Pussy Galore
Live: In The Red (In the Red)
by Jon Sarre
No one with any sense would believe me if I was to say they were one of the most important bands of the 1980s, but Pussy Galore was the starting point for both Royal Trux and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, a major inspiration for the Chrome Cranks, the Cheater Slicks, and Lollipop (no, not the magazine), amongst others, as well as my favorite band of all time. So, as a fan, this release is a welcome development, ‘specially since Ani DiFranco seemingly puts out more stuff in a year than they did during their whole career. Besides, PG product is a bitch to find (as well as expensive), cuz it’s out of print (until Matador rectifies the situation, as rumored).
The virtually assured reappearance of (at least) the landmark Right Now! and the real-good-to-great Dial “M” For Motherfucker makes Live: In The Red a teaser offering, although the decent sound is gonna appeal to those with only a casual interest in PG. Jon Spencer, Neil Hagerty, Bob Bert (then ex-Sonic Youth, now a Chrome Crank) and Kurt Wolf (now ex-Loudmouth and other stuff, taking the place of Action Swinger/Free Kitten Julia Cafritz) are captured treating an oddly mellow CBGB audience to PG “hits” culled off the two aforementioned records and the SugarShit Sharp EP: “Sweet Little Hi Fi,” “Understand Me,” “New Breed,” “Dick Johnson,” “Alright,” “Pig Sweat,” y’know.
For those of you who don’t know, it sounds like what it is: three haywire guitarists playin’ three different distorted, or just plain distended, riffs while Bob Bert hits a kit augmented with among other things, “the gas tank to a large American-built car, and… Steve Albini’s cock ring” (quoted from Spencer’s liner notes in Corpse Love: The First Year). Whilst that’s goin’ on Mr. Blues Explosion mutters expletive-filled lyrics I still can’t understand after years of repeated listens. All that said, Live: In The Red will not necessarily appeal to a Trux fan, a Boss Hog fan, or a post-Extra Width Blues Explosion fan, but if ya wanna see how it was back when Spencer and Hagerty were still speaking (and before they were the darlings of opposite spectrums of the indie press), this’ll be a good place to start.
