Blackout

Speedball Baby (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 9, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: In the Red Records
• ASIN: B000068FWV
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,239 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

It's no wonder The Blackout sounds familiar. Not only does Speedball Baby revel in the basic elements of rockabilly and blues-punk much like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion does, but two Jon Spencer Blues Explosion members play on this album. Jon Spencer and Judah Bauer are credited for having written the best songs, too: "Wanna Scratch It?" and "Do the Blackout," respectively. Their playing is energetic with plenty of hollerin' and background noises, much like the tracks found on early Jon Spencer Blues Explosion releases, favoring Orange. Speedball Baby's carefully contrived collaborative third release also features Boss Hog's Cristina Martinez singing backup on the Charlie Feathers-ish send-up "The Diddler," which is obviously influenced by beat poet William S. Burroughs' lyrical monotone. Other contributors include the often-suited avant-garde James Chance of James Chance & the Contortions playing saxophone and the under-utilized Mick Collins singing "Cash Cow" -- he was also a guest on their 2000 record, Uptight. The who's who lineup of famed New York City and Detroit-based musicians helps The Blackout be elegant, powerful, and engaging throughout, with the end result treading familiar territory, but there are enough surprises to keep things interesting. ~ Lisa LeeKing, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their best one yet, June 25, 2002

By 

Kate Hockney (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackout (Audio CD)

This is a must have. Just buy it. 'The Blackout' is the perfect record to get if you've never heard them before or even if you have all the others -- it just blows away anything else out there. The title track and another one called 'Hanky Joe Digger' rock so hard that my neighbors came upstairs to see if we were ok. It sounds like the recording studio is falling apart around them. On 'Bee in Flight', Ron Ward sounds like Alan Vega in all his demented glory. 'Cash Cow' shows that genius producer/guitarist Matt Verta-Ray and guest vocalist Mick Collins have the kind of musical chops you just don't expect to find in rock & roll. And '9.11' just about sums up how me and all our friends felt when we stood there and watched those two planes crash into the twin towers last year. Speedball Baby holds fast as one of the best and most consistently unique New York bands of the past decade.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected pleasure!, July 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blackout (Audio CD)

Speedball Baby have been around about eight years now and have been responsible for some of the best NY style decontructed roots rock come no wave these ears have ever heard. Their last album, Uptight!, was a masterpiece, but since it's release in 2000 I hadn't heard much from them. So imagine my surprise when I saw this new album in [the record store]. What really blows me away is the fact that this is their finest work to date. Ramshacle rock n' roll with an artistic bent. Features cameos by Mick Collins, James Chance and Jon Spencer. If you dig Suicide, Tom Waits and the Blues Explosion this is an absolute must!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ron Ward is a living legend, July 21, 2006

By 

tinker "Tinker Mynott" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blackout (Audio CD)

and a very handsome man. Best album ever made.