most supergroups are disappointing. the golden palominos are not disappointing... well, for most of the time anyway. the first 6 tracks are from their self titled album. fronted by drummer Anton Fier (the Feelies, Lounge Lizards, Pere Ubu), the band includes bass and producing wizard Bill Laswell, DNA guitarist/screamer Arto Lindsay, sax freak John Zorn, and guest guitarists Fred Frith (Henry Cow, etc.), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bassist for Ornette Coleman's Primetime) and Nicky Skopelitis. this album is a bizarre mix of no-wave atonality, Laswell/Herbie Hancock-style electrofunk and some insanely creepy vocals. a funky post-punk masterpiece influenced by the no-wave, hip-hop and dance scenes of early 80s New York. very similar to early Material, which shouldn’t be surprising considering how many people on this album are also members of Material. tracks 7-14 are from 1985’s “visions of excess”, with Fier and Laswell assisted by Bernie Worrell, Henry Kaiser, John Lydon, Carla Bley, Jack Bruce, and (ugh) Michael Stipe. yes, this album is a little disappointing, with some gag-inducing commercial moments. seriously, what the hell is Stipe doing on this album? the first three tracks are cursed with his awful alternative whine. i guess the record company was probably leaning on them. “you boys gotta sell more units. here, we’ll give you that weird guy from REM”. thankfully made up for by how much Lydon’s track “the animal speaks” kicks ass. seriously, when else will you hear members of the sex pistols and parliament funkadelic play together? “silver bullet’ is an unlikely mix of bluesy slide guitar, Fier’s DMX electronic drums and Worrell’s organ with Bruce lending some vocals and harmonica to a song that should not
in theory work, but is somehow pulled off. Arto also comes back for the last track “only one party” which is a great spurt of no-wave fury that momentarily made me forget about the atrociously banal stipe-fronted cover of moby grape's “omaha”. well, you win some, you lose some.
"the only constant in the Palominos should be that it will change. I've been very conscious not to repeat myself because I feel that if I make another record with the same people it will begin to be the same." -anton fier
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