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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Butthole Surfers
Humpty Dumpty LSD\r\n(Latino Buggerveil Records)
By Paula Felps
Nobody — band members included — expected an outfit by the name of Butthole Surfers to survive for 20 years, but then again we live in a country where a “C” student can be elected president. And this experimental Austin band has not only survived but thrived against all odds, even landing a surprisingly radio-friendly hit, “Pepper,” for Capitol Records in 1996.
Humpty Dumpty LSD, the Surfers’ new disc, is actually a blast from the past rather than a taste of the future. Culled from old tapes, this 16-track album features rare and previously unreleased recordings made between 1982 and 1992. Those who have only recently discovered the Surfers will likely be taken aback by the drawn-out cacophony; the disc recalls the days when the boys amused themselves by distorting sounds for extended periods of time — something that seemed innovative at the time but that now comes off as merely predictable.
Bright spots include the punked-up “I Love You Peggy” and “I Hate My Job,” and the warped, spaghetti-western, “Eindhoven Chicken Masque.” There’s also a well-executed Roky Erickson number, “Earthquake,” which originally appeared on a 1990 Erickson tribute album. Overall, however, this album is best left to die-hard followers of the Butthole Surfers; the rest of the ears out there would be better off with something like 1987’s Locust Abortion Technician or 1996’s Electriclarryland.
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