THE FUZZTONES
Salt For Zombies (Sin Records)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Here's the latest CD from this long-running garage-psych band, and what a doozy it is! The last studio release from the 'Tones was 1992's Monster A Go Go, followed by the 1994 live Lysergic Ejaculations release, and then the band was put on ice for a while. There's solo material by the group's leader Rudi Protrudi, a couple of all-instro CDs by his sideband Link Protrudi and the Jaymen, collaborations by him and the Others, reissues of his pre-Fuzztones bands King Arthur's Quart and Tina Peel, and a Fuzztones best-of collection on Sundazed. Some singles have snuck out here and there as tasters for this new CD, which is as fine a slice of garage-psych dementia as they come. There are covers of obscure garage-psych gems like "My Brother, The Man" (We The People), "Face Of Time" (the Plague), "A Wristwatch Band" (Boss Tweads), "Black Lightning Light" (Shy Guys) and "Don't Blow Your Mind" (Spiders, a.k.a. Alice Cooper). There are originals like "Be Forewarned," "Idol Chatter," "Hallucination Generation," and "This Sinister Urge." All the songs are permeated by lots of fuzzed guitars replete with psychedelic effects, sitars, backwards instruments, eerie vocals, organ, bongos, and much more. Somewhat similar to the most recent Chesterfield Kings CD, they really went all out for this one, and like that release, there's a strong Electric Prunes influence at work here. Even their version of "My Brother, The Man" begins with a guitar part right out of "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)." Of course, no 'Tones album would be complete without some nods to sex; in this case there's "Get Naked" and "Group Grope." The band apparently spent a lot of time on this, and it shows. The album really flows well, culminating in a great version of the Lincoln Street Exit's ultra-weird "Whatever Happened to Baby Jesus," which in the hands of the Fuzztones becomes even more bizarre.

[Pick this up at www.fuzztones.net.]

© 2004 - Alan Wright