Flo reviews The G Gordon Liddys' "Space
Brains From Outer Space" and warns us against Creeping Celine Dionism
Time... dear friends.. Time is such a thief, is it not? It robs us
of many things; our hair our teeth, our wits, our slender, sylph-like
waistlines and our free-spirited optimism.
Worse, it robs us of our
hip-ness.
Time was when you could laugh in the face of the unhip, secure in the
knowledge that you were fully equipped with a veritable cornucopia of cutting
edge, fab-and-groovy funky sounds. Haughtily you would sneer at those sad
creatures whose record collections harboured the likes of Leonard Cohen and
Mick Hucknall.
But as surely as overnight you lose the ability to dance on your 30th
birthday, one day you wake up and find that time has rendered your musical taste
distinctly un-credible. Suddenly, you find yourself embarrassed beyond
endurance by the presence of Queen's "A Night At the Opera" in your
collection. Overnight, it seems, you can no longer engender awe in your fellow
music-lovers by the sheer number of Black Sabbath recordings you own. You wake
up in a cold sweat at the thought of anyone discovering that you actually still
listen to ELP!
Worse still - people start discussing bands you've
never heard of, and looking at you pityingly when you attempt to display your
up-to-the-minute knowledge of the current music scene by discussing Boy George's
latest haircut. You bore people witless by telling them that Nirvana's "Nevermind"
is just a collection of recycled Sabbaff riffs.
The final humiliation comes when you are invited by your music
mailing list to enthuse about your favourite new releases of 1998, and you are
forced to admit that the only CD you bought last year was a copy of "Celine
Dion's Greatest Hits" *
At this point you know you are in big trouble.
You
need.... ... The G Gordon Liddys' "Space Brains from Outer Space"
Yes - this is the vital antidote to this Creeping Celine Dionism of
the Soul. Even as it slides into your CD drawer, you will feel a surge of
credibility oozing back into your wasted body. *Now* you have something truly
exotic to discuss with the hip-less wonders who have failed to discover this
exciting event. Now the sneer can return to your face as you bandy about song
titles such as "Ritualistic Gradeschool Haircut Taunt and Rebuttal"
So what's the sucker actually like then?
Damned if I know. Words fail me. (which, as anyone familiar with the
extensive nature of Mudshark Towers will realise, is a highly uncommon
occurance!) To say this recording is Weird like saying that Saddam Hussein
isn't likely to win the "Humanitarian of the Year" award, and that
Bill Gates is not exactly short of a bob or two. This is undeniably the product
of a seriously deranged mind. This is genuine psychosis, trust me - I know! It
is weird in a sort of weird, Zappa-eque fashion, but unlike dear old Frank, who
could do weird till the cows come home but tended to misplace his sense of
humour all too often, The Gordons save us from the tedium of self-conscious
weirdery with a dollop of self-deprecating wit and downright stupidity. Hurrah!
It
is - and I warn you now,this is not pretty - a concept album! The like of
which I thought I would never live to see again! You can read a
synopsis of the plot
over at their website. (but finish reading this first!)
Suffice to say, it has put a gleam in the eye of Monty, who, ever
since I gave him it for his Christmas present this year, has been twiddingly
nervously with the volume knob, hoping I won't notice it going up to eleven, and
has been dusting down his air-guitar solo. The Young Mudsharks have been
skipping around The Towers singing of Space Vikings and getting their ears
clipped for repeating some of the expressions. Even the cats have been doing
funky little dances in their litter tray.
So, we at Mudshark Towers have no hesitation in awarding The G Gordon
Liddys a mighty Five Fins for their Space Brains and proclaiming them to be our
New Best Friends. We think that everyone should have a copy handy, in case of a
sudden attack of un-cool-ness. Here are some very good reasons for buying "Space
Brains from Outer Space"
