaller venue in NYC sometime around 1994. I think it was the Hammerstein Ballroom. The band came out all in black and sporting those large UO chain medallions and proceeded to kick the audience's collective ass. This song in particular still resonates to this day...that whole album was an underrated masterpiece 1990's alt-rock. And they never took themselves too seriously...just listen to Erica Kane and you'll agree.

[@CartersRetroReviews]

Amazing song. For the longest time I thought they sung, "She's not around" instead of Sister Havana. Then a friend pointed out, "Why would they sing she's not around if the song is called Sister Havana? Think about it. That's dumb. Dude, they're singing Sister's Banana."

[@thezombie7839]

Awesome.

[@Guillaume33340]

Hahaha, excellent !!! :o)

[@jamesbaileytx]

Thanks for pointing that out. I thought they said "she got around" for the last 20 years.

[@janicekent2140]

Carters Retro Reviews Too funny!! I thought they were singing "Susanna" for the last twenty plus years! didn't even get the part where Fidel Castro is mentioned! If I had, I might have figured out, that Sister Havana was not only what they were singing, but the song title as well!! Reminds me of a old 'King of Queens "episode where Doug is singing in the car, to Carrie, a old Neil Diamond song, Forever in blue jeans, only he thought it was reverend blue jeans!

[@toolmantimsmythe8724]

+janice kent That's so funny. I thoughtit was "reverend bluejeans" when I was young, too.

[@darknutgaming5510]

Rip Blackie O, you’ll be missed

[@kdiaz8892]

So bummed I was oblivious to these guys in their heyday. I can’t get enough of this song. ❤️❤️❤️

[@dougodyssey50]

I never knew about this song when they were charting. I remember hearing 'Girl' and thinking "why is a rock band covering Neil Diamond and getting airplay? I didn't get it as a 16 year old. I do remember Nash and his unique look though. Who can forget?

[@michaelwilson2340]

Just read that you're no longer with us. Miss you already Blackie. You were a fantastic drummer.

[@larryhurley2314]

One of if not the best song from the 90's !!

[@fartboxer22]

Blackie o and jack irons the two best drummers of the 90s

[@andrewturney7602]

what became of blackie? another band, drugs and lifestyle or is he selling real estate now?

[@BlakeBlackstone]

What's jablins Jables?

[@matthewburrows4359]

Like maybe if Cheap Trick had grown up listening to the Replacements and not the Beatles. I love Urge

[@meghantrautman8503]

I actually saw these guys in concert when they opened for Pearl Jam in 1993. The song and the band were great and played on the radio alot, but they weren't very memorable to me live. It's likely because we really, really, really just wanted Pearl Jam to get on stage - which was the best live band performance I've ever seen. I saw many of the 90s best bands live, in their prime, and as great as Urge Overkill was as a band, the bouffet of greater, more amazing bands we had in the 90s made them barely memorable seeing them live. It was an embarrassment of riches when it came to insanely gifted bands during the 90s.

[@chriscordero1051]

Saw the same tour and felt the same way. I do remember this song and it killed live, but the rest just seemed like filler. Pearl Jam opened with Release. Damn that was good .

[@JeffHuntsinger]

Simply, this song ROCKS!!

[@ThriftingforFashion]

Drummer dude is bad ass walking at the end...great band and video!

[@turtleman6281]

Jack has good taste in music Rock On!

[@jonbe9]

Oh man.. brings back college days ...can never forget the riffs of this track...also sampled on snf tonight!

[@MikeyMikeHq]

I want this song played at my funeral

[@gerardlynch2838]

Anyone think QOTSA is borrowing from these a fair bit especially in the chorus backing vocals? Awesome tune that I literally just discovered

[@jotacalvo]

What a great song, and what a great time. I was 24 and havin' a blast

[@flowerlps6210]

I whent to see there's guy's opening for INXS in Melbourne so cool best time for music in the 90s

[@mezykin]

i feel so privileged being a 90s kid :')

[@GOFLuvr]

I can relate. I remember seeing UO's video to The Candidate on USA Up All Night thinking that I would never hear from these guys again... And several years later, I was seeing this video on MTV!

[@tinfoilmagnolia3134]

Try the 80s. That's where UO came from. They lived in Mpls for awhile then- used to see them in the small clubs

[@ShaneSG]

lol, not sure when these guys write this song and in might just be one of those coincidences but that riff is pretty much identical to a song we recorded a demo of in 1983, but what is rather odd is the lead solo parts are identical though we had a twin lead. The singer we had went on to play in the inner Sydney alternative scene and whether he left our demo or played to to someone, I’d love to know if these guys ever toured down here in the 80’s or early 90’s . I’m not making any type of claim or anything like that it’s just rather odd that our two songs have a riff , solo and vocal melody virtually identical 😂

[@milojohnson6068]

This song makes just as little sense in 2022 as it did in 1994

[@lisamarie225]

It's great nonetheless

[@PeteNThat]

Powerful live. Saw them in Brisbane. Marshall stacks either side, with Gibsons -- classic rock set up which didn't disappointment.

[@mlbolts72]

One of best rock songs ever

[@ultrasuede7757]

UO is planning to release a 25th anniversary package for 'Saturation' this year! The 25th anniversary of its release was this past June 8th. Can't wait for it. In the meantime, here's to Ed 'King' Roeser fully recovering from the heart attack he had in late May. Heal up, Ed, and here's to you having many healthy and happy years ahead.

[@apitobert2787]

.

[@user-pq9vr1uh4g]

If you told me that was Christopher Walken, I wouldn't question it for a second.

[@Kinnakeeter]

This is what Christopher Walken was doing when he wasn't swapping spit with Catwoman lol