Piouhgd/Widowmaker - Butthole Surfers (Latino Bugger Veil)/Scary rock
I'm not sure if they're the weirdest band to come out of Texas (are there empirical measures for these sorts of things?), but they're weird enough. There's something more than a little disturbing about this band. Heck, the album titles alone (Rembrandt Pussyhorse, Hairway To Steven) creep me out a little. Anyhow, this is a reissue that combines Piouhgd from 1990 with the Widowmaker EP from 1989. I've heard neither of them, and I'm still a little afraid.
R.E.M. Live - R.E.M. (Warner Bros.)/Rock
Speaking of afraid, when I found out that this record was coming out, I was afraid that it would carry the zombie stench of Around The Sun. So far, I've been pleasantly surprised. The concert versions of tunes from that record come across as much more lively and full of detail. I remember thinking during the first listen to Sun that it sounded like REM had forgotten how to rock. Turns out I was wrong.
Reverse the Polarity - Chuck Dukowski Sextet
Dukowski, former bass player for Black Flag, has a band that's frightening for different reasons. The songs that I've heard don't easily fit into any category. They probably don't have to. I mean, check out the first part of Dulowski's vision: Punk rock is dead. Maybe we can stand on its corpse and reach a higher ground. Maybe not. Perhaps the flimsy imitators and the cleansing maggots of tomorrow's fresh style have weakened punk's bony skeleton too much. It might take us nowhere. Crumble on punk rock! We give you props.
Step right up, folks!
Article comments
1 - Michael J. West
You won't be sorry on the Butthole Surfers. Or on the Keith Jarrett et al., but that one gos without saying. :-)
2 - Mark Saleski
yeah, the live Jarrett trio is the usual crazy great stuff.
Butthold Surfers: the first thing i ever heard from them was the early live record. sorta rockin', sorta creepy. i was hooked.
3 - Pico
That makes three of us re: the new Jarrett. I talked it up today myself.
4 - Mark Saleski
i'll be cooking something up on it soon.
5 - Christopher Rose
I worked with Butthole Surfers for a year or two and they were absolute sweeties offstage, er, most of the time that is, and wonderfully inspired and just a tad insane onstage! I have a recording of their first ever British gig somewhere around the house.
6 - Mark Saleski
i've never seen 'em live but the guy who loaned me that live record said something about them showing videotape of operations and things while the show was going on. yeesh!
7 - Josh
Monster Mike sure did some nice stuff when he sat in with Nick Moss & The Flip Tops on the Live at Chan's set. I need to check that one out, too.