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The Jazz Butcher - A Scandal In Bohemia

Track listing:
  1. Southern Mark Smith (Big Return) 5:17
  2. Real Men 4:00
  3. Soul Happy Hour 2:23
  4. I Need Meat 2:30
  5. Just Like Betty Page 2:59
  6. Marnie (Muscovite mix) 3:05
  7. Caroline Wheeler's Birthday Present 4:27
  8. Mind Like a Playgroup 2:19
  9. Girlfriend 4:07
  10. My Desert 6:15

Notes


From the now out of print 2001 reissue CD on Vinyl Japan.

Recording with a stable backup band, the Jazz Butcher here puts together a top-shelf diamond of a record that is filled with excellent, memorable songs. Diverse styles are deftly referenced here and the lyrics are focused, wry, and often killer clever. The sound quality is a big improvement over that of his prior release, In Bath of Bacon. The drivingly tuneful "Southern Mark Smith" and "Girlfriend" are in a ringing folk-pop style. "I Need Meat" is a jumpy, neo-rockabilly number. "Marnie" deftly mixes funk and ethnic influences. "My Desert" is essentially a sea chantey or campfire singalong with ironically downbeat lyrics. "Caroline Wheeler's Birthday Present" is a fuzzed-out hard rock parody with irreverently Dylan-esque "I Shall Be Free" style lyrics. "Just like Betty Page" is an uptempo, acoustic guitar based, top-tapping delight. And the wonderfully inventive "Real Men" utilizes a bizarre accompaniment of thudding drums, rumbling bass, and sparkling glockenspiel surrounding hilarious lyrics that attack macho attitudes. Don't pass up this album if you can find it.