The Stiff Sheet: August 1996

Prince
Chaos and Disorder
Warner Brothers 

“Originally intended 4 private use only, this compilation serves as the last original material recorded by (symbol of Prince) 4 warner brothers records – may you live 2 see the dawn.”

This is what it says on the inside sleeve of Prince’s new CD. He is a little whiner. I refuse to call him the artist formerly known as. I refuse to listen to his bullshit about why he has ‘slave; tattooed on his face. I cannot however hate him bad enough to hate this record. It is too good to ignore. Besides, I always thought of Prince as kind of a little tantrum prone baby anyway, so you ignore that part. This CD has some of the best material he has ever written on it, and by far better than anything in the last eight years. The title track is a groovy little pop rocker, and “dinner with delores” reeks of late Beatlesesque melody. There are other good highlights like “the same december” and “into the light” but the record is just well done from start to finish. If this is Prince’s way of fighting with his record company, then he’s a better man than I. He could have given WB a farewell shit sandwich for a record, but he didn’t. He gave them a box full of hits and classic tunes that if you hit the repeat button and listen to over again, will only do you good. —Maxx 

Good Riddance
A Comprehensive Guide To Moderne Rebellion
Fat Wreck Chords 

Wow! This is one tough album! Political as ever, and slapping the conservatives  and screwheads around with a volley of lyrical punches that they so separately need, this new album is a power pressure-cooker of kicking tunes. Blessed with the fastest damn drummer in the business, and combined with lightening guitar  and bass combo, these four will take care of business in record time on the straight-edge train of pain. If more bands would spend less time getting tattoos and body-piercing, maybe Good Riddance’s lyrics wouldn’t be so refreshing in their message and politics, but they are. Taking out the linear notes, the shit reads good on its own. Whipped together with the high speed power of a water-tight quartet, and watch the asses get kicked! Fast and heavy, smart  and strong, this is a hardcore package that is a sweet treat for your summer pick list. —Billy Fish 

LoPressure
Icon Jungle
Everything Records 

I caught these guys on the surf stage at the Warped Tour and bought their CD. This is a perfect example of the difference between “hippie” and hippie. All the trappings in one place. The hair is long, there are wooden and shell drums and one guy even plays the didgeridoo. During the live experience they engaged in an amplified drum circle on the stage. Never-the-less, the music is about as far from H.O.R.D.E. as it is possible to imagine. Once again psychedelic rears its ugly head. Black Sabbath as pagans not Satanists? Way back in the day there was psychedelic music. It was a part of the hippie movement, but it was watered down for mass consumption. Most of the new hippies view the Grateful Dead as a psychedelic band. No, the Byrds were a psychedelic band before they went country. Anyway, these four long-hairs combine the energy and excitement of punk rock with jamming psyche. They are earth friendly grunge heads. The usual hippie topics are addressed; they smoke Jah’s herb, address Mother Ocean, praise the sun’s energy and so on. They, unlike Blues Traveler, Dave Matthews, The Bogmen, The Mother Hips, The Freewheelers, Ugly Americans and the rest — don’t try to sound like their parents. Wholly original and improvisation — heavy music for tripping. It’s kind of like Seattle by way of Australia with stops in Texas and San Francisco along the way. Give these hippies a place on the stiff sheet and 5 SLUG’s to the face. —Wa 

Extra Fancy
Sinnerman
Atlantic 

I used to have a boss who claimed everything on Atlantic was bad. The gent never moved much beyond Led Zeppelin 

material in the back catalog. In my experience the ratio of good to bad is pretty impressive for a major label. Extra Fancy is an obvious candidate for the Stiff Sheet. They don’t sound like rockabilly legend Buck Owens, but nudie suits appear to be a part of their image. They spring from the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles and they made their reputation in gay bars. Listening to the CD I can’t help but think of The Psyclone Rangers or Supersuckers. Some of the stink from old lawnmowers and steel gas cans stored in a garage seeps through. Extra Fancy garage punk. 

Investigate the CD booklet before pressing play. What images do the half-naked girls and cowboys bring to mind? How about the naked man seated on a 55 gallon drum? For those deeper into design as a message check out the type-face. Press play. “Yes Sir.” That’s a song title not a reply. “Self Made” opens things right up. What things? “I’m sucking, soul sublime/Hold my head…this trade is rough.” “Rough trade girl, mace in hand/Rough trade top seeks stepdad.” Figured it out yet? “C’mon Louie” has a Utah direction. “And in the school in the showers do you feel like a criminal? (C’mon, C’mon!)/I wanna tell the preacher but I know I’m gonna lie (C’mon Louie!)/He’s got the blood on his hands of a thousand suicides.” “You set me up I fell for you, infected me ‘bout 7 years ago/Punch drunk I fell in love, no warning/you should have told me, you should’ve said something.” 

The entire album is filled with gritty, slamming garage-punk. An extra fancy disc fer sure. —Dildo Baggins 

Read more Stiff Sheets from the SLUG Archives:
Stiff Sheet: June 1996
The Stiff Sheet: July 1996

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