Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon

Skeleton Key | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 25, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002U31
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,272 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Watch The Fat Man Swing

2. Wide Open

3. Nod Off

4. All The Things I've Lost

5. The Only Useful Word

6. The World's Most Famous Undertaker

7. Vomit Ascot

8. Dear Reader

9. Scratch

10. Big Teeth

11. The Needle Never Ends

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, indeed., October 24, 2002

By 

Marc Kloszewski (Indiana, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon (Audio CD)

My impression from listening to this repeatedly is this is no doubt a disc comprised of material the band had under their belt for awhile; it's all expertly written and performed, with every scream and percussive whomp and clank perfectly orchestrated. No fat or filler to be found here--it's straight-ahead melodic rock and roll that nevertheless places beat and noise above all (play it loud!). And despite the fact that this rocks relentlessly, what pushes this far ahead of the rest of the pack is the novelty of the arrangments, and the band's (and producer's) willingness to strip these tunes down to their bare essentials, all rattle and thrash and wheeze and whine and hooks that burrow in (Skeleton Key is a very evocative name for their kind of music). I can't give you a favorite from this disc--it all seems to be of a piece to me--but I first heard "Scratch" on a sampler CD and was hooked. The songs are quick bursts of dynamic energy, ...This economy is to be admired, I think, and it leaves you hungry for more. This is one of my all-time favorites.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i don't get it, July 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon (Audio CD)

i don't understand why some albums don't get huge. this is one of them, i mean they were on lollapalooza, they were on capital. i don't know how much money went into promotion, or if it even would have mattered, but damn, this album should have been huge. i just don't get it man.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars is not enough!, July 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fantastic Spikes Through Balloon (Audio CD)

This is one of my "desert island" discs -- one that I must have to survive. As another reviewer states, I cannot say enough good things about this album and this band. Brilliantly twisted guitar and percussion sounds. Darkly comical and intelligent lyrics (sung well). Incredible. Fabulous. Great. Buy it.