| JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION - NME: SHEPHERDS
BUSH EMPIRE (PRESS, UK) |
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DATE: 12.DECEMBER.1998 |
LABEL: Phoenix | Cat. No.: 50 |
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01. Live Review |
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ARTICLE TEXT: |
"Acme Empire
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
London Shepherd's Bush Empire
Judah Bauer is on top of a speaker, trailing a riff as rude and sinuous as a torn-cat.
Russell Simins is stooped like a deranged hunchback, battering out his pithy three-drum
tattoo. Jon Spencer, meanwhile is running up and down the stage with his arms in
the air, yelling, "YEEEEAAUH!" a lot, teetering, groovily on the tightrope between
possession and comedy. Soon, he will bow at the feet of his Theremin, clobber a
cymbal with his guitar neck, and then jump on Simins' head.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, according to recent rumour, have gone soft.
Trouble is, no-one's told them anything about it.
If their recent 'Acme' LP marked a sea change
in the Blues Explosion's approach to record-making - removing a decade of grime
from their pick-ups and adding exotic novelties like, y'know, singing - It hasn't
really altered their way of doing things
live. Sure, a little crooning has crept
in where before there was testifying. The odd sample fires off where previously
there was only feedback. And new tunes like 'Lovin' Machine' and 'High Gear' do
feel decidedly slicker than the mangled punk-funk that made Spencer's name.
But these are mere trifles because Spencer's trousers are still freshly painted
on, Bauer looks like he's in the Stones, and you wouldn't want to cross Simins in
a card game. And they still play old songs like 'Afro'
and 'Flavor', and slightly newer old songs like
'2Kindsa Love' and the fabulous 'Wail' - possibly
the acme of the Blues Explosion's old blueprint.
More often than not, though, the nu-style Blues slips seamlessly into the mix. 'Talk About The Blues' soon breaks up into a classic
BX workout, all protean chugging, smutty guitar and Spencer shouting, "I play rock'n'roll'
as though unfairly accused of being an accountant. And even though 'I Wanna Make
It All Right' starts out straighter than a Blues Explosion song ever has, halfway
through it the guitar line turns into 'Hell's Bells' by AC/DC, and the venue's glitterball
showers us all in sparkly silver disco fairy light.
The glitter ball comes back in on the love ballad (ulp...) that is 'Magical Colors' (except with coloured lights, naturally).
But instead of feeling slightly cheated by the prettification of the grimy, primal Explosion experience, you're
happy to be suckerpunched so seductively. After all,
Judah has just sung 'Fuck Shit Up', the BX cri
de coeur. Jon's now wearing silver lame... and everyone knows you just can't have
the blues without some sweet, sweet love first.
- Kitty Empire" |
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DETAILS: |
ARTWORK:
Cover: Hamish Brown
Jon Spencer Photo: Andy Willsher
BARCODE: 9 770028 636109 50
MATRIX/RUN-OUT GROOVE ENGRAVING: n/a |
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