The Jazz Butcher - In Bath Of Bacon (1982)

Here´s another favourite from the 80s...: The Jazz Butcher´s 1982 debut "In Bath Of Bacon".

A true style chameleon, the Jazz Butcher is a hard act to categorize — and nowhere more so than on this album, which is primarily a one-man effort with help from assorted sidemen. The songs here are embryonic forays into styles he would explore more confidently on subsequent albums.

The title track is a punky blues number complete with squealing Elvis Costello-style organ. "Poisoned by Food" and "Sex Engine Thing" are thin, raw, folk-pop influenced numbers with an irresistibly nervous beat; the former paraphrases Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild," while the latter snitches Jonathan Richman's "Bye-bye" line from "Roadrunner." The musical feel of that Modern Lovers song is also evoked in a jazzy way on "Jazz Butcher Theme."

"Partytime" is best described as cocktail folk. "La Mer" is a faux French folk song with surreal lyrics about elephants. Clever, unusual accompaniments are put forth in "Chinatown" (flutes, glockenspiel, click track) and "Grey Flanellette" [sic] (glockenspiels, bass, organ, sandpaper blocks, click track). The songs have unusual, improvisatory nonsense lyrics that veer from the obscure to the semi-clever. The sound and playing have a homemade quality that sometimes crosses the line into sloppiness. This is still a strange yet intriguing record.

From the liner notes:

"Here it is at last! The hep young sound of todays beat élite, direct from the soul kitchen and served, still blazing, to your table! The release of this, the Jazz Butchers first long play recording, comes after months of rumour and report of a hot new act with a cool new sound that leaves the others way way behind. Now you too can hear for yourself the new groove that has set the bohemian set alight - in your own home! Words alone cannot do justice to the cordon-bleu treats of the Butcher Beat - so roll back the carpet and swoop and dive with the fab Butcher Man!"

The Jazz Butcher - In Bath Of Bacon (1982)
(192 kbps, front cover included)