Customer Reviews

Controversial Negro [Explicit]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is one of the few bands in rock 'n' roll that can inspire me enough to leave my home, wait in line to purchase a ticket and then wait in another line to see the show. They are also one of the few bands for whom I'd ask for seconds. Truth be known, they are one of the few bands worth a damn these days. "Controversial Negro" documents the indefatigable trio at the Hotel Congress in Tuscon, Arizona. After listening to the record, there is no question in my mind that the Tuscon crowd got more than their money's worth and so did I. To see the Blues Explosion live is to see pure televangilism delivered in the stylings of a young James Brown, accompanied by his band mates who have one foot firmly planted in Church and the other hanging recklessly over the edge. Particularly compelling are the tunes, "Vacuum of Lonliness" and "Sticky" The use of the theremin threads the needle like no other sound produced by machine and Russell Simmons proves himself to be one of the (most unlikely) funkiest drummers performing today. Taking their cues form their leader, Bauer and Simmons are always able to put it right in the pocket once spencer has lit the fuse. This is a must-have for any die-hard Blues Explosionist.

The official Controversial Negro used to be available only in Japan. It was out in 1997 and recorded the year before in Tuscan, Arizona, although the nine songs at the end of this reissue are from 1994. Promo versions had a cool Mick Jagger cover, but they had to replace that when Mick Jagger said so. They replaced him with an ape. The cover of the reissue, which preserves the Japan design, is still pretty cool.

A record of the Blues Explosion in concert is vital. The outtakes and alternate versions of songs, say, on Mo' Width or the Now I Got Worry reissue testify that the band are in an ongoing conversation with rock & roll. A conventional studio album catches only part of the conversation. Collaborations such as those with R.L. Burnside get another side of it, of course. A live version of a song, though, expands more on what they're talking about, and sometimes it's dirtier.

The "hits" are in the set ("Afro", "Bellbottoms", "Flavor"). The show-stopper "Blues X Man" is in the set. The liner notes are, as with those for the Dirty Shirt Rock 'N' Roll compilation and Now I Got Worry reissue, filled with insight and diverse detail (hardware info: they used vintage Music Mann and Sunn amplifiers!). The theremin is in full effect. Enjoy the show.

It gets 5 stars just for the pure energy involved. This is some explosive stuff, and I don't know who or how it was recorded (the liner notes being in Japanese only), but the sound quality almost sounds like a bootleg - whatever it was, it captured something worth putting out irregardless. Imagine yourself hanging onto a firing machine gun, and you're somewhere in the vicinity of the experience. The rawness of the recording is only outdone by the raw brilliance of the band.

This CD is worth your time and money, anyone who likes raw rock will love this CD. It's a great time to be a Jon Spencer fan.