THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION

To be honest, I think I'm actually writing this page more for my own enjoyment than yours. After all, how many amongst you are that familiar with the Blues Explosion? A few of you, I guess, but I assume this page will be the least read out of my ever-increasing catalogue of material. I also doubt I'll succeed in turning many people onto the brilliance of the Explosion as they hold a very subjective appeal. I've been pretty conservative in my ratings for their albums, as on the objective quality scale, they are hardly classics. That said, they are a whole lot of fun and certainly by no means poor albums. Still, I wouldn't think any less of a CD collection if it didn't contain a Jon Spencer CD as opposed to something by, say, the Beatles or Bob Dylan. Whilst those two are essential artists, Spencer & co are purely inessential.

So why is Jon Spencer's appeal so subjective? Well, from what I've read, many regard him as the ultimate case of style over substance. All post-modern posturing and ironic humour but of absolutely no musical worth. Yeah, well I disagree with that. Yet his real appeal probably does lie in his post-modern stylings. Affecting a sort of Elvis croon (although not by any means ridiculous) Spencer, quite frankly, comes across as one of the coolest men in rock. His adlibbing is often hilarious, as well. A but like an even more post-modern David Lee Roth.

On the other hand, the sort of raw punk-blues that the band trade in is remarkably entertaining at times, and certainly does hold some sort of objective worth. A bit like the old bluesmen the Explosion don't look for melody so much as the feel and rhythm of the song. Spencer, himself, denies any real love of proper blues (saying it's more a spoof) but you can certainly see a strong influence within some of his works, more than parody alone. Because of all this musical energy and the superlative sense of humour they are renowned as one of the best live acts around but unfortunately rarely play England. The bastards. They are certainly at the top of the list of bands I'd like to see live.

Hello again. I've long regarded that above intro (and most of these reviews) of some of the worst writing on this site. So it came as little surprise when I received the below email. In fact, Blaise sums up Spencer's appeal far better than I ever could so allow him to take from here...

From: Blaise Bienvenue

What is this apologetic disclaimer "few people are familiar with" "hardly classics" "purely inessential" bullshit? Not that it's relevant, but the Blues Explosion have sold out more than one show at medium sized venues in San Francisco when I lived there. This is not on the arena level, but who cares? I saw them once on a campus in upstate New York when they were nobody and once at an aforementioned sold out show right before Acme came out and neither time did I see one dissatisfied customer. They are perhaps the BEST live act I have seen in my 32 years. They make an uptight motherfucker like me dance like a rabid maniac even when he's stone cold sober. They are musically entirely unique, and I say this WITHOUT ignorance of their influences - anything from the great Andre Williams to Elvis to Captain Beefheart to the Stones to The Contortions - and just because they don't write pretentious, pseudo-artistic songs about fucking anthropormphized eggs and walruses doesn't make them inessential. In fact, if they only ever played to an audience of one in seedy alley bars that the "cool" people never went to, that wouldn't make them inessential, either.
What would make them inessential would be a lack of energy, talent, and an understanding of the rock-n-roll spirit, three things which the Blues Explosion, my friend, have more of than you apparently ever will. Maybe I'm wrong. You say you like it. You say it's "fun". You say, "This page is more about entertaining me than it is you." Maybe you're not beyond hope. Forget about entertaining "me" (if you've read this far, you probably don't want to entertain me anymore at all). Entertain yourself. You're on the right track. When your buddy Bob Dylan forsook (supposedly) his folk roots and played his first live electric set, do you know what happened? He had to take a lot of shit from his supposed "fans", that's what happened. Bands like Dylan, Beefheart, The Ramones, The Stooges, etc. didn't get where they are by worrying about who they're entertaining. They're in the history books because they didn't give a fuck. If they'd given a fuck, they would have played some derivitave, tried and true drivel that would have made them one hit wonders, the flavor of the month. Great culture does NOT come from worrying about who you're going to entertain.
The first official Blues Explosion album was called Crypt Style. It was released initially on vinyl only by Crypt Records. Before that, there was an unofficial release, Reverse Willie Horton, with a lot of the same songs as Crypt Style. None of these records are unlistenable, at least not to me.
Spencer's legendary 1980's band, Pussy Galore, released a number of albums and EPs, all of which are impossible to find in their original pressings but many of which have been re-issued by Matador on CD. If you ask me, PG was one of the greatest rock-n-roll bands ever, next to very few. But then, I also think the Stooges are THE best rock-n-roll band ever and I have little use for the Beatles.
Boss Hog you evidently know about.
I feel better now.
BLAISE

From: Jens Peter Christensen

I'm a huge huge fan of Jon Spencer and his superb explosion, and I enjoyed reading your page Jack Feeny reviews: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
But you haven't got Acme Plus??? I can't believe that. Several great songs on that one, such as "Wait a Minute", "Not Yet", "Leave Me Alone So I Can Rock Again" & the fabulous remix "T.A.T.B. (for the saints and sinners remix)". Get with it!

