RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth . . . And Hothing Butt (Trance Syndicate) A Butthole Surfers (official) live bootleg? Masochism. surely. But I. dear readers. have trawled these depths for you. and what I‘ve come up with is . . . a rather essential document. actually. for those who reckon Throbbing Gristle were wussies and The Cramps couldn‘t shock their own grandparents. This kicks off with two demos from I983. showing that the Buttholes knew exactly which sewers they were going to dredge right from the start. the remainder comprising live tracks of gratifyineg high quality. Reversing the accepted state of affairs. Gibby Haynes‘ deranged outpourings actually come across more clearly than in the studio versions — though whether you‘d want to get the full gist of them is another matter — and guitarist Paul Leary gets to show what he can do on a ten-minute ‘Psychedelic‘. When Hunter Thompson spoke
l
report whether this. their
must for lovers of scuzzy.
journalists of the day as a ‘monument to human ugliness'. he was. of course. writing in pre- Buttholes times. Turn on to The Hole Truth . . . for the genuine article. (Alastair Mabbott)
I Royal Trux: Thank You (Hut) I’ll admit it — I've never been aufirit with Royal Trux. knowing them only as the occasional enigmatic record cover. so I can
of the top ten American ( l
fourth LP. is a side-step. back-track or giant leap. What it is. though. is a
frazzled street-dirt. infected with some filthy Stones virus. While the blistered throats of Jennifer Herrema and Neil Hagerty at times wander
close to contrivance. in
parts this is the sort of stuff The New York Dolls
might have been
responsible for if they‘d absconded to Mexico for twenty years. returning
wasted weary. and wise. All together now: ‘I knew
i right then I'd love her
‘ forever; even when her breast is ull rotted with ' cancer. ' Lovely stuff.
f (Damien Love)
Man or Astrornan? Surf punks on junk food
I The Geraldine Fibbers: The Geraldine Fibbers (Hut) That sparse country thang. once more — after Freakwater and The Palace Brothers — rendered with empathetic ease. The Geraldine
Fibberx is the debut mini- ; album from these West
3 Coast Americans. contains three covers
(including one each by Beck and Bobbie Gentry). and is generally a wow. ‘Marmalade’ has strident
violins and ‘Get Thee
Gone‘ has scarey violins and eerie banjo. and the
whole kit and caboodle has the wearied. tired.
stroking voice of Carla Bozulich. A quiet triumph. As at home in the beaten up ol‘ shack where it should have been
recorded. as in your
bedroom. as in your heart.
(Craig McLean)
I Man (it Astroman?: Live Transmissions From
1 Uranus (One louder) Heh i heh. He said anus. Yep
; this is one for the Beavis
and Butthead generation —
a redneck, punk surf band who spend too much time watching grade B sci-fr movies. eatingjunk food and working out the resulting hyperactivity by mutilating their guitars. Recorded live (check out the quality of those heckles) at some hairyback scuzz pit in Florida. this album captures Man Or Astroman‘? in all their glorious. second adolescence stupidity. It’s not big and it‘s not clever but it is fast. frantic and fun-fuelled. This should have been the soundtrack to Repo Man. (Jonathan Trew)
COUNTRY
I Billy Ray Cyrus: Storm in the Heartland (Mercury) Cyrus is right behind Garth Brooks in US album sales. but doesn‘t enjoy anything like the same critical approval. This third album casts a wide net. from the Springsteen-gone-rural title track through to sentimental country rockers like ‘Redneck Heaven‘ and the hammy ballad ‘Only God Could Stop Me Loving You‘. There is nothing either as catchy or embarrassing as 'Achy-Breaky Heart'. nor does it resolve — either way - the question of whether he has real talent. or isjust riding a lucky streak.
I Trisha Yearwood: Thinkin’ About You (MGA) No question about Trisha‘s talent. She is one of the very best of the new breed of country women. and Garth Fundis has given her another slick
country-pop production aimed at extra-genre appeal. but without losing grip of her country roots. She has come up with another fine batch of songs. including her jaunty Stateside smash ‘XXX's and 000's (An American Girl)’. Gretchen Peters's evocative ‘On A Bus To St Cloud‘. and a tear-jerking 'Till I Get It Right‘. Excellent.
I George Ducas: George Ducas (liberty) Ducas is Liberty‘s latest contender in the hat act stakes. and has made an impressive debut album. but maybe not one which would imruediately single him out from the pack in a crowded field. That said. he is a fine lionky tonk singer with a strong. emotive delivery. and he writes really good songs. which is a pretty firm foundation for development. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
I Sheila Henderson: Call It Fate (Graft Records)
.Home-grown product
from a Shetland singer who has gone country in convincing fashion. She has a sweet. highly expressive voice. and the good sense to keep things simple and let her songs speak for themselves. while her choice of covers demonstrates impeccable taste. Proof that good country doesn‘t have to be born in the USA. and well worth checking out.
I James House: Days Gone By (Columbia) House made a couple of good (but not quite better than that) albums for MCA. and this Columbia debut finds him seemineg struggling a little to decide exactly whether he wants to go down a country road. or along a soft-rock track. It‘s all pretty polished. but the country cuts like 'A Real Good Way To Wind Up Lonesome‘ or the rawer, Bakersfield-ish ‘Take Me Away' get my vote. (Kenny Mathieson)
THE GLASGOW RYAL CONCERT HALL
The‘Solid Silver a: “£001; "‘ 60’s Show 951mm“): DREAM???“ warms roman and the MIHDBEHDERS .A
TUES 2 MAY 7.30pm £14.50, £12.50, £10.50
THE MAGICAL WORLD 6.. OF THE MUSICAIS .d
start/rig - DAVE WILLETTS & LORNA LUFT
Featuring songs from - Sunset Boulevard, Phantom of the Opera, les Miserables, (abaret, West Side Story & many moral!
i
WED 17 MAY 7.30pm £15, £12.50, £10, £7.50 (Children £5) Clossic Films of the Silent Screen
THE THIEF 0F BAGDAD
{3 Starring DOUGLAS RBANKS SNR.);}
wet Till ROYAl SCOTTISH HATIOHAI ORCHESTRA Conducted by . CAR! DAVIS
MON 23 & TUE 24 oer 8pm £14.50, £12.50, £10.50,
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The List 24 Mar-6 Apr 1995 39