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Chaos Eel. Scourge of the high seas, low lands (particularly Belgium), medium level rivers, aquariums and branches of Pets at Home everywhere. Sowing discord, unrest, uncertainty and kelp wherever he/it/they go. He/it/they has five heads. He/it/they are here to endorse the Art of the sPazAmp shuffle and by special request of Out of the Blue.
But enough tittle tattle, on with THE CHAOS.
1. Monster Magnet - Nod Scene (The Resin Scrapers)
Right up Chaos Eel's watery, discord filled street. It's the version from the original EP rather than the LP (like that means anything to you lot, cementheads), so it's rawer and pleasingly frayed about the edges. Unfortunately this is paid for by Dave Wyndorf not being able to sing yet and the thing not quite being as immense and overbearingly enveloping as the finished version. I'd muse about whether I prefer this version or that version, but to be frank I really don't think you a flying eel's toss about the matter. Oh, and I suspect it to be about The Drugs.
2. Zoffy - White Room
Mental friends of Kawabata and the lovely AMT loons. For all I can tell, it may well be a cover. I suspect it is. Imagine the Cream song in disguise. A very heavy disguise. The musical equivalent of a wig, false 'tache, comedy glasses with fake nose and a new head. The level of disguise generally only accomplished by John Travolta and Nicolas Cage in Face/Off. I'd say, on the whole, it's an improvement.
3. Upsilon Acrux - Bicycle Race
Two covers in a row! The level of disguise is similar to that employed by Zoffy. It's fantastic. I think Queen would be mortally offended if they heard it. Especially Mrs. Roger Taylor, the drummer.
4. NoMeansNo - Oh no! Bruno!
Sort of like The Ramones as filtered through the slightly perverted (not in a sexual way) musical prism of the Wrights and Wrong. Which means it is very nearly infinitely better, of course. They have an appealing and unmistakeable way with their instruments and a knack for making even the most apparently straightforward song sound slightly disconcerting. I heart them.
5. Thee Headcoats - Beach Bums Die
Billy Childish absorbing the Beach Boys and regurgitating them as a barely there-fi, medway garage paean to murdering nobs loitering by the sea. Splendid.
6. The Kleptones - Love Song for Yoshimi
Mix of hip hop and the Flaming Lips tune. Even this version makes me incredibly sad on account of my Dad developing a liking for the original. He didn't really keep up with modern music, and it was quite a singular event for him to pick up something that way. Very sad. Don't want to talk about it.
7. Reverend Horton Heat - I'm Mad
Mad? He sounds bloody livid. In his singular Horton-a-billy fashion, of course. Which is a very good fashion for him to do things in. One day he may get the acclaim he deserves, but I won't be holding my breath (not least because it's unlikely to happen in the next couple of minutes, and anything much longer than that and I'd have to start breathing again for health reasons).
8. The White Stripes - The Air Near My Fingers
is no different to the air anywhere else. Unless you have magical fingers, Jack. Which you don't, you bassoon. Ridiculous title, faintly uninspiring lyrics, decent tune. Yep, it's the White Stripes alright.
9. Tim Hardin - Rolling Stone
Not about Charlie Watts. No, Tim, you are not a Rolling Stone. Nor are you a Beatle, a Kink or a Small Face. You are, in fact, a middle of the road, mediocre, overrated tree-kissing hippy.
10. King Uszniewicz & his Uszniewicztones - Satisfaction
Talking of the Rolling Stones, this is a cover. High percentage of them tonight. Which would only be of interest if you had some kind of Excel spreadsheet tracker of such matters, which would be frankly odd. They couldn't carry a tune in a speciall copperbottomed tune carrying bucket. Quite wonderfully and unintentionally off key. They think they're the best band ever. And in a strange way they are, but not in the way they think.
11. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize?
Yes, yes I do. Give David Essex his head back.
12. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - I Send My Love to You
Thanks Bill. I'll send you some mild affection back by UPS.
13. Singing Loins - Black Girl
Racists. Not really, they just aren't wimps and kept the actual title of the song that everyone else calls "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" when they cover it (they didn't change the lyrics either).
14. Half Man Half Biscuit - Shit Arm, Bad Tattoo
A song deserving of a better title. And a better chorus. The rest of it's great, something of a favourite on an album of favourites.
15. The Savoys - Can it Be
A tremendous fuzzed up original garage era minor classic. Helped along by the fact that the singer sounds like he is trying to invent the vocoder effect without using a vocoder.
16. The Move - Fire Brigade
Possibly my favourite variation on The Move's one tune. Except perhaps for Curly. The differences are so miniature that it is hard to quantify a discernible difference in level of appreciation. It's all good, as they say.
17. Cai - La Roca del Diablo
Flamenco tinged Spanish take on mid period Floyd-style prog. Every bit as good as that sounds.
18. The Cramps - The Crusher
Do the hammerlock, you turkeynecks!
19. Tindersticks - Rented Rooms
One of the ones where he sounds just a little bit too much like Vic Reeves in club-singer mode, which is a little off putting. Fortunately he reigns it in and it remains a lovely song.
20. Girl Trouble - Spin Out!
Awesome. The magic of Girl Trouble and movie-era Elvis song combined in one glorious package. Chaos Eel approves, and how.
So yeah. That's about it, really. Adios, cementheads.
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