From: Mgm51975@aol.com

I just wanted to mention some things about The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Their first official album was not Crypt-Style, but was called The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. This album was recorded by Steve Albini and some guy named Kramer. It was released in the US by Caroline Records a few months before Crypt-Style. (Maybe even before A Reverse Willie Horton.) All three albums are now sadly out of print and nearly impossible to find.

From: Carlos Vieira

I'm just back from the show the Blues Explosion performed at the AB in Brussels.Call their music 'inessential' just 'fun' whatever! Live they're just the best act I ever saw:this show was only second to the one I watched 4 or 5 years ago in Köln in Germany and this only because in that one RL Burnside opened and here in Brussels we didn't have the luck of such an opening act.

I believe the Blues Explosion's debut was an eponymous album that was so unlistenable that it is almost impossible to get hold of nowadays. Certainly it was not redistributed like the others were last year, although I guess they may not have released it on Mute, their current label. Anyhow this is the first album they released that is still widely available. The copy of Extra Width I have was purchased after Mute re-released their back catalogue and so is very handily repackaged with a copy of the Australian-only release Mo' Width tacked on the end. Thus, you get a generous 22 songs for your money. Problem is, most of them are barely songs at all. And Mo' Width is actually better than the original Extra Width, so it was certainly a worthwhile venture, packaging them together. The funky, keyboard driven "Afro" is the real star on show here. It is actually included twice, at the start of each album, but I'm not sure if they are different versions. If they are, it certainly ain't noticeable. Anyhow, "Afro" has a great, infectious riff that really powers it along. The second track "History of Lies" is pretty good as well, the only "proper" song on here, with real-life verses and choruses. The rest of Extra Width is made of lo-fi malarkey with lots of funny noises and blues guitar riffs with Spencer hollering incoherently over the top. I guess "Black Slider" and "Soul Typecast" have some sort of groove to them but "songs" like "Soul Letter", "Pant Leg" and "Hey Mom" are just complete non-entities. Nothing-songs. Of the more respectable numbers "Big Road" is probably the best, although I can't say it's a masterpiece. I guess they hadn't really found the discipline (or even wanted to find the discipline) to turn their raucous ramblings into "real" music. It's not particularly unlistenable, but it certainly ain't very good. Mo' Width improves things a little with less incoherent lo-fi rackets and a few more "songs". The cover of Otis Redding's "Ole Man Trouble" is hilariously brilliant, the real high-point on the second half (ie. Mo' Width). "Rob K is President" features a mate of the Explosion's preaching about the baseness of American standards. All knowingly tongue-in-cheek, of course. Spencer's wife Cristina Martinez also pops up on a few tracks along with fellow Boss Hog member Hollis Queens. "Out of Luck" is also alright and Bauer's venture "Wet Cat Blues" at least features some different vocals with Bauer affecting a whiny blues whimper. Still, the intentionally lo-fi nature of this album makes it pretty inessential. It's not terrible or anything, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone but the most die-hard of Spencer fans. Do not, repeat: do not, buy this album first, you will only be disappointed. You have been warned.

Yeah, do not buy Extra Width first, buy this album first. It might not be their best (all of the following three make almost equal claims) but it is certainly my favourite, and probably the quintessential one to boot. All facets are captured, the brilliant, post-modern humour, Spencer's coolness and some great, energetic punk-blues songs. Certainly this album is a whole more accessible than the lo-fi dirge of Extra Width. There are some really good songs on here. In fact, the four I've listed are certainly objectively good songs. There's no two ways about it. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. There's also a bit on the album (the anarchic blues medley of "Dissect", "Blues X Man" and "Full Grown") with Spencer in flying form as the promiscuous cool bluesman. Unlike the mess of Extra Width, the "medley" works brilliantly, distinctive and it still sticks in your mind afterwards, unlike the instantly forgettable earlier attempts. You're not going to forget opening lines like "Don't call on me after 12, that's when I'm laying at home with the lady..." or the peerless cry of "Baby, baby, you sure like to fuck" that opens "Full Grown". Brilliantly entertaining, it makes me laugh out loud every time. "Yeah, all this is well and good", you're telling me, "but I find Spencer's 'adlibbing' immensely irritating - when are we getting to these so-called "good" songs." Jesus, you're being a bit critical. I'm doing my best. I happen to like that sort of thing as, I'm sure, all Spencer fans do. Well, let me deal with this objective quality then. The album actually opens with an interplay of guitars and strings (on a keyboard, though) reminiscent a bit of Led Zeppelin ("Kashmir"). But don't worry, before things start getting out of hand all this rigmarole ceases and the comical "Bellbottoms" riff starts up, only for Spencer to interrupt it to laud the brilliance of those particular fashion accessories. The song itself is pretty good, a fan favourite (although not one of mine). The riffs used for the song, though, are superb. A real step up from Extra Width; as I seem to keep telling you. The title track is almost a real verse-chorus song, for all you purists. It also features a great use of the "orchestra hit" button on a keyboard. The bit at the end of the bridge when Spencer cries out "Star Trek style" I also find to be immensely amusing. But I guess you don't have to. Humour's more subjective. After all, you can barely improve your sense of humour, although people obviously restrain themselves if they think they shouldn't find something amusing. Like a racist joke, or Seinfeld. One of my favourite tracks on here is the normal sounding "Brenda". The first part of the song consists of Spencer singing (almost normally but quite strained) over the top of a driving riff before the song breaks down into a slow crunch with Spencer hollering a bit more. Even those anti-Spencer might be able to enjoy that particular number. The real magnum opus on here, though, is the penultimate track "Flavour". The first half of the song isn't anything special, a sort of speeded-up blues shuffle. After two or three minutes the song shifts into a more up-tempo number with Spencer reeling off a list of cities in which "the Blues are number one". Classic Spencer. It then gets even better when the song shifts again to Spencer's mate Beck doing his usual cool rapping style about "having the flavour" and ending with a humorous exchange between the pair. Yeah, that's one cool song. Hmm, I haven't mentioned any of the songs on the first half of the album, between "Bellbottoms" and "Orange". I guess..."Ditch" is the best. None of them are particularly bad but I can't say the throwaway "Cowboy" or the instrumental "Very Rare" really fill me with any joy. Still, I wholeheartedly recommend this album. It ain't a classic but then the Blues Explosion aren't really a classic band. They are, however, and this album is, a whole lotta fun.

