Customer Reviews

Distressed Gentlefolk

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD has been out of print for 15 years, it still blows my mind I snagged a copy of this 4 years ago. I was careful with it. (It contains material some might kill for....)

There are no bonus tracks on this edition, doesn't matter. This is the CD where the Jazz Butcher stepped away from the novelty songs like "Death Dentist" or "Caroline Wheeler's Birthday Present." It's not all serious ("Buffalo Shame" is cute beyond words), but songs like "Falling In Love" and "Nothing Special" have soul and thought to back up the always-catchy melody. "Angels" is positively ecstatic and perfect for any fan who loved 'Waiting for the Love Bus' or 'Illuminate'. If you love Max Eider's atmospheric guitar, he's here. He even sings. (Then he stomped off after this 1986 CD. Now he's back in JBC 2001. That Max....)

(here's the track listing for the original, I assume it's the same for this version...)

1. "Falling in Love" / 2. "Big Bad Thing" / 3. "Still in the Kitchen" / 4. "Hungarian Love Song" / 5. "The New World" / 6. "South America" / 7. "Who Loves You Now?" / 8. "Domestic Animal" / 9. "Buffalo Shame" / 10. "Angels"

I picked up this album back in the 80s and have carried it around as a musical treasure, always dismayed by the fact that I couldn't get the CD - I'm not one of those vinyl fans, I've always wanted to hear these songs without all the "warmth" and the popping and crackling of my record. It's difficult to describe this music...the humor in the songwriting reminds me somewhat of Barenaked Ladies and I suppose the music is perhaps ancestral as well. It really just good, clean fun with a musical style that will appeal widely. An excellent choice for exploring something a bit off the beaten path.

I love this record, although I'm not sure some fans or the band themselves do. I say this because I think I've read somewhere that the Butcher were at the end of their rope and not happy with the record. Not sure if that's true or not, but all that really counts is how you as a listener respond. I've had a vinyl copy that I've worn out from way back in 1987 and will probably download this MP3 so I can listen to it without all the bumps and scratches. Some will remember the the producer of this had worked with Love and Rockets and that it appeared on the Big Time label which said band were on. This record sounds like The Smiths if they ate meat and drank heavily. Some may also be reminded of Robyn Hitchcock or Lloyd Cole. Highly recommended are the twangy "Falling in Love, the Jazz tinged "New World" and "Who Loves you Now?", or "Angels", which always blows me away. Why the tune Angels never made them more of a success in the States still escapes me. I give this 5 starts wholeheartedly. Cheers!