Bikini Red

Screaming Blue Messiahs

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B000008KHW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #209,491 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
CD reissue of the 1988 album from the London Punk/Pop trio led by vocalist/guitarist Bill Carter. Mixing Pub roots, Pop smarts and Punk energy, The Screaming Blue Messiahs crafted near perfect albums that have stood the test of time. Features 'I Wanna Be A Flinstone'. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decibel-Powered Defibrillator, February 24, 2003

By	loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The Messiahs' sophomore record reveals no slump after their outstanding premier on Gun-Shy. This is a straight-ahead, pile-driven storm, full of power, emotion, and wit, with a menacing rockabilly tone powered by vigorous bass and taut drumming. Bill Carter, a bald, sun-glasses-wearing full moon of guitar madness played with fervor and abandon, but his layered rhythms and loopy solos are sweet music to my ears.

The CD starts up like a chainsaw, ready to rip and slash, as Sweet Water Pools threatens to overpower the woofers. The delightfully politically incorrect I Can Speak American would not be out of place blaring from American tanks rumbling across the Iraqi deserts on their way to Baghdad. Big Brother Muscle and the wonderfully titled Jesus Chrysler Drives a Dodge are full of those wonderful blistering riffs that distinguished this great, lost band. The SBM's one hit, if you want to call it that, I Wanna Be a Flintstone, is wonderfully deranged and zany.

Bill Carter wrote and played like a man whose liver was being gnawed by wolverines. His lyrical obsessions reveal a kindred spirit to the Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, and they share some of the same confrontational themes: guns, fast cars, outlaws, loathing, alcohol, fast living. Sometimes I wonder what siren call or twisted muse egged Mr. Carter on and triggered these outbursts (and how I might invoke that muse). I also wonder what happened to him following the band's disintegration. (Chris Thompson and Kenny Harris, his erstwhile sidekicks, recently resurfaced in the Killer B's along with Tony Moon, who was cowrote several SBM songs and was in a band called Motor Boys Motor along with Carter and Thompson. Thompson, who played bass in SMB, has switched to lead. Still no sign of Bill Carter, though.)

The production quality is terrific, especially considering all the Screaming Blue Messiahs' output took place during the mid- to -late '80s, not exactly an era known for rendering much in the way of truly memorable music. This CD, the ultra rare "Gun Shy," and the slightly less intense "Totally Religious" are all gems and worth the treasure hunt. When your rock 'n roll soul needs to be revived, this music makes a superb defibrillator.