Now this album marks an even bigger progression from Orange than Orange did from Extra Width. Not necessarily in terms of quality but in the sound of it. This album is much less polished and has a far rougher sound. Orange really was quite polished (especially in comparison) whilst this whole album has a very much raw and gritty production to it. A bit like the jump from Sticky Fingers to Exile on Main Street. I trust that analogy will at least please the Stones-loving Spencer anyway. Again, this album could be considered the Blues Explosions' best but it is really hard to call. Certainly there's a bit less humour on this album and some really good songs. There is also less comic-blues parodying like "Blues X Man" and just less post-modern posturing in general. That said the little speech from "Can't Stop" is Spencer at his droll best. Strictly for your amusement I have printed it out in full above. The tracks I have listed above are all great songs. The pick is probably the opening "Skunk" which starts with an almighty scream from Spencer before launching into a great take on classic garage rock. The middle-eight is particularly great (the "so tell me what's wrong..." bit). "Wail" is a more commercial number (indeed I've even heard it being playing in nightclubs). A bit less forceful but great nonetheless. A proper song, no less. "Fuck Shit Up" is their version of a song by similar lo-fi band Dub Narcotic. Good name for a band, actually. It's alright, although not the best song on here. I imagine the song "2Kindsa Love" is a reply to the Velvet Underground number "Some Kinda Love", although I might be wrong. Anyway, it is one of the best numbers on here, with a great, infectious riff. The short and snappy "Identify" rocks off as well. Hmm, maybe this is the Explosion's best album. I certainly recommend it wholeheartedly. You'd have to be pretty stale not to take this album to your heart. "Chicken Dog" utilises the vocal talents of Rufus Thomas, you know, the man famous for "Walkin' the Dog" and "Do the Funky Chicken" - hence "Chicken Dog". The song itself is alright but after the second verse Spencer (or Bauer) lets rip with a brilliant piercing riff. "Firefly Child" is another favourite of mine. A bit more of a restrained effort, it has a great moment towards the end when an organ comes crashing in. The drum solo on "R.L. Got Soul" is good fun as well. The album closer, "Sticky", on the other hand certainly grates a bit with its sort of warped psychedelia. Like all Spencer albums there is still some filler on here but none of it is particularly bad. "Rocketship" and "Love All of Me" are probably the pick of the bunch. Both pretty good songs. Although I guess the album ends badly with the uninteresting finale of "Get Over Here" and "Sticky", after the drum solo has finished. This album certainly has a more garage rock feel to it, with the majority of the songs being driven by riffs of some sort or another. There's certainly less blues parodying going on. In fact, you know what? It is their best album. I'm gonna put my neck on the block for this one. A very enjoyable racket.

From: TheGodOfNonsense@aol.com

just caught ur reviews of the mighty blues explosion. glad there's someone else out there that gives a shit. ur comments are excellent and understand what all this mainly misunderstood stuff is about. i finally got to see 'em live last october - just fantastic, maan!
BUT!! i'm listenin to 'worry' again at the moment and have gorra slightly disagree with ur review - apart from chicken dawg, the last track 'sticky' is just some of the best noise they've ever done? maybe i'm pissed, but maybe thats the point? who knows
keep up the good work anyway

So this brings us, more or less, up to date. There was a bonus album Acme Plus released consisting of additional material from the same sessions and a remix album called Experimental Remixes featuring such notables as Beck and members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Word on the street is, after airing his new Boss Hog album Whiteout, Spencer is back with the Explosion complete with some new material. Let's hope so, eh? [The new album is reviewed below.] Anyway this album probably represents the Explosion's most commercial to date. Any Radio One and Two listeners alike will find some songs on this album which they can appreciate. The most popular choice probably being the outlandishly normal "Magical Colors". In fact, it seems that after years of all this parodying stuff Spencer's actually grown quite fond of the blues as much of the songs on here are based around blues songs' structures with only a faint trace of irony, "Magical Colours" being one of them. Actually for this album, they drafted in several different producers (including the infamous Steve Albini) who each did different songