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Stiv Bators Disconnected BOMP! __________________________________________________ |
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'It's Not Real Life But It's Good Enough...'
This remastered version does make it a bit sharper of sound, certain
things seem higher in the mix, but I aren't gonna go doublechecking
against my earlier CD version. It sounds great, it is great. There's such
an aura about it, words almost fail, a fitting tip of the old hat not just
to the musicians that Stivney worked with but also to his very essence,
charisma or whatever you want to call it, the larger than life aspect that
make his records so individual and full of personality. It is also a fine
testament to Greg Shaw (RIP) who had the vision to work with this
talented, derelict failure. Now we just need that Wanderers album in nice
packaging with extensive sleeve notes, please. |
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-Stu Gibson |
Well, well, well ladies and gennlemen, it really is an exquisite delight
to be able to review this awesome slice of history, this almost lost piece
of treasure, for all you sleazegrindin', gurnin', goonin', groovin',
go-go-ing guys n gorls out there. These shaky slivers of 60's inspired
beat boot garage pop scratches could well be filed under perfect, right
through from the first bars of Stiv's playfully petulant malevolence on
'Evil Boy' (tho still undoubtedly as true a ragged confession as you'd be
likely to get from such a cat), all sweetly melodic fluid guitar lines
that leave a lingering sense of v-flicking sarcasm to 'I Wanna Forget You
(Just The Way You Are)', which I was gonna say is a dark and brooding
masterpiece, which it is, with atmospheric drums and feedback squalls
conjuring up a desolate alone while the city rushes by you
feel, but that's just kinda so much trite shite for something so awesome.
It's not every day your whole body gets covered in shivers cos of some
ugly rat boy's song but it did when I played this again last week. Same
with 'The Last Year' where I could almost feel the life creep slowly back
into my ligaments hearing the summer strolling strums of the chords on the
verse. There's a slowburn start to the record. 'Bad Luck Charm' has a
leering, lurching voodoo rhythm, Stiv as carnival medicine man while 'A
Million Miles Away' is an alleycat prowl, a cocksure fuck you strut. Gears
are really shifted midway through with the urgency of 'Make Up Your Mind'
('I can't waste my time...') and the full throttle speed rush of 'Swingin'
A Go-Go'. As usual with Stiv there's a much improved cover -
Electric
Prunes 'Too Much To Dream Last Night' - giving the same leg up treatment
he'd later mete out to The Balloon Farm's 'Question of Temperature' and
had earlier given to Syndicate of Sounds 'Hey, Little Girl' (featured here
live as a bonus track) before the tongue in cheek 'Ready Anytime' casting Stiv as sonic seducer - 'Hollywood high school yards, make my bag of candy
hard, got a ball point pecker loaded with inedible ink....sitting in my
hotel room, with ecstatic elastic to tickle your womb.....now I'm not
afraid to die cause I know there's sex after death, everyone gets laid in
their coffin...am I right?' (of course you are Stiv).