Cacophony

Rudimentary Peni | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 12, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Outer Himalayan
• ASIN: B000001V1S
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,610 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Nightgaunts

2. The Horrors In The Museum

3. The Only Child

4. Architectonic And Dominant

5. The Evil Clergyman

6. Brown Jenkin

7. Crazed Couplet

8. Sarcophagus

9. Lovecraft Baby

10. Dream City

11. C12 H22 O11

12. Zenophobia

13. Sunset For The Lords Of Venus

14. Beyond The Tanarian Hills

15. Imps Of The Perverse

16. The Dead Loved

17. Periwig Power

18. Kappa Alpha Tau

19. American Anglophile In The World

20. Memento Mori

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A concept album from the dark side, June 21, 2003

By 

Oliver Sheppard (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cacophony (Audio CD)

Not too many bands can pull off a concept album like this. Incredibly recorded in one 8 hour-or-so session (or so I've heard), this album reflects the band's obsession with HP Lovecraft, but also contains some of the best songs Rudi Peni have ever written.

Every song has something to do with Lovecraft's life or fiction. "Kappa Alpha Tau," for example, refers to a gang of cats HP Lovecraft used to play with. The acronym "K.A.T." was Lovecraft's clever designation for the feline fraternity. The haunting, excellent song "The Only Child" refers to Lovecraft's mother treating the young horror writer as a little girl, going so far as to dress him up in girls' gowns and grow his hair long while cruelly reminding him she had always wanted a girl instead of a boy. And "The Old Man is Not So Terribly Misanthropic," for another example, refers to Lovecraft's transformation from a reactionary supporter of racial eugenics to an advocate of a type of New Deal-ian "aristocratic socialism." Most of the references can be figured out by reading L. Sprague de Camp's authoritative biography of Lovecraft. In fact, I bought a copy of de Camp's Lovecraft: A Biography off Mr. de Camp himself shortly before I bought Cacophony on cassette in 1991 or so, and Cacophony basically plays out like the audio version of that biography. (The cover of my cassette version of Cacophony is a lot different than the CD version here; on the cassette is a Blinko illustration of the Lovecraft character Erich Zann, holding his demonic violin -- a much cooler cover if I do say so myself!)

Often the songs are strung together with spoken word bits: Blinko reciting a critics' condemnation of Lovecraft ("Howard was a twitch, boys and girls, and that's all there is to it!"), making noises intended to make one thing of gibbering shoggoths, a recitation of all the pen names Lovecraft ever used, a list of other authors that inspired Lovecraft (MLR James, Hawthorne, Poe, etc.), a definition of digestive cancer, which ultimately killed Lovecraft... in short, Lovecraft, Lovecraft, Lovecraft!

The music varies from song to song. Stand out tracks include "The Only Child," "Nightgaunts," "The Dead Loved," "Gentlemen Prefer Blood," and "The Old Man is Not So Terribly Misanthropic." Some songs end too quickly, for my taste: "Architectonic and Dominant" is an excellent instrumental that should have kept going for a bit longer, I think! The overall opus is a sprawling, moody, quirky, and slightly insane monstrosity punctuated with bits of speedy punk rock here and there, and slower, more melodic punk rock odes elsewhere.

Not recommended for those new to Peni, unless you are a fan of the bizarre, the weird, or HP Lovecraft, in which case this could very well be just the Peni album to start you off with. The album isn't as accessible as, say, "Death Church," but it has greater artistic merit. This album truly does transcend the genre.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete madness, October 30, 2001

By 

Jinx McElroy (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cacophony (Audio CD)

RUDIMENTARY PENI's "Cacophony" album is quite possibly one of the most twistedly-unique, insanely-original punk rock records ever recorded. I hesitate to even call it a punk record, as it goes so far beyond anything else in genre.

Britain's RUDIMENTARY PENI emerged from the early 80's political punk scene that was home to such bands as CRASS, CONFLICT, and FLUX OF PINK INDIANS. The group's beginnings were energetic bursts of dark (but not quite gothic) speed-punk with lyrics dealing with most of the usual lefty issues (vegetarianism, anti-government, anti-religion, anti-big-business). R.P. released two e.p.'s (one on the CRASS label), and an amazing (though slightly slowed-down) LP called "Death Church". All of the bands records featured maniacally intricate pen and ink drawings by singer: Nick Blinko.

After "Death Church" the band went through a long hiatus due to one of the members fight against cancer, and Blinko's mental problems. The group returned in the late 80's with "Cacophony". At the time, no one knew what to make of the record. It was very different from the other R.P. recordings. Punk purists poo-pooed the platter, while more eclectic types recognized the mad genius of the disc.

Basically this record comes across as the ravings of a lunatic and his obsession with writer H.P. Lovecraft. Nearly every lyric sung, spoken, mumbled, or squealed on the record is some form of reference to Lovecraft or one of the writer's works.

Musically, this is RUDIMENTARY PENI's greatest work. There's elements that nod to their earlier songwriting on the first 2 e.p.'s and the "Death Church" album, but there's also post-punk excursions and some poppy sing-along numbers (well, kind of). Nick Blinko's lunatic ramblings tie all of the songs together into a flowing, attention-demanding package of insanity.

"Cacophony" is one of my all time favorite records. I remember it was a bit hard to take when it first came out, because I (like everyone else) was expecting to hear "Death Church 2"... but after repeated listenings (more than 10 years worth now) it is not only my favorite Rudimentary Peni album, but probably one of my top 15 favorite albums ever. I can't do justice to the genius of this record here... you must hear it yourself. It might not catch you on the first listen, but if not, keep at it. It's a mindblower.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This would make H.P. Lovecraft proud to be punk, September 12, 2005

By 

Clark B. Timmins "q-25" (West Jordan, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cacophony (Audio CD)

'Cacophony' (Released 1988 / 30 Tracks) Released shortly after the EPs of RP, this LP is firmly entrenched in the Lovecraftian mythos; the more you know about H.P. Lovecraft, the more you'll enjoy this outstanding thematic LP. It's also the last LP released in nearly two decades--since Cacophony, RP has released only EPs. If you don't know who H.P. Lovecraft is (what's the matter with you?) the LP is still excellent but many of the lyrics will probably leave you wondering.