Chewing Hides Sound [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Snakefinger | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 16, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: East Side Digital
• ASIN: B00000I9K6
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,478 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Model

2. Kill the Great Raven

3. Jesus Was a Leprechaun

4. Here Comes the Burns

5. The Vivian Girls

6. Magic and Ecstasy

7. Who Is the Culprit and Who Is the Victim?

8. What Wilbur?

9. Picnic in the Jungle

10. Friendly Warning

11. I Love Mary

12. The Vultures of Bombay

Editorial Reviews

This CD is an out of print collectible! It is the original 1999 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars By far one of the best rock albums of its era, October 13, 2002

By 

Steev Proteus "Mr. Steev" (nowhere in particular) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chewing Hides Sound (Audio CD)

Snakefinger, the eccentric British guitarist who often collaborated with even more eccentric American friends the Residents, had his own unique vision of music, and this album lays out the components of that vision beautifully. It opens with "The Model", a Kraftwerk cover, which only hints at what is to come. Excellent riffage and interesting production. It is followed by "Kill the Great Raven", which introduecs Snakefinger's bizarre sense of humor. "Jesus was a Leprechaun" is even more bizarre and funny, a sacreligious in-joke, and possessive of yet more fine riffage. "Here Come the Bums" seems to expose the songwriter's fear of vagrants ("They're gonna get me, gonna get me..."). The next three songs comprise what I think is the high point of the album: "The Vivian Girls", a Beefheart-esque descent into revisionist sci-fi; "Magic and Ecstasy", a breathless, breakneck Ennio Morricone cover; and "Who is the Culprit and Who is the Victim?" is utterly unique in the annals of rock, a song that could very well have come straight from the head of Travis Bickle (main character in TAXI DRIVER). That isn't to say that the rest of this album is anticlimactic: "What Wilbur?" is another weird atonal rock number. "Picnic in the Jungle" is an apocalyptic rocker. "Frendly Warning" is incredible, with some of the best riffs I've heard in a rock song. "I Love Mary", another cover, is light and eccentric, probably a lesser number on the album. And then we have "Vultures of Bombay", and a more beautiful way to end a pop album would be hard to conceive.
If you love rock music but are looking for something different, I highly recommend Snakefinger's CHEWING HIDES THE SOUND and its followup GREENER POSTURES, which continues his move toward more large-scale conceptual works without losing the song craftsmanship of this album. Snakefinger has a strange relationship with the electric guitar, but a beautiful one, and his soloing is often mind-boggling... "How the hell did he do that?" Though the Residents co-wrote all the originals and produced, you don't have to be a fan of theirs to appreciate Snakefinger. In the context of avant-rock, underground, new wave, or whatever you want to call it, Snakefinger's CHEWING HIDES THE SOUND is a lost classic, and should transcend all eras, styles, and trends to the serious rock fan. Hope you enjoy it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing hides the sound, July 21, 2000

By 

Jon Petersen (Highlands Ranch, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chewing Hides Sound (Audio CD)

One of the best experimental albums of its time. This masterpiece will grab you, shake you,scare you and then make you laugh. A little bit of insanity goes a long way here. The main idea is to sit back and let Snakefinger take you on a trip to his world,enjoy it and then come home. If you have a sense of musical adventure and enjoy the likes of The Residents you will be floored by all of Snakefinger's stuff. Get it now because it is increasingly harder to find.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Did we ever really go any other way, March 20, 2000

By 

Eitenne the Reader "Eitenne" (United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Chewing Hides Sound (Audio CD)

The Snakefinger was under-known when I burnt through the Vinyl of "Chewing Hides The Sound" - while time has marched on this LP and "Greener Pastures" have well stood the test of time imerging as ultra-classics of the pre-ska, pre-punk raw music that only the finger could snake out. Melded occassionally with his Resident's buddies, his entire works are five-star material. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy.....