Gary Wilson's "You Think You Really...": C or D?

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This year's entry in the great, lost masterpiece sweepstakes (last year's winner - Shuggie Otis). Is it as good as I've heard?

― J Blount, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

So, I'm kinda perplexed. Did someone in Gary Wilson's family marry a PR guy or something? This record has been available (albeit only on vinyl) for many, many years.. it hasn't been exactly out of print or anything. Why the rediscovery now? (Nothing personal with you, J, obviously.. I'm just sincerely curious)

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Details, please -- what does it sound like, when it was released, etc.

― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Dud. Just because something's weird and awkward and messed-up doesn't make it, you know, _good_.

― Douglas, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Gary Wilson's album is good, if not a masterpiece. In some ways its importance at this point seems more historical in the sense of the affect that it had on many community/college radio stations in the late 70's when it was released (KAOS, etc). Soundwise, the record sequeways between sleazy lo-fi new wave Steely Dan keyboard slink and sound collage on top of which Wilson sings about his various romantic obsessions. It's quite the biopsy of one man trapped in his parent's basement for seven years.

― Jack Cole, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

While I can certainly see the influence on Jello Biafra and his singing style, it's not really a record that's easy to, uh, come back to time and time again. The only thing I can remember from the record are those squelchy synth sounds and that voice, but no actual tune has ever been fully netted in my head.

As far as rare records from a mid 70s perv who influenced Jello, I'll stick to Chinga Chavin's Country Porn

― Brian MacDonald, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The reason I asked is Motel just reissued it on cd and Jon Pareles did a big write up on it that made it sound intriguing. At the same time my experience with lost masterpieces is that they're usually lost for a reason.

― J Blount, Sunday, 28 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Brian - have you actually heard the Country Porn album? It's been one of my favorite album covers for a while (or at least since I came across it on the Incorrect Music website) and I've been very intrigued as to what it actually sounds like - I'm imagining drawling moans, Mel Tillis stuttering "work the shaft", Blowfly meets Peter Grudzien; my friend suspects Kinky Friedman was involved. Details, descriptions please!

― J Blount, Monday, 29 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one month passes...

Pitchfork has a review.

― dleone, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Chinga Chavin's Country Porn" is actually quite a well produced record for its time...(or at least the CD issue makes it sounds like it was) Musically, it doesn't really poke at any odd edges or anything. But you can easily see why, say, Jello or Mojo Nixon would like this record.

― Brian MacDonald, Monday, 3 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

two years pass...

Has anyone heard his new album on Stones Throw? It's called Mary Had Brown Hair and half the songs are about different women he has perved on who are named in the titles (the other half are just abot being pervy in genral). There are also two tracks from the first album as bonus tracks, "6.4=Make Out" and "Chromium Bitch". He's kinda compelling as a trenchcoated loverman.

― artdamages (artdamages), Friday, 27 August 2004 16:28 (nineteen years ago) link

classic, without question. it was released in 1977?

― rssgnld's, Friday, 27 August 2004 17:19 (nineteen years ago) link

he has a new album? wow.

― dickvandyke (dickvandyke), Friday, 27 August 2004 17:33 (nineteen years ago) link

prior to the motel release it was available on vinyl from a philly label called crybaby records.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Friday, 27 August 2004 18:25 (nineteen years ago) link

he has a new album? wow.

I think it's only an EP. I saw it when I was at the store last week, and hadn't heard anything aboot it, so I was surprised he had new material.

― Vic Funk, Friday, 27 August 2004 20:40 (nineteen years ago) link

No, its a full length album (14 songs). I listened to it this morning.

― artdamages (artdamages), Friday, 27 August 2004 20:40 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm listening to it now and it's, uh, strange...

I never heard the old record, though, so it's all new to me.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 27 August 2004 20:53 (nineteen years ago) link

ten months pass...

Revive for the moment -- just to remind myself when I come back here in the morning.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: that obscure object of desire. (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 02:27 (eighteen years ago) link

Fucking classic.

― Palpatean Mists, Tuesday, 12 July 2005 15:26 (eighteen years ago) link

good once as a novelty (ca. 1998 in my case) but basically dud.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 20:50 (eighteen years ago) link

I can't decide. Where is Colin Meeder these days? He seemed to have had an opinion on this.

― k/l (Ken L), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 20:55 (eighteen years ago) link

I have a lot to say about this album, but, in a nutshell, borderline dud.. I always pick it up when I'm doing sporadic collection cleansing, but something stops me from selling it back. I might like the idea of Gary Wilson more than his actual music, and I prefer everyone he supposedly influenced (Beck, most notably)..

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 21:19 (eighteen years ago) link

i like it. it's a sleazy steely dan/mark murphy avant wonderfulness.

