Birthday Party - Hits (Reis)
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Birthday PartyEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1998-07-07
Music Label: 4ad / Ada
Soundtracks:
- Friend Catcher
- Happy Birthday
- Mr. Clarinet
- Nick the Stripper
- Zoo Music Girl
- King Ink
- Release the Bats
- Blast Off!
- She's Hit
- Gold Blade
- Hamlet (Pow, Pow, Pow)
- Dead Joe
- Junkyard
- Big Jesus Trash Can
- Wildworld
- Sonny's Burning
- Deep in the Woods
- Swampland
- Jennifer's Veil
- Mutiny in Heaven
Free Music Notes for Hits (Reis)
Free Music Review: Something for everybody!
Hit: 5 Stars
Hearing that this was Nick Lowe's other band, I knew I was in for a treat! Boy was I ever. Having abandoned the cold suit-and-tie affair for a sound that may appeal to the younger generation a bit more, he takes on a much scarier approach here. The kids that listen to Marilyn Manson...beware! The Antichrist Superstar is like a particle board pedestal compared to the die-cast monolith of this artistic atavistic animal.
Now the songs. Oh my, the songs. I'll talk about my favorite songs, but all of them are good, really.
"The Friend Catcher" begins with a hellmouth puckering up to whistle...a prison of sound, indeed! It's actually guitarist Roland Howard (related to Clint and Ron...what a talented family) doing some cRaZy feedback on his guitar. This song is also an update of Green Jelly's "Three Little Pigs" that must be heard to be believed.
The next song is also a more relevant update of another universal song, the "Happy Birthday" song. Only their version has some obvious references to Quentin Tarantino movies and Cujo, complete with Nick doing his so-so impression of the rabid dog. Trivia: This song and the name of the band are about their publically expressed anger towards the original Happy Birthday song being copyrighted and no longer public domain, so you know these are performers for the people. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT AND KEEP PLAYING, BOYS!
"Mr. Clarinet" is a Cyrano De Bergerac kind of story where Nick wants to learn the clarinet from a sort-of friend (you get the feeling he's actually mocking him behind his back, just like in Cyrano's story) to help him serenade a girl. Very touching, nonetheless.
The next song is a bit of a sleazy striptease song, obviously meant to get his female fans in the mood, and it's called "Nick the Stripper." It doesn't really do anything for me, but the music is really cool. I don't know, but it sounds like he says "incest" every once in a while. Hello, Dr. Freud? Nick, it's for you!
"Zoo Music Girl" is about a girl that listens to a lot of animal zoo sounds weirdo music that is driving him up the wall, like one of those girls that work at Pier 1 Imports or the Nature Shop in the mall. The only song I know of that's an ode to girlfriends playing music just to drive their boyfriends insane! Finally boys, we have an anthem. Be sure to thank The Birthday Party!
The next song about weird girlfriends is "Release the Bats." You know those girls that think they're vampires and try to sneak in a "love bite" or two and you end up missing a nipple, if you're lucky. We all do. Nick does too, I think.
Later on, following The Birthday Party tradition of updating old things anew yet again, they take on Shakespeare's "Hamlet." HAMLET! And just like Romeo and Juliet got a facelift in the 1996 movie with guns, the story of the Prince of Denmark and betrayal and DEATH DEATH DEATH get a gun facelift, too. Hamlet was a badass mf, kids. Very educational song.
Not to remain all hoighty-toighty and high-falutin with the Shakespeare homages, The Birthday Party throw us all a HUGE (no, not PARTY, lol) curve with "Dead Joe." "Dead Joe" is about the underground Sylvester Stallone movie "Driven" where he plays a washed-up driver named Joe Tanto that meets a tragic end in a race. It's an emotionally devastating movie that unfortunatly isn't carried in a lot of video stores (There's a petition out there to get it released to dvd).
On "Big Jesus Trash Can" Nick Lowe references his "Jesus of Cool" days from way back in the 70's. Except in our post-911 world, Nick's prophetic eye draws down upon a Jesus will not ascend from the heavens as most may expect, but rather barreling down the streets in a big, stinky garbage truck ala GTA San Andreas. SCARY.
Let me just say that bassist Tracy "Pew" can sure lay down the "funk" (get it?)! He adds that much needed spaghetti western flair to "Wildworld," or should I say, "Wildwest"! Clint Eastwood would be proud.
And I could just go on and on, but I will not. LOWLIGHTS: Even though they mess up really bad on what could have been a really good song, "King Ink," and sound like they lost all control of their instruments and stumble around the studio like raving lunatics, Nick's scream of frustration sets everything straight again, eventually. These boys just don't give up. It has considerable edutainment value for the Hamlet song, too, so it's a great studying aid for your homeschooled children!
Buy this cd if you like guns, ninja swords, fast cars, and cowboys.
My vote for album of the year. Thank you.
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