DR. BIZARRO & THE DISGUSTOS
Everybacks Always Thingwards (DiscGusting)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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The most obvious point of reference for Dr. Bizarro (AKA Robert Kowalski) is Frank Zappa. Obvious to an almost absurd extreme, in fact. Almost being the key word here. There are a lot of artists that wear their principal influences on their sleeves, but those influences rarely require the level of talent that it takes to reasonably replicate the range and vision of Zappa, and those emulative artists rarely have the dedication to do it so well, for so long, for so little reward.

Everybacks Always Thingwards is a CD release of Bizarro's cassette-only album from 1994 (he's in the midst of a laborious effort to get all of the self-produced cassette recordings he's made since 1989 out in the new format). It's dated only by the lyrical focus on the then vital Seattle grunge scene (the source of a good deal of second-rate emulation itself). Outside of that aging topicality, the music is fresh and highly creative, reflecting the composer's interest in Cpt. Beefheart and the Bonzo Dog Band as well as his primary mentor.

Originally the darlings of the custom van crowd, Bizarro watched that scene fade, along with his health (a spinal injury seriously impeded his ability to play for years) until he was discovered by Rev. Ivan Stang and the Church of the SubGenius. With a new, and doubtless more appreciative, core audience and with the recovery of his health, all that's left is for more people to discover the music. It's going to be a select crowd, no doubt. As the good Dr. himself says, "To get noticed by the mainstream and be the next BIG THING would totally invalidate everything I do." Well, he may be right, but he sure deserves to be a somewhat bigger thing. If your musical tastes are broad and a bit adventurous, this is worth seeking out. If you can't find it elsewhere, contact the source at IBOBDIGITAL@aol.com.

Track List:

This Song Forwards * Another Stupid Copy Band * The Mozzarella Eel * Like You Came From Seattle * Onion Moon Chassis * Martinis Ecstasy * Everything U Know Is Wrong * Smells Like Kurt Cobain * Leave With What You Came With * Always Thingwards * Secret Run-Off Groove * The Superhighway of Destiny

© 2000 - Shaun Dale