This is the debut recording from Madison, Wisconsin's The Gomers. It consists of 26 unique tracks, each touching on a different mood and style. From the biting alternative rock of "Thanks for the Ride, Lady" to the schmaltzy lounge pop of "Sulu" to the "hip," over-bloated production of "It's Not Unusual" to the preposterously silly "Jewish Rapper," Sofa King Good will never fall victim to criticisms of monotony and homogenity. Yes, many of these songs are utterly ridiculous, but beneath it all is an extremely talented band who thankfully doesn't take itself or rock & roll too seriously. Guitarist and chief songwriter Biff Blumfumgagnge appears to be the principal conspirator in this madness. The novelty references to Tom Jones, the Beach Boys, the Osmonds and others notwithstanding, what seems to be at the core of the Gomers is the influence of such off-kilter artists like Stan Ridgeway, Devo, Talking Heads, B-52's and Adrian Belew. Most of the madcap tendancies seem to emanate from the uninhibited Blufmfumgagnge in his playing and songwriting, and the remaining like-minded Gomers follow his lead. This 74 minute compendium of bizarre, fun tunes has been featured on Dr. Demento, the Subgenius Hour of Slack, the Bob & Tom Show, and every Friday at 7:30am on WMMM 105.5fm, this version of "It's Not Unusual" is played. Looking for Mashups and song parodies? Fish, Jewish, sex, horror and alien themes? Yes dear reader - all that and more:
1 Young Man Blues - Megaphone Crooner style Who/blues parody
2 I Really Hate the Bank - prog rock in 5/4 and 6/8 w. a Steely Dan mashup @ end
3 Fight Hard - country parody w. inspirational lyrics
4 Thanks for the Ride, Lady - alternative rock, horror theme
5 Sulu - lounge like ride for The Original Star Trek fans
6 It's Not Unusual - big bachelor pad Tom Jones cover
7 Jewish Rapper - rock rap tune explains the Mizzuzah, Dradle and more
8 Headrush (What if the latin - era Talking Heads did Rush's Tom Sawyer?)
9 It Wasn't Human 2:24 - alien punk rock
10 Supercharged 1:31 - hard rock funk fun
11 The Sense of Smell 4:39 - smooth ballad on smell
12 Dave Can't Wait for Linoleum - funk R&B fun
13 Beach Movie - Beach Boys meet parody
14 Piranha Face - danger fish song
15 Sgt. Carter - punky Gomer Pyle ode
16 I'm an Antenna - hard rock song about being an antenna
17 Hammerhead - another danger fish song, hard rock ballad
18 Crazy Horses - Osmonds cover rocked/funked up
19 That's What I Dream - quirky pop tune about dreams
20 Rock On - Spinal Tap style ode to ROCK
21 Mi Piache - interesting Italian rock tune
22 Talk to Me - Funk R&B Prince/Funkadelic style tune
23 Bar Mitzvah - another Jewish themed novelty tune
24 Pain Stain 2K - samples from Ivan Stang fuel this odd loop peice
25 Morning Missile - naughty country parody for fans of David Allan Coe and John Valby
26 Gonkulator Violin Interlude - sound sculpture
27 Hey What's the Big Idea? - punky ode to Joe Wider cartoon
WARNING: Some Material may not be suitable for young children. Radio alert: Intro #11 and #25 contains naughty words.
Recorded at Smart Studios, Optisonic Studios, Laughing Cat Studios, Beeftone Studios and live at O'Cayz Corral
Engineers: Al Jewer, Brian Daly, Butch Vig, Steve Marker, Margie Navarro and Steve Gassen
Voice on Pain Stain 2k: Ivan Stang - Drum loop: Siggi Baldursson
Morning Missile: Randy Seals drums, Willy Porter guitar
"The Human Cannonball hurtles over the circus crowd, grinning comfortably, waving, ass barbecued, headed for a hard landing Godknowswhere. These are the Gomers. They do this for you." - Jonathan Zarov, WORT 89.9 FM
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