Butthole Surfers(EP)

Butthole Surfersis the debut studioEPby AmericanrockbandButthole Surfers,released in July1983.It is also known asBrown Reason to LiveandPee Pee the Sailor(see "Title controversy"). All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers.

Butthole Surfers
EPby Butthole Surfers
Released	July 1983
Recorded	1982–1983 San Antonio,Texas
Studio	BOSS Studios
Genre	Punk rock
Length	18:36
Label	Alternative Tentacles
Producer	Butthole Surfers, Mike Taylor
Butthole Surferschronology
Butthole Surfers (1983) Live PCPPEP (1984)
Back cover
Alternative cover
Later editions of Alternative Tentacles' 12-inch vinyl version of Butthole Surfers' debut EP include the words "Brown Reason to Live" on the cover.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Austin Chronicle
Pitchfork Media	6.2/10
Robert Christgau	A−
Rolling Stone
Sputnikmusic
Trouser Press	favorable

The album was originally released onAlternative Tentacles.The center label on vinyl printings invited listeners to play the record at 69 RPM, a joke referencing the famoussex position.The album's back cover features a mildly distorted image of famedMexicanluchadorSanto.Kurt Cobainlisted the EP in his top fifty albums of all time.

Music

The album consists of seven songs that mostly feature heavilydistortedguitarwith largely nonsensical, barely intelligible lyrics, alternately sung bylead vocalistGibby Haynesand guitaristPaul Leary.Haynes also playssaxophoneand drums on some tracks. Unlike later Butthole Surfers albums, no electronic instrumentation is present.

Having parted ways with their original drummer, Scott Matthews, shortly before entering the studio, Butthole Surfers used a number of different percussionists on this album. The last of them,King Coffey,is still with the band to this day. Bassist Bill Jolly was also a relatively new addition, joining after original bass player Quinn Matthews quit at the same time as his brother, Scott.Jolly would also play on the Surfers' first official live release,Live PCPPEP,and their first full-length album,Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac.

Title controversy

Though this EP is also known asBrown Reason to Live,Butthole Surfersis its official title. Firstly, "Butthole Surfers" were the only words to appear on the front cover of its original release. Furthermore,Latino Buggerveil's 2003 reissue of the EP, together with 1984'sLive PCPPEPon a single CD, is titledButthole Surfers/Live PCPPEP.Perhaps most importantly, it is listed asButthole Surfersin the "Discography" section of the band's official website.

That said,Brown Reason to Livehas a strong claim to title rights, and many fans refer to it by that name. The 12-inchvinyledition was, and still is, sold asBrown Reason to Livethrough original labelAlternative Tentacles,but it is unclear if it was initially released as such. Also, though the words "Brown Reason to Live" did not appear on the original album's packaging, 'A BROWN REASON FOR LIVING' was etched into the run-out grooves of early pressings of this release and 'Brown Reason To Live' was included below the band's name on later Alternative Tentacles printings (see image).Finally, Latino Buggerveil's reissue of this album was listed asBrown Reason to Live(together withLive PCPPEP) oniTunes,but this was later adjusted to sayButthole Surfers + PCPpepin early 2022.

Background

The sessions forButthole Surferswere made possible by an earlier Butthole Surfers concert atLos Angeles,California'sWhisky a Go Go,where they had opened forDead KennedysandT.S.O.L.The band gained an early admirer in Dead Kennedys'lead vocalistJello Biafra,who also ran Dead Kennedys'Alternative Tentaclesrecord label.Biafra told the band that, if they got someone to loan themstudiotime, Alternative Tentacles would reimburse the studio once the album was complete.

According toguitaristPaul Leary,the band then talked Bob O'Neill, owner ofSan Antonio, Texas'BOSS Studios,(a.k.a. Bob O'Neill's Sound Studio, a.k.a. the Boss), into loaning them the required time.Joe Pugliese, a San Antonio music promoter, recalled that lead singerGibby Haynesslept at the studio during these sessions. Mike Taylor, anengineerat BOSS Studios, assisted with the EP's production. Taylor would later record and assemble the contents of 1984'sLive PCPPEP.

Track listing

All songs written and produced by Butthole Surfers.

Side 1

1. "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave" – 2:09
2. "Hey" – 2:06
3. "Something" – 4:36

Side 2

1. "Bar-B-Q Pope" – 3:36
2. "Wichita Cathedral" – 2:22
3. "Suicide" – 1:24
4. "The Revenge of Anus Presley" – 2:25

Personnel

• Gibby Haynes-lead vocals( "Hey," "Wichita Cathedral," and "Suicide" ),saxophone
• Paul Leary-guitar,lead vocals ( "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave," "Something," and "Bar-B-Q Pope" )
• Bill Jolly -bass
• King Coffey-drums( "Bar-B-Q Pope" and "Wichita Cathedral" )
• Brad Perkins - drums on "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave" and "The Revenge of Anus Presley"
• Various musicians - drums (all other tracks)

Charts

Chart (1984)	Peak position
UK Indie Chart	21