teamfreak16's Full Review: Stewed to the Gills by Gaye Bykers On Acid
OH MY GOD!!!!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT I AM THE FIRST PERSON TO REVIEW THIS CD!!!!!
(In reality, I have always wanted to write that at the beginning of a review, because it cracks me up. A quick search in the Epinions music data base, however, reveals a total, 100% lack of interest in Gaye Bykers on Acid. Not a single one of their releases has been reviewed here. And that is where I come in. Rather than write the 89th review on a CD, I consider it my mission to bring you the less-exposed artists. Consider it a Public Service from your friend, teamfreak16.)
I will be honest, I am not a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Gaye Bykers on Acid. When I was in the Army, a guy I was stationed with turned me on to them. Which might lead you to ask, exactly what kind of guys were you hanging out with in the Army? Well, pretty damn cool guys, obviously.
Apparently, according to the AMG Music Guide, Gaye Bykers on Acid were part of the short lived Grebo movement, which combined elements of rock and hip-hop. This was news to me, the only band I knew of that was associated with the Grebo scene was Pop Will Eat Itself. I already knew the band also recorded under the name Lesbian Dopeheads on Mopeds. I did not know that the band also recorded under the name PFX (thanks again, AMG!) I already knew that lead singer Mary Byker is a sometime member of the revolving roster that is Pigface. I did not know that the vinyl release of 1987’s Drill Your Own Hole came with no hole, requiring you to actually drill a hole to listen. (I have only owned that release on Cassette and CD.)
I know that I saw Gaye Bykers on Acid open the 1989 Reading Festival, where they played for approximately 15 entertaining minutes before walking offstage, only to spend the rest of the day in the crowd, harassing concert-goers with a megaphone. I know that when I returned to the States, a friend and I were at the checkout counter of a local, independent CD store, and this CD was at the counter in an impulse buy display. After I blurted out HEY! Gaye Bykers on Acid! I just saw these guys in England!, the girl working the counter developed a look of disgust, much like the one you probably have on your face as you read this, and said you saw Gaye Bykers on Acid? And you are proud of this?
Well, yes, I am, actually. Just like any other artist, Gaye Bykers on Acid have their place. They may not be Radiohead, or The Beatles, but, dammit, they are not that bad. (Yeah, I can tell already that you are not quite convinced!)
As stated earlier, the Grebo scene was one of many which bridged the gap between rock and hip-hop. From what I have heard, Gaye Bykers on Acid fall into this category mainly due to their use of sampling (movie dialogue and music) and maybe the fact that you can actually dance to many of their songs, rather than using an actual hip-hop beat, or use of rap. As produced by Jon Langford (Mekons,) sampling runs rampant through Stewed to the Gills, everything from Robert Duvall’s Charlie don’t surf! from Apocalypse Now to Viv Savage’s Have a good time, all the time from This is Spinal Tap A good dose of groovy bass is heard here, as well as high energy, active guitars. Oh, and there is a great song about playing Golf on here, to top it all off…..
M.A.D. features some heavy, Spinal Tap style drums, groovy bass, and power riffs galore on the guitar. And while Mary Byker is maybe not the greatest singer out there (he sounds a bit like his voice is very tired on this song), I have heard (much) worse, and he really does fit in well with what the band is doing.
Testicle of God (And it Was Good) opens with a sample of the Church Choir section of the Sisters of Mercy’s This Corrosion, before turning into a guitar heavy rock-groove. Mary sings lyrics like I touched the Testicle of God that day, and it was, it was, WICKED!!!!!. At one point, he enters spoken word territory, and ends up sounding a bit like Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant.
Harmonious Murder opens with a sample of a guy saying I want to punch his f*cking lights out! This is funny for a reason. My aforementioned friend happened to be listening to this CD while at his mom’s house, and she walked in just as that part came on, wondered very aloud, what in the hell are you listening to??? and he tried to say it was my CD, except, I was not there, so she did not believe him. Anyway, Harmonious Murder is a high energy, rollicking tune full of non-stop guitar riffs, fast drumming, and Mary asking If cleanliness is next to Godliness then why the f*ck are we in such a mess?
Shoulders goes all psychedelic, with heavy guitar feedback accompanying heavy riffing on a somewhat slow groove, until the pace picks up dramatically. The feedback dominates the song, regardless of which tempo is being played.
Rad Dude is a highlight, as any song called Rad Dude should be. Full of high-intensity drumming, power chords, and a screaming guitar solo, Rad Dude is one for the mosh pit, or at the very least, the pogo pit. But the highlight is this one guitar riff that is indescribable, I cannot even begin to try. It fits in with the song so well, it sounds like the guitarist had this particular riff saved up for years, perfected it, and finally found the proper song on which he could unleash it.
Teeth is notable for the b*tchin guitar riffage, and the fat, deep bass line. Mary Byker is basically singing about having cavities, and needing to go to the Dentist, and talking himself into not being afraid. He’s a nice man, why does it worry me?
Fairway To Heaven opens with a confusing amalgam of golf claps, disco music, a guy saying the speed was very good, the speed was very good, and another guy saying she was squeezing my balls and I just could not take that. In due course, the song actually kicks in, and we get golf commentators, and Mary singing about golf. I am on a Fairway to Heaven, got my nine iron in my hand, I need an eagle, not a birdie, high handicap, you understand. Musically, the song is mostly a straight forward, old school rocker, until the band kicks it into high gear on FORRRRRRRRE! and we get some inspired psychedelic guitar soloing. Meanwhile, Mary Byker manages to reference everything from PGA Golfer Gary Player to the horrors of trying to shoot out of a bunker during the song. (And yes, when I saw the band live, Mary Byker showed off a very nice golf swing during the FORRRRRRE! part of the song, so I am guessing he plays the game. )
So, here is the part where I am supposed to recommendStewed to the Gills to you. After all, every single review of mine says Recommended? YES! on it. Problem is, the question is would you recommend CD X to your friends? Well, yes, to my friends, I would. They know me, and I have turned them on to enough stuff that they trust me enough to give a listen. Does that mean they will like it? No. But they will listen. Do I recommend this to you, the Epinions reader? Well, no, not really, although, as with every CD, I think you should at least listen to it. You might even be amused enough to purchase it, but, I doubt it. But you will not know, unless you listen. I happen to like this CD a lot, and it makes it’s way into an occasional rotation in my stereo (much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, I might add.)
Thank you, you may go back to your regularly scheduled reading now…..
Note, no credit is given for band members or other musicians in the packaging. You can, however, see a very , errrr, nice photo of the band, up to their heads in fish….
Stewed to the Gills - Gaye Bykers on Acid
Produced by Jon Langford
Is it Are You?
Better Off Dedd
M.A.D.
Hot Thing
Testicle of God (And it Was Good)
Ill
Mass Gyrate
Harmonious Murder
Shoulders
Hair of Dog
Rad Dude
Teeth
Floydrix
Bedlam A Go-Go
Fairway to Heaven
Is It Are You? (Concept Reprise
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