Dear Friends,
It’s fucking cold up here. Not as cold as Maine, but cold.
The show was a lot of fun. There were mishaps, of course, and I will elaborate when I am not so beat.
*****
At the time it came out, I would have told you that the Butthole Surfers’ Double Live Bootleg LP was most certainly my prized possession. It was so fucking cool and sounded so great. I had seen the band once at that point, so having an hour and a half of material at my fingertips to trip out on was the best thing ever.
I’ve gone well into detail about how much I love the Butthole Surfers so far this year, but this exquisite gem is something I still treasure to this day. Not only is it a really good live recording of the band in their heyday, it is also just a great collection of songs, too. They chose the tracks really well.
The only song I wish they would have added a live version of is “Boiled Dove” but I’m guessing they didn’t play that one live too much.
One of the real highlights for me was that “Psychedelic Jam” was added to the first side of record 1. They played it when I saw them in January or February of 1989 in Phoenix with Markus, and I loved the song. This version doesn’t have any words like the one on piouhgd, but I played it over and over once I got the record.
I do have to brag and say that I have this one release on all three available formats. I don’t remember what numbers I have, but I do have it on cassette, too, that has never been opened. Silliness.
Side 1 is “Too Parter” into “Psychedelic Jam” then “Ricky,” “Rocky,” and “Gary Floyd.” This is a bunch of stuff off the early records, except for “Psychedelic Jam.” I think I have probably listened to this side the most on the vinyl.
One the Double Live CD came out, I got that, too. Then I probably listened to the first disc more often, too. It has a few things on it that aren’t on the LP and the two CDs are over two hours of live Surfers’ music. Very well worth the $100 plus bucks it goes for on Discogs.
Side 2 is pretty fucking great, though. A great version of “Florida” kicks things off then right into “John E. Smoke.” Liam told me that is his favorite Surfers’ song. I was proud. It’s a great version on Double Live, too. “Tornadoes” and “Pittsburg to Lebanon” come next before a pretty fun cover “The One I Love” by R.E.M.
Each one of these is a good version of the songs, too.
Side 3 has “Graveyard” (fucking great), “Sweatloaf” (also great), then a killer version of “Backass” into a cover of Grand Funk’s “Paranoid.” Last up on Side 3 is “Fast” from Hairway to Steven. This is the only place I have a copy of “Paranoid,” I think. It might be on some bootleg stuff a guy sent me years ago.
Side 4 starts off with “I Saw an X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas.” Come to think of it, I think Liam switched his vote to this one for his favorite song by the Butts after we started talking further. I love this one, too. Excellent version here full of a few lyrical additions. “Strawberry” is fantastic and then a great version of “Jimi.” The record ends with a long version of “Lou Reed” which is absolutely killer. It’s noisy and huge and completely over the top.
This is why I love them. Over the top. Huge. Completely fucked up.
Double Live really captures what a Butthole Surfers show could be like from a sonic perspective. You could put it on in your studio apartment and feel like they were rocking the house for you. It just didn’t have the lights and films and alcohol and drug-fueled faces of the band looking right through you.
The CD version has a few more songs like “Dum Dum” and “USSA.” There is a great version of “Comb” at the end of the first CD that I love. “Kuntz” and “22 going on 23” are on the second CD, as are “Creep in the Cellar,” “Something,” and “Suicide.” So much good stuff to love here and I know I am forgetting a couple more.
If you ever want to listen to this with me, just let me know.
*****
See you tomorrow.
again...weird. AI has gone weird.
Comments