Butthole Surfers- Classic or dud?

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They've put up all of "Double Live" as MP3s:

http://www.buttholesurfers.com/DoubleLiveMP3.html

Though you can still order the LP from them.

It's from the era when they had two drummers, the topless dancer with glasses and king tut beard, an out-of-control smoke machine, and were projecting car accident and sex change operation films into said smoke. So you miss the visuals. But it gets point across pretty well.

bendy (bendy), Saturday, 16 September 2006 10:42 (seventeen years ago) link

Fixed link

bendy (bendy), Saturday, 16 September 2006 10:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Ooops. That didn't come out the way I expected.

Mike Dixn (Mike Dixon), Saturday, 16 September 2006 12:04 (seventeen years ago) link

So I finally got around to downloading Double Live thanks to this thread revival. This is good Saturday night music.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 September 2006 01:12 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, I got that a while back. Maybe if the new one sells anything (fat chance, probably) LBV will put it and Pioughd back into print.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 17 September 2006 01:18 (seventeen years ago) link

I suspect we'll have to dream further on that front.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 September 2006 01:32 (seventeen years ago) link

I downloaded the mp3s and found a sealed copy of pioughd on amazon, I'm good for now.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 17 September 2006 01:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Can we talk about how underrated pioughd is? I really don't see the drop off in quality until IWS, which bores the pants off of me. I might just be partial to it since it was the first BHS I heard (I bought the Rough Trade LP of it back in the early 90s). Revolution, P.S.Y., Hurdy Gurdy, Blindman, Golden Showers, the goofy JAMC verson of Something...I even think the endless reprises of Lonesome Bulldog are pretty funny.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 17 September 2006 01:43 (seventeen years ago) link

So I finally got around to downloading Double Live thanks to this thread revival. This is good Saturday night music.

-- Ned Raggett (ne...), September 17th, 2006.

On behalf of naked vulcans everywhere, thanks, but what the fuck took you so long?

Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 17 September 2006 02:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Can we talk about how underrated pioughd is? I really don't see the drop off in quality until IWS, which bores the pants off of me.

Agreed. That's the one I really hate. The follow-up is almost as bad. But the follow-follow-up many years later (Weird Revolution) is at least fun again. Pioughd is a great album. Totally fucking stupid BUT it has PSY studio version and that "You always get to be Iron Man" song, which is the most hilarious thing they ever did, except for Gibby drunk in the studio.

Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 17 September 2006 02:07 (seventeen years ago) link

Yeah, "No, I'm Iron Man" haha.
As of right now, I still need Widowermaker, Electriclarryland, Weird Revolution and Humpty Dumpty LSD. Maybe someone can tell me the order of necessity (I'll take your word on Weird > Larry BD, I heard Larry a couple times when it cam out and hated it). I'm pretty curious about Weird, really. I don't think I ever heard one song off it.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 17 September 2006 02:20 (seventeen years ago) link

The order is:

Humpty Dumpty LSD, Widowermaker, Electriclarryland (not that good at all; practically IWS)

Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 17 September 2006 02:44 (seventeen years ago) link

but what the fuck took you so long?

I was lazy! I'd hear it all before, of course.

"...and I walked on down the hall, and I saw my father again..."

Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 17 September 2006 03:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Moving to Florida is inspired genius.

Earl Nash (earlnash), Sunday, 17 September 2006 05:12 (seventeen years ago) link

"I'm gonna potty train the Chairman Mao"

Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 17 September 2006 05:23 (seventeen years ago) link

There is a song called "Lady Sniff" and it has not been equalled ever in the entire range of music ever. I heard that when I was 14. There aren't words to describe it. It is utter, utter filth. It is a fantastic piece of history.

Ficky Stingers (Bimble...), Sunday, 17 September 2006 08:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Even some of that Hairway To Steven album wasn't too bad as I recall.

Ficky Stingers (Bimble...), Sunday, 17 September 2006 08:10 (seventeen years ago) link

The beginning of Jimi (Hairway track 1) rocks almost as much as Lady Sniff.

Marmot (marmotwolof), Sunday, 17 September 2006 08:12 (seventeen years ago) link

I once cleared an entire student indie night dancefloor in less than a minute with "Jimi", bar one couple who continued to dance, ballroom style, to it.

Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Sunday, 17 September 2006 11:32 (seventeen years ago) link

CLASSIC until they started to sound like a Goth band, thereafter DUD

Oh No It's Dadaismus! (Dada), Sunday, 17 September 2006 11:41 (seventeen years ago) link

They have a lot more videos than I thought

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ9lCXVLpiY&mode=related&search=

StanM (StanM), Sunday, 17 September 2006 17:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Sorry. Even more like this:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=butthole+surfers&search=Search

StanM (StanM), Sunday, 17 September 2006 17:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Y'know "Piough" or whatever's actually really amazing, on headphones at least. Like, their best record. Someone's drunk!

