Skin Yard

Toxic Shock TXLP-15, vinyl issue Spring '88, CD issue spring '92 with two bonus tracks. Was preceded by the single "Stranger/This Lonely Place" (Toxic Shock TX-009). CD also issued in Germany on Musical Tragedies MT-139. 200 copies of the vinyl were purple. The second pressing of the vinyl had the blue and red colors on the cover reversed, just for the hell of it. Recorded by Jack Endino at Reciprocal on the mighty Otari MX-5050 half-inch 8-track. Has been called their best album; definitely their most abrasive.

There is an obvious lack of an outstanding drummer that made all the difference between the first eponymous, and this album. I'm not saying that Scott McCullum is not a good drummer, only that in comparison to Matt Cameron... well they are not in the same league. I find that there is slightly more filler on this one than on the first album, and I haven't heard any of the subsequent albums.
I always heard a strong Bowie influence in their music, especially in Ben McMillan's voice, which is a sort of a compliment I guess. I would rate it 3 out of 5. Not bad album at all. Good for listening in a car.

Mailorder: $15.00 postpaid inside the U.S. through Paypal (this is a bit more than the other CDs, but this one is also the most rare and hard-to-find of their CDs)
try: toxic shock

Silverfish

Cockeye is a collection of some early ep's by the Silverfish often described as british Butthole Surfers fronted by a woman. Lesley Rankine, later went on to form excellent Ruby, but that was a whole different type of music. This was originally released on Wiija records in UK, but in US it was out on Touch & go. I think it describes what Silverfish were all about. Noisy, nasty, weird, funny, aggressive, energetic. Made to be played really loud.

try:
The eye of the cock
buy:
amazon

Mojo Nixon for free on Amazon!

dig dis!

Complete Mojo for free on Amazon but only for a limited period of time. If you don't mind leaving your name & adress & pretty much everything else.
It works only if you are an US citizen, the rest of us get something like this:

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We could not process your order. The sale of MP3 Downloads is currently available only to US customers located in the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.

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Well, you have been warned. I have been burned.

If you don't got Mojo Nixon/ Then your store could use some fixin. (Dead Milkmen)

I had Unlimited Everything on a cassette and wore it out. My personal favorites were Elvis is Everywhere, Burn Your Money, Amsterdam Dogshit Blues and Stuffin' Martha's Muffin.
Nowdays I think of him as one of the greatest names in economics. His songs aimed against banks and money are true philosophical jewels of modern economic theory and hold a timeless value.

I Hate Banks
by Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper

I hate banks...
I just can't stand 'em.
Gimme a shovel & man I'll plant 'em.
Six feet under thats where they belong...
I hate banks is the name of this song.
I think I'll rob myself one or two...
Yeah I hate banks, yeah, how 'bout you?

Well...lend me a nickel & lend me a dime,
repossess my house any old time.
Financial institutions think they're so high faluting...
Just a bunch of fruits in three piece suits,
trying to steal all my loot.
Things are smelling pretty rank,
We must be near a stinking bank.
Smells worse than Rockefellars feet,
Wall Street can eat my meat.

Yeah throw the moneylenders out of the temple;
I hate banks its just that simple.
Royal Crown Palm Ade Tin,
is a the best thing to keep your money in.
Mason jar is okay too,
if you see a bank well you know what to do.

Now, lemme tell you people something...
The only banks I like, well, I like Ernie Banks alright.
And I like the banks of the Mississippi River...
Yeah, and I like banks of fender twin reverb...
Electric guitar amplifiers behind me, raging on the stages...

Well,when I walk in they treat me like a dog;
want to hit them in the head with a doo-doo log.
Republicans, one and all...
Their talleywhackers are mighty small.
Stealing from the poor gonna give to the rich...
Wanna make the bank president twitch in a ditch.

Yeah, see that teller with the blue hair,
giving me the evil-eye stare.
Won't cash my check don't like my ID...
got the security guard after me.
If I was E. F. Sloane,
I'd say the Dow Jones can suck my bone.
Yeah.

Everybody say the three magic words!
I want you to help me say the words!
I want you to repeat after me!
I HATE BANKS!
Can't stand 'em!
I HATE BANKS!
Don't Like 'em!
I HATE BANKS!
Bunch of Foo-Foo's!
I HATE BANKS!
Contrary like a big zit!

I hate banks...
I just can't stand 'em.
Gimme a shovel & man I'll plant 'em.
Six feet under thats where they belong...
I hate banks is the name of this song.
I think I'll rob myself one or two...
Yeah I hate banks, yeah, how 'bout you?

Now lemme tell you something...
I'm not real fond of the PHONE COMPANY either!
You know?
Yeah, and I don't like the cable TV company.
You know why I don't like the cable TV company?
Cause they just be sucking that stuff right out the sky!
THEY don't have to pay nuttin for it!
I just get me one of them bootleg cable boxes,
and get me one of them climb the pole and stick the thing in...
I ain't gonna pay for it!
NOOOOO!!!!"

Leaving Trains and the "F" word album

If you want to know more about the band I suggest you go to allmusic, and read all the blah blah about who was where and when in the band etc...
It's utterly boring and informative.
When I first heard this band, it was this albums' closer: What the president meant to say. I thought it was as much fun as Giant Sand's Swerwe. In fact, I thought there was Howe Gelb on board, but no it was Falling James Moreland all the way. For years I thought they were an offshoot for Gelb's punk leanings if he ever had any, but you know, there was no internet those days and I had no access to any of the fanzines and stuff, and I got the whole picture when I finally bought this cd few years later. It's an utter fun.
Personal picks: Violent Sex, What Cissy Said, Twenty-Seven Days .
Edit: couple of years later I learned that they actually did work together, Fallin James sang lead vocal on the song Doors from Love Songs album: http://www.deezer.com/track/346352011

Well I guess I wasn't crazy after all!

buy: SST RECORDS
P.O. Box 1
Lawndale, CA 90260