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 21:21 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.citypages.com/movies/detail.asp?MID=6061

I pretty much find interest in anything Stones Throw puts out...

― Pete Scholtes, Tuesday, 12 July 2005 21:29 (eighteen years ago) link

i listened to the second album at a store once and really didn't like it.

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 21:30 (eighteen years ago) link

CHROMIUM BITCH IS AMAZING!

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 22:44 (eighteen years ago) link

babyalive sent it to me via mp3 well over a year ago and I'm really fond of the album, and not as a novelty (as people seem to treat it). It anticipates the lyrical content of Violent Femmes' debut but it's married with rather creepy (and at times, erm, "experimental") sleaze-funk. I also received a free copy of the Forgotten Lovers compilation and it's also splendid, providing a rather natural and sensible evolution of his music -- the ideas were already there and pretty realised even in 1972-1973, and his productions skills even at that time were fucking ace! "In the Midnight Hour" (not a cover) keeps getting stuck in my head lately, too -- catchy fucking tune, it is.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: that obscure object of desire. (Eastern Mantra), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 23:56 (eighteen years ago) link

one year passes...

Rad show last night in San Diego!

― Tim Ellison, Monday, 26 March 2007 04:17 (seventeen years ago) link

man i don't know if i'd call this a classic album but it is totally enjoyable and anyone who doesn't like "6.4 = make out" needs to pawn their ears off to someone who might be able to make decent use of them

― pretzel walrus, Monday, 26 March 2007 04:25 (seventeen years ago) link

I interviewed him via e-mail for a pal's online magazine. Really cool dude who was generous with his time. Also, all his emails had embedded images of distorted mannequins.

― Brent, Monday, 26 March 2007 16:46 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.thehighhat.com/Pop&Clicks/002/gary_wilson.html (man the formatting on this board is weird)

― Brent, Monday, 26 March 2007 16:47 (seventeen years ago) link

"6.4 = Makeout" is so awesome it's almost unseemly. A lot of the rest is ... okay. Love how disconnected it is from anything else in the universe. But I wish the funky fusion stylings were a bit more earthy, overall. A lot of it just goes by in a strangulated blur.

― Pye Poudre, Monday, 26 March 2007 17:02 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

bump to th rump...if yur supreme and u need a drink..stop by friday nite nyceilxors and i assure u of nothing..
http://www.knittingfactory.com/show.php?event_id=114445

― danbunny, Tuesday, 3 June 2008 15:28 (fifteen years ago) link

Veevee has no opinion
which bodes well
http://www.villagevoice.com/nycguide/457567,6.html

― danbunny, Tuesday, 3 June 2008 16:21 (fifteen years ago) link

two months pass...

Anybody heard the new album...

― sonnyboy, Sunday, 31 August 2008 17:15 (fifteen years ago) link

two months pass...

this record allegedly has come out like 3 times now over the past 3 months. is there any proof that it exists? i sure haven't seen any

― Bangelo, Tuesday, 11 November 2008 01:18 (fifteen years ago) link

Yeah got my copy a couple weeks ago...sounds less like a rapist in a balaclava waiting in the bushes on this one...listening to it now...i'd give it 6.4

― sonnyboy, Tuesday, 11 November 2008 17:36 (fifteen years ago) link

lol

― jaxon, Tuesday, 11 November 2008 18:42 (fifteen years ago) link

so more of a rapist covered in flour and plastic wrap? good to know that it's legit, I'll take the leap of faith w/human ear then

― Bangelo, Tuesday, 11 November 2008 20:49 (fifteen years ago) link

three years pass...

a masterpiece this is not but it's such a cool hidden treasure that was way more accessible and catchy than I thought it would be (it's also quite short)

anyone heard his latest stuff??

― frogbs, Tuesday, 3 January 2012 21:28 (twelve years ago) link

I have Electric Endicott from last year. It's definitely got its moments, but I adore You Think You Really Know Me, and it doesn't live up to that for me.

― emil.y, Tuesday, 3 January 2012 21:43 (twelve years ago) link

i really wonder what the guy even looks like these days. in all the recent images i've found of him he's either wearing a mask or covered in tape

― frogbs, Tuesday, 3 January 2012 22:06 (twelve years ago) link

seven months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4xCIZyKskA&feature=youtu.be

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Friday, 24 August 2012 18:02 (eleven years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4xCIZyKskA

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Friday, 24 August 2012 18:02 (eleven years ago) link

eight months pass...

He finally gets his due: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/arts/design/punk-chaos-to-couture-at-the-mets-costume-institute.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

― The Cosimo Code of the Woosters (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 26 April 2013 13:17 (eleven years ago) link

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