Dial P for Pussy Galore: Part Five

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here
for
part
four



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They in effect reverse-engineered a new kind of lo-fi scum
rock from collections of obscure '60s garage-punk singles like
Back from the Grave and Nuggets—trying to preserve some
semblance of the disorienting experience they presumed au-
diences must have had 20 years earlier listening to cheaply
recorded, poorly played, but primitively ecstatic rock and roll.
-- Carly Carioli, The Boston Phoenix

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Jon also listens to the Gibson Brothers, and proclaims them
excellent, which I found a little unexpected. Although they
have a Cramps-like grungabilly sound, they're rootsier, less
garage-oriented. "They've been around forever," Jon added.

"So, what do you think about the groups people compare you to
the most, like the Rolling Stones, the Cramps, and Sonic Youth?
Have you ever heard or do you listen to any of them often?"

Jon replied "yes" to the first question, qualifying, "I don't think we sound like Sonic Youth, though our guitars are often out of tune..."

As for the 'Stones comparison, Pussy Galore has encouraged it
by swapping licks (and not crediting them), covering tunes like
"Get Off of My Cloud" live, and by releasing a severely limited-
edition version of the now-out-of-print Exile on Main Street.

"Will you ever re-release it?"

"No way!"

[Exile would later materialize on CD, only
to disappear just as quickly as the cassette.]

"Dick Johnson" (Dial 'M' for Motherfucker, 1989)

"Will you ever re-release any of your other out-of-print tit-
les, like Feel Good About Your Body or Pussy Gold 5000?"

"No. We have enough stuff out right now, as it is."

I wonder if Jon knows or cares that,
for this very reason, bootleggers are
re-pressing the stuff themselves—
and reaping the financial rewards.
I'd rather see 'em go to the band.

[The EPs Feel Good, Groovy Hate, and Pussy Gold are
now available as part of the Corpse Love collection.]

"When I first heard your version of Exile," I told Jon, "it remind-
ed me of the Cramps' Rockinandreelininauklandnewzealand."

"Really?!" Although he couldn't see why I would think that, and
insisted again that he'll never reissue it, Jon flipped at the men-
tion of that disc, proclaiming it one of the greatest things ever.

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And there you have it. Pussy Galore makes some of the noisi-
est, most aggressive non-hardcore I've ever heard, but they're
still punks in the same way as the Seeds or Standells. I wouldn't
recommend their fare to everybody, and if you hate it, you'd be
far from alone, but they're the ultimate garage band for the '80s.

Endnote: After one more album, 1990's Historia de la Musi-
ca Rock, Pussy Galore called it quits. Click the links for my
All Music Guide reviews of 1 Yr. Live, Groovy Hate Fuck, and
Dial 'M' for Motherfucker. Incidentally, the image at the top
post-dates Spencer's PG era and comes from Jazz Internet.

Full credit: "The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at
the House of Blues in Las Vegas. The show was on
October 4, 2002. Photography by R.J. Bianchino
copyright © 2002-3 Moondog Productions."
Pussy Galore image from Last.fm.