Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac is the debut studio album by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in December 1984 by Touch and Go Records in America and Fundamental Records in England. All songs were written and produced by the Butthole Surfers.
| Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| 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 Surfers chronology | ||||
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| Back cover | ||||
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| 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 clear vinyl. It was reissued on Latino Buggerveil in 1999.
The album's back cover and label photos were produced by artist Michael Macioce.[5]
Music
editAfter releasing their debut studio record on Alternative Tentacles, the band embarked on a decidedly more psychedelic direction with their first full-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"), and country 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 the Master of Reality album.[citation needed]
Many of Psychic...'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 vocalist Gibby Haynes debuted a new vocal technique by singing through a bullhorn for some songs, and played saxophone on "Negro Observer" and "Cowboy Bob". This was the first Butthole Surfers studio album to feature double drummers King Coffey and Teresa Nervosa, and the last with bass player Bill 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 to guitarist Paul 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 any record label when they recorded this album. Upon its completion they offered it to Alternative Tentacles, who had released the band's first two EPs but could not afford to distribute the new project.[7] This, combined with questions the group had regarding Alternative Tentacles' handling of royalties from the band’s self-titled debut and the Live PCPPEP, resulted in the album ultimately being released on Touch 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’s Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis EP. 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. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011-05-27). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 2987. ISBN 9780857125958.
- ^ 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 Chronicle Newspaper Vol. 18 Issue 52 Archived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback 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 Collector No. 114, February 1989 Archived 2007-07-02 at the Wayback Machine, archived at Butthole Surfers fan website, Negro Observer Archived 2006-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.