Looking for Lot49

Hi all,

Here's an interesting review I found and thought you might enjoy. I love the fact that the author prefers the post-Eider material more and that he finds the horns obtrusive.

http://www.rpg.net/quail/libyrinth/pynchon.music.html

A Song from the Fishcoteque -- The Jazz Butcher

Active in the 1980's and 1990's, the Jazz Butcher (real name: Pat Fish; also known as "Butch") is one of England's most idiosyncratic artists, recording in almost every style under the sun, including folk, punk, pop, country, blues, Merseybeat, funk, jazz, cabaret, and so on. His wide stylistic range, sense of humour, and biting satire have earned him a cult following.

Fish's backing band has undergone many changes, at various points including guitarist Max Eider (Max Eider, Best Kisser in the World, Big Time Records 1987) and David J., the bassist from Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. Fish also played
saxophone on the country album Soul Kiss (Glide Divine), Silvertone Records, 1992, by a band called Spectrum. (Spectrum is Sonic Boom's post Spaceman 3 outfit. Like his previous group, Spectrum explores a trippy, minimalistic psychedelia with lots of reverb and repeated phrases.)

Track 6 of Pat Fish's delightfully titled album Fishcoteque (Combat Records, 1988), is called "Looking for Lot 49," and is obviously indebted to Thomas Pynchon. Fishcoteque is far better than the last LP with former collaborator Max Eider. Called Big Questions (The Gift of Music Volume 2), Glass Records, 1987, Butch's lounge-parody affectations slipped dreadfully close to genuine schlock. Here, the Jazz Butcher rocks out with more of an edge and a greater variety of material. He's back to his usual literary self, with such references as the Pynchon-inspired rocker "Looking for Lot 49." There's a strange rap number called "Chickentown," which has a few twists that keep it from being an embarrassing schtick. . . . There are a few obtrusive saxophone parts that don't mesh well with the Jazz Butcher's sound; perhaps he needs a horn player with a more sympathetic style. All in all, though, it's a smart, probing set of tunes that manage to be simultaneously cool and aggressive.

Are there any Thomas Pynchon fans out there? I haven't heard of him or read any of his stuff. What is it like?

Regards,

Randy Received on Wed Apr 22 17:58:42 1998