There’s no real space to take stock, despite Tarantula being full of lo-fi, meandering gems
There’s no real space to take stock, despite Tarantula being full of lo-fi, meandering gems
(Goner Records) http://www.konkurrent.nl
Another long record, or rather two – Tarantula! and Blue Blood – stuffed onto one CD. At first glance not like those two for the price of one LPs (e.g. Captain Beefheart’s Mirror Man and Safe As Milk gatefold package on Castle Records: their motto was “now THAT’S original”…. what a concept re-releasing old LPs, how different it was back then in the 80s eh?…) ANYWAY, unlike the old Castle records compilations this CD suffers because of the track density.
There’s no real space to take stock, despite Tarantula being full of lo-fi, meandering gems like Into a Tree (with its plinky plonky refrain) or the stumbling Poor Boy or Pop Music, or North Dakota (which nicks the Modern Lovers Pablo Picasso riff and runs off to a pub with it). The thing is once you’ve enjoyed Tarantula!, (especially after the tail out of Radio Star which does lead to a natural ending), you are a bit puffed. It’s a good record with lots of nooks and crannies to explore. And another 11 track, essentially offering more of the same – albeit a bit quieter now and again – does have a deleterious effect. Blue Blood is great though, Don’t Have a Car is a marvellously wobbly effort, but by Write You a Letter you are struggling to reach the finish line, even though it’s a charming track. Shame, because it’s all good music.