Boyd Rice and Friends - Music, Martinis and Misanthropy

Every so often something comes along that stands head and shoulders above much others. Music, Martinis and Misanthropy from Boyd Rice and Friends is one such record. Originally released in the early 1990s it became out of print and since the schism with World Serpent it's been particularly difficult to get hold of. Thanks to Douglas P and his NER emporium it's been reissued as a picture disc and a lavish digipack with a selection of photographs from the era - which bizarrely feature a censored wolfsangle. The genesis of this release grew from a series of shows NON performed with Death In June and Current 93 in Tokyo, Japan.

Music, Martinis and Misanthropy concerned itself with Boyd' new contempt for the world. His new love of the world. It was his first overt display of social darwinism, lex talionis and it contained many classics including 'People' ("We need a brutal gardener..."), 'Disneyland Can Wait', 'Down In The Willow Garden'. Marrying Boyd's wholesome voice against Douglas P.'s spartan guitar and the harmonious backing vocals of Rose McDowall bathed in beautiful, melodic soundscapes. Even the opening 'Invocation' combines an ingenious pairing of slowed down versions of Carpenters and Charles Manson songs. Elsewhere there's Lee Hazlewood, Rod McKuen and Everly Brothers cover versions but the real deal here is Boyd's presence: his sugar coated vocals delivering a roll call of history's men of steel and espousing his hard-nosed philosophy which resulted in a million accusations of dubious political alliances from the bleeding hearts. At the time this was truly ground breaking, and a considerable departure in musical styles for the 'king of noise'. In the intervening years a whole genre has sprung up around this spouting misanthropy and hate but Music, Martinis and Misanthropy will always hold a special place for its pioneering spirit, for marshalling the talents of his friends (Douglas P., Rose McDowall, Michael Moynihan and Tony Wakeford), and of course for delivering the blackest of black humour. Boyd Rice has subsequently become a figure of hatred but you owe it to yourself to own this or at the least, the very least, listen to the sentiments herein. An extra track is included in this edition but Music, Martinis and Misanthropy remains a true classic, and one that Boyd hasn't really bettered. For more information go to www.tesco-germany.com or www.tesco-distro.com