Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sacis the first full-length studio album by American rock bandButthole Surfers,released in December1984byTouch and Go Recordsin America and Fundamental Records in England. All songs were written and produced by the Butthole Surfers.
| Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | December 1984(US) July 1985(UK) | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:04 | |||
| Label | Touch and Go(US) Fundamental(UK) Latino Buggerveil(reissue) | |||
| Producer | Butthole Surfers | |||
| Butthole Surferschronology | ||||
| ||||
| Back cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 UK cover | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
This was Butthole Surfers' first album on Touch and Go, and was originally released on clearvinyl.It was reissued onLatino Buggerveilin 1999.
The album's back cover and label photos were produced by artist Michael Macioce.[5]
Music
editAfter releasingtheir debut studio recordonAlternative Tentacles,the band embarked on a decidedly morepsychedelicdirection with their firstfull-length LP.However, while half of the album—and in particular the song "Cherub" —has definite psychedelic qualities, elements of traditional punk ( "Butthole Surfer" ),blues( "Lady Sniff" ),surf rock( "Mexican Caravan" ), andcountry rock( "Gary Floyd" ) are also on display.
"Dum Dum" is also notable for being another song in Butthole Surfers' catalogue to be based around parts of a Black Sabbath song although the lyrics revolve around an entirely different concept from the original. Specifically, the drums are lifted from "Children of the Grave,"from theMaster of Realityalbum.[citation needed]
Many ofPsychic...'s tracks were enhanced with extensive tape editing and, in some cases, the addition of non-traditional instrumentation, including the barrage of bizarre sounds (spitting, vomiting, a Spanish-language radio station, etc.) heard in "Lady Sniff."Lead vocalistGibby Haynesdebuted a new vocal technique by singing through abullhornfor some songs, and playedsaxophoneon "Negro Observer" and "Cowboy Bob". This was the first Butthole Surfers studio album to featuredouble drummersKing CoffeyandTeresa Nervosa,and the last withbass playerBill Jolly, who had also performed on the band's first two releases.
Approximately half the songs on this album, including "Negro Observer," "Lady Sniff," "Cherub," "Mexican Caravan," "Cowboy Bob," and "Gary Floyd," remained staples of Butthole Surfers' live shows.[citation needed]
Background
editAccording toguitaristPaul Leary,Psychic...was recorded in a very substandard studio. Leary also claims he and Haynes were living in a tool shed at the time of the sessions.[6]
Butthole Surfers weren't under contract to anyrecord labelwhen they recorded this album. Upon its completion they offered it toAlternative Tentacles,who had released the band's first twoEPsbut could not afford to distribute the new project.[7]This, combined with questions the group had regarding Alternative Tentacles' handling of royalties fromthe band’s self-titled debutand theLive PCPPEP,resulted in the album ultimately being released onTouch and Go.[8]
Track listing
editAll songs written and produced by Butthole Surfers.
Side A
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Concubine" | 2:27 |
| 2. | "Eye of the Chicken" | 1:36 |
| 3. | "Dum Dum" | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Woly Boly" | 2:45 |
| 5. | "Negro Observer" (CD/LP versions only) | 3:39 |
| 6. | "Butthole Surfer" | 3:02 |
Side B
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Lady Sniff" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Cherub" | 6:22 |
| 9. | "Mexican Caravan" | 2:46 |
| 10. | "Cowboy Bob" | 2:55 |
| 11. | "Gary Floyd" | 1:56 |
| Total length: | 35:04 | |
UK CD bonus tracks
edit- "Moving to Florida" – 4:32
- "Lou Reed" – 4:57
- "Two Part" – 4:20
- "Tornadoes" – 2:36
- Tracks 12–15 were taken from 1985’sCream Corn from the Socket of DavisEP. In the US, these tracks appeared instead on the CD release of the Surfers’ 1986 album,Rembrandt Pussyhorse.
Personnel
edit- Gibby Haynes–lead vocals,saxophone
- Paul Leary–guitar,vocals on "Mexican Caravan" and "Gary Floyd"
- Bill Jolly–bass
- King Coffey–drums
- Teresa Nervosa– drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart[9] | 12 |
References
edit- ^Raggett, Ned."allmusic (((Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac> Review ))) ".Allmusic.RetrievedMarch 17,2010.
- ^Larkin, Colin (2011-05-27).The Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Omnibus Press. p. 2987.ISBN9780857125958.
- ^Brackett, Nathan. "Butthole Surfers".The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.November 2004. pg. 123, cited March 17, 2010
- ^Christgau, Robert."Butthole Surfers".robertchristgau.com, Retrieved on March 17, 2010.
- ^Michael Azerrad,Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991(New York, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2001) 306.
- ^Ken Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers,"The Austin ChronicleNewspaper Vol. 18 Issue 52Archived2007-11-10 at theWayback Machine
- ^Michael Azerrad,Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991(New York, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2001) 281.
- ^Mark Paytress, “The Butthole Surfers: Mark Paytress Unravels the Career of the Cult American Band,”Record CollectorNo. 114, February 1989Archived2007-07-02 at theWayback Machine,archived at Butthole Surfers fan website,Negro ObserverArchived2006-12-15 at theWayback Machine
- ^Lazell, Barry (1997).Indie Hits 1980-1989.Cherry Red Books. Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 5,2014.