G.G. Allin & the Criminal Quartet ~ Carnival Of Excess (album review) ... Country carnival of wonder!

Style: country, protest
Label: Ponk Media
Year: 1991
Home: n/a

Members: G.G. Allin ~ vocals/guitar
Bob Widenhofer ~ guitars
Andy Irvine ~ bass
Paul Reller ~ drums/piano/accordion
Shireen Kadaver ~ b. vocals

I find it fascinating that a potty-mouthed junkie whose musical output is at times nearly unlistenable punk with bad shouted pornography passing as lyrics/poetry would create something as enjoyable as Carnival Of Excess, let alone outside of Kid Rock & maybe Joe Strummer of the Clash I can't think of another punk rocker who has moved so far over to the world of country music with such high levels of success. To clarify, when I say country music I'm not talking Shania Twain or whoever is on 'American Idol' but Hank Williams old timey honky-tonk twang. Slide guitars & solos straight from the hands of James Burton, honky-tonk piano, country rhythms, accordion & backing female vocals create an intimate low-key album of some of Allin's most intimate & autobiographical lyrics ... or if not the acoustic atmosphere keeps it all less alienating than more wild punk oriented outings where the raw music brought out the rawness of the lyrics. Albeit, once a listener can clearly hear Allin's auto-biographical message it's obvious that so much of what he says is a warning for any that might get near him or try to copy him. He lives a hard ramblin' life that's not for everyone ... it's right out of the wild west. Allin still spouts off his normal sex & murder & self-defeatist rampages, but these are some of the most well-crafted themes & lyrics, or at least he does a good job rhyming & using the traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus set-up that is often lacking from his other recordings. Considering that country music has always had both an autobiographical aspect, often more than other musical forms, & an outlaw constituency, Allin slides into the genre with relative ease so much that it's almost a shock how comfortable the glove fits. Even knowing the fact that Allin was always a fan of country music it's still a surprise. His cover of Warren Zevon's "Carmelita" with a accordion & a female backing vocal in a delightful version that makes the album worth it. If you want to know who Allin is - or at least who he perceived himself to be - this is a wonderful place to start. This may not be rock which this blog tends to focus on, but for a punk artist to do this good in a different musical genre deserves mention. Not a single song on the album is bad. It's still obscene though, so let soft ears be warned. Though, three songs that end the album ("Pick Me Up", "No Rights" & "Borrowed Time") feature just Allin with a guitar that's either barely playable or he can barely play. It's an awkward listen but an interesting inclusion that sounds better on this album than elsewhere & isn't so much country but an old bluesman charging home or perhaps Armageddon.

G.G. Allin & Bulge ~ Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies (album review) ... But, who is bringing the beer?

Style: punk
Label: Homestead
Year: 1988
Home: n/a

Members: G.G. Allin ~ vocals/guitar
Johnny X ~ guitar/b. vocals
Charlie Infection ~ drums/b. vocals
Ed Lynch ~ bass/b. vocals

Additional: Bill Normal ~ keyboards/bass
Mark Sheehan, Erik Mercier, Greg Gonorea, Beth Burrow ~ b. vocals

To some G.G. Allin, born Jesus Christ Allin following his father's belief that his son was a messianic figure, is a iconic eccentric whose blasphemic & extremely pornographic lyrics say more of social anxiety than the Clash, Nirvana & Sex Pistols could ever get the guts to do, while bringing rock'n'roll back to its non-corporate roots. Allin is famous for declaring himself the real god on the Jerry Springer. These fans don't question this assertion. Further, it's hard to deny that there's legitimacy to his criticism of the corporate world, let alone that he has a right to free speech, though he did take things to far with his physically harmful shows. To others he's a historical freak show pushing punk boundaries of anti-authoritarianism & general social rebellion ... even in terms of not bathing regularly, let alone becoming probably the most famous homeless junky. It's a historical oddity that rock's greatest heroes are junkies, considering if we discussed junky businessmen or heroin addicted Presidents or any other profession Allin would be seen as he is - a no talent bum. While to others he's just a homeless hack musician, if one can even call him a musician, whose annual threat to kill himself on stage summarizes the weakness of his messianic madness. To these folks he's just a joke & anyone who takes him seriously needs to get a life. Considering so many of Allin's lyrics deal with rape & suicide one does have to question his die-hard fans sanity. Allin is most famous for his drug fueled performances that would include self-mutilation, defecating on stage, performing naked & mindless destruction of everything in sight, human or machine. The fact that he made music is almost trivial, though he's probably one of the most prolific musicians ever outside of pianist Rick Wakeman. Some might be surprised, who know only his stage antics, that Allin actually recorded a range of music including country (Carnival of Excess), punk (Eat My Fuc), acoustic (The Troubled Troubador) & spoken word ("My Revenge") ... but it all suffers from generally horrible production, dirty playing & Allin's shouting-cum-singing of childish lyrics. Freaks, Faggots, Drunks & Junkies is universally voted the best, including by Allin himself. One music critic famously said that "Allin's entire output ranks as perhaps the worst music ever recorded; this is its clearest expression." Bullseye. Taking away the background information, though the the story of Allin the man is undoubtedly more interesting than Allin the singer, his punk rock ... the musical genre that gained a reputation for lousy musicianship no help from Allin ... essentially sounds no different than the Sex Pistols or some of the Stooges a la "I Wanna Be Your Dog." Actually the Stooges are a apt comparison even in regards to Iggy Pop's equally nude stage antics ... heavily distorted guitars repeating simple & cliched melodies with a rhythm section running through changes that might be more interesting in a different environment. Underneath the bad production a few different styles can be heard including rockabilly ("Dope Money"), hard rock ("Be My Fuckin' Whore") & psychedelic ("Wild Riding"). As for the god himself? "Do what I fucking say or I'm gonna slash your face, you worthless two-faced cunt, put your nose in the air, I'll break your fuckin' nose & shit all over you" cries the first verse of "Be My Fuckin' Whore", demonstrating the extent of Allin's poetic ability and probably some of the most depraved lyrics outside of Satanic death metal. This excerpt is tame compared to some. I will say that Allin does know how to rhyme. Extreme hardcore pornography, that should make Larry Flynt proud, is the name of the lyrical game & so is brainless shallow shock fueled punk rock that has been done far better & with more creativity, for example of the sex Peaches & Wendy O. Williams. Allin does win an award for passionate dedication to a cause even if its to his own detriment. The song titles say it all, besides the aforementioned: "Suck My Ass It Smells", "Sleeping In My Piss", "Anti Social Masterbator", "Last In Line For The Gang Bang", "Die When You Die", "Commit Suicide", "Crash & Burn", "Outlaw Scumfuc", "Cunt Suckin' Cannibal", "Young Little Meat", "I Wanna Kill You" & "My Bloody Mutilation". It's hard not to see Allin as just playing into the brainless stereotype of infantile rock'n'roll where anything goes under the banner of advanced anti-social philosophy. The scary part is seeing interviews of him being normal and polite almost to the point of being taken seriously. It's hard to ignore that he does sometimes have a legitimate point to make against society, while I'll stand by his freedom of speech any day. Allin's music is best enjoyed for the history of it or the philosophy of it, just don't take him seriously when he recommends rape or suicide as the solution.