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Old 05-16-2009, 08:53 PM   #58 (permalink)
Antonio
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Default Butthole Surfers-Hairway to Steven


Label: Touch and Go
Release Date: April 11, 1988


I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with these guys. after listening to much of their music (about 15 albums worth), i've drawn to the conclusion that while they are perfectly capable of crafting good rocking songs with catchy hooks and melodies, they can also be completely out of their minds and damn near unlistenable(to me at least). That was the reason that i chose Hairway to Steven to be my next review. it was really seen as the dividing point in the band's career; where they started to embrace more radio friendly elements and actually had songs done before they recorded them(oh my. shocking, ain't it?), when previously they'd spend months at various studios making it up as they went. even so, there's enough experiementation to make your brain fall out of your head and flop on the floor. Intersting tidbit, when this was released, the songs had no titles, only a groups of absurdist cartoons in the cd booklet. after that, may fans'd try to correlate song titles with live versions of the songs.

All in all, i'd highly reccomend this album, as well as giving it a 8.8/10. give it a listen, bitches!!


Jimi-one HELL of a first impression. if this was a job interview, i'd hire the f*cker in a second. 12 minutes long, it uses a sh*tton of voice modulation and is as scary as it is exciting. starts off heavy with a satanic voice that sounds like it's coming for your children, and at a certain point it does. the guitars are all over the place and are wanked to hell. halfway through you hear bells and then a sense of peace ala acoustic guitars sweeps the land.

Ricky-a pump you up kind of riff with some tribal like drumming and modulated singing that's imitated by the guitar. a bit short, but good as hell.

I Saw an X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas-a bit more upbeat than the previous songs...or so it seems. when it kicks in it sounds like a little country mixed with rock. Everything here seems to be on the move and really busy. at the end it seems to degenerate into kind of a jam, but still has the original riff and stuff.

John E. Smoke-not sure if this is a live track or if they're just f*cking with me. after the first few lyrics, it picks up a bit and pulls a "Black Dog" (stops most of the music -> lyrics -> picks up again a little). a little uncomfortable at moments but still a good listen.

Rocky-say hey to the bass, nice to see a decent bassline. this is a good melodic song, with the bass copying the singing this time. there's a good bit of distortion near the end

Julio Iglesias-sounds like rockabilly.
i like rockabilly.
so therefore like this song.

Backass-really a drop from the upbeat nature of the last song. it paints a dark and scary atmosphere that i could only equate with a bad drug trip.

Fast (a.k.a. Fart Song)-an abrupt ending song(1:36), but definately fitting with the rest of the album. oh, and the title liiieeessss, this is medium to medium fast speed at best
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr dave
isn't this one of the main reasons for this entire site?

what's next? a thread made specifically to banter about music?
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