Richard Bliss (mazdachik), Sunday, 24 September 2006 12:11 (seventeen years ago) link

So classic. They changed everything when they came out. I love the Indian wardance drum beats and the truly psychotic guitar. Check out the video for "Graveyard"

JB Young (JB Young), Sunday, 24 September 2006 15:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Were they the first ones to create psychedelia that wasn't trying to be spiritual or intelligent? But, instead, stupid and psychotic?

Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 24 September 2006 15:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Classic, duh.

Marmot, ya gotta get Humpty Dumpty if only for the rousing froth-at-the-mouth track "I Hate My Job", which is the only other tune they've ever done that equals "Suicide".

sleeve version 2.0 (sleeve testing), Sunday, 24 September 2006 15:35 (seventeen years ago) link

Were they the first ones to create psychedelia that wasn't trying to be spiritual or intelligent? But, instead, stupid and psychotic?

No, there was plenty of '60s US garage psych that was intentionally dumb, intending it as humor. And plenty of it somewhat psychotic as well - though not making a real big POINT about it like the Butthole Surfers. Also plenty of '70s proto-punk w/ garbage-psych aspects that was fucked up as well.

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 24 September 2006 15:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Any examples I might check into?

The only thing I can think of is that Spazz song ("Get offa the floor, boy, people gonna think you're a Spazz") from the Pebbles comp and another one called "I Wanna Get Back (from The World of LSD)" or something like that... but I can't think of any where the singer WAS the fool. They were usually talking about the fool or being foolish. Hope you get what I'm saying.

Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 24 September 2006 16:01 (seventeen years ago) link

Pebbles Vol. 3: The Acid Gallery is a killer one.

For '70s proto-punk psych: Debris, Twinkeyz, Simply Saucer

Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 24 September 2006 16:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Thanks.

I didn't reallize Simply Saucer was '70s. Some dude gave me a cd-r of one of their albums a few years ago and I sort of thought, "well, some things never change," thinking it was the new generation's alternapsyche. I'll have to dig it out again.

Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 24 September 2006 16:07 (seventeen years ago) link


would the deviants count as retardo-psych?

Ben H (Ben H), Sunday, 24 September 2006 17:12 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

I'm pretty much convinced "Concubine" is one of the best songs I have ever listened to.

That is all.

Ivan, Wednesday, 10 October 2007 18:49 (sixteen years ago) link

six months pass...

What's this rumor about a 2008 Summer tour of Europe with Teresa & Pinkus? Anyone hear anything?

StanM, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 14:50 (sixteen years ago) link

Total classic, was into them back in the day like some were into the Grateful Dead. Had mad bootlegs of their shows. But they lost it on Pioughd. Still a few good tracks on that lp, but maybe its Paul Learys production, or the upcoming big label support. I gave up on them in the 90s. Still think 'Double Live' is a fantastic record, 'Hairway to Steven' too. Punk, psychedelia, and a sick live show, what more could anyone want? I hear some Surfers in Comets on Fire for some reason, nowhere else though.

U-Haul, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 19:19 (sixteen years ago) link

Classic, but my view of them these days is as much colored by the whole thing with Corey Rusk and T & G as it is by the swesomeness of Psychic Powerless.

Strange how a band so uncommercial in its amazing heyday should come to mean being all about the money, whatever shit you have to release, whatever friend you have to fuck over. . . .

SecondBassman, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 19:42 (sixteen years ago) link

Classic - for 'Psychic Powerless...' and any live Buttholes show. Humour.
The guitar in 'Mexican Caravan' . FFS. I could smell the desert dust on these deranged fucker's boots trying to score some smack.

Saw Pinkus' HONKY in Austin about 5 years ago. He was the softest, most loveliest piece of shit going. Just had to put his dog to sleep. It was sad.I think I mentioned it before but it's really not that interesting. RIP Pinkus' dog.

Fer Ark, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 20:18 (sixteen years ago) link

Sorry _ it was Jeff Pinkus' dog. It was ill. He had had to put it down before gig.
I wasn't very clear.

Fer Ark, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 20:19 (sixteen years ago) link

Total classic, was into them back in the day like some were into the Grateful Dead.

I hear ya. their stage show between '86 and '90 has never been topped. they bottled up crazy and sold it like lemonade.

Edward III, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 20:23 (sixteen years ago) link

all those shows at the old ritz in nyc were pro-filmed. I'm patiently waiting for the day they slip out of the vaults....

Edward III, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 20:27 (sixteen years ago) link

mind-boggingly detailed gigography here:

http://www.jasonramke.com/bhs/main.php

Edward III, Wednesday, 16 April 2008 20:48 (sixteen years ago) link

from their forum:

"Paul will not be going on the European tour but will likely join for the NY show after the European tour. The only US shows (as of now) will be on the East Coast - like Philly, NY and maybe DC.

Europe - so far looks like Scotland, England, Denmark, Germany, France, The Netherlands and possibly Spain."

StanM, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 16:39 (sixteen years ago) link

scotland!!! so, i will possibly finally get to see them as they never played here back in the day. the question is, do i really want to see the buttholes 2008 version?

stirmonster, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 17:10 (sixteen years ago) link

I'm asking myself the same question, for the same reasons. Find I haven't heard ANY of their 90's output.

Soukesian, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 17:34 (sixteen years ago) link

".....probably with a slight flange."

flowersdie, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 17:56 (sixteen years ago) link

I didn't read this whole thread, sorry if this is redundant. I am, like many of you I bet, supposed to be working!

i think everything up to pioughd is total classic, pioughd is still very good although the magic had started to fade, and everything post-pioughd is crap, bin it. i think they decided to take the grunge/alt rock dollar in order to fund their other projects. and why not?

that jack officers acid house album is a complete mistake though...

OTM except the Jackofficers record was a joke, get it?

Saxby D. Elder, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 18:48 (sixteen years ago) link

everything post-pioughd is crap,

Independent Worm Saloon, Electriclarryland and Humpty Dumpty LSD do contain a lot of great stuff, though. The only ignoreable thing they ever did was Weird Revolution. (Don't know about any side projects, tbh)

StanM, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 19:07 (sixteen years ago) link

I saw them at the Marquee in NYC (that obsessive site marks it as 4/25/91). One of only two shows at which I genuinely feared for my life. I had taken a whole bunch of cold medicine (for an actual cold) and then drunk a 40 oz. of Budweiser, and was somewhere between coma and hallucination for the whole set. The crowd was a massively oversold roiling mass, the films were scrolling, Gibby was shooting fireballs at the ceiling...I was terrified and exhilarated, and will forever regret not buying one of their tour T-shirts (a b&w photo of a newborn piglet being given an injection with a giant needle, with the Newport cigarettes motto "Alive With Pleasure!" underneath).

I recently stuffed Psychic...Powerless...Another Mans Sac, Rembrandt Pussyhorse, Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis, Hairway To Steven, Locust Abortion Technician and Double Live into my iPod after having not listened to them for about a decade. Brilliantly fucked studio work - I'd forgotten just how great. I'm revisiting Flipper lately, too - wish their second album had come out on CD at some point.

unperson, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 19:14 (sixteen years ago) link

Classic, up to a point. When I was in college I had this little balcony off my bedroom. We'd go out there and blare records from my bedroom. Next door was an irritating little dog that really bugged us. One day, by accident, we discovered that when we played Psychic, Powerless... the dog went crazy; barking and jumping around, etc. So...needless to say, that record got played quite a bit that summer.

And no...I don't feel sorry for the dog. It was really an awful little dog.

kwhitehead, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 20:48 (sixteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...

http://www.buttholesurfers.com/tourdates.html

Butthole Surfers will be playing shows on the east coast and Europe this summer.
For these shows, Jeff Pinkus will be on bass and Teresa Taylor (along with King Coffey) on drums. This is the rhythm section the band had for most of the 80s and marks the first time this line up has played together since 1989.

Paul Leary has prior commitments and unfortunately can't play the European dates (he will be on stage for the New York City show and possibly more stateside).

However, fear not, our European friends. Joining the band onstage for all shows in the US and Europe will be The Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars. This mob of teenage geniuses will blow your mind, forming a virtual Butthole Surfers Orchestra when they play with Gibby and company.

Check back for more confirmed dates/ticket info (more European dates announced soon).

6/24/08 - Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes - get tix here
6/26/08 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club - get tix here
6/27/08 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory - get tix here
7/04/08 - Glasgow, UK - ABC1 - get tix here
7/05/08 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2 - get tix here
7/06/08 - Wolverhampton, UK - Wulfrun Hall - get tix here
7/26/08 - London, UK - Kentish Town Forum - get tix here
7/29/08 - New York City - Webster Hall - get tix here

StanM, Saturday, 17 May 2008 13:41 (fifteen years ago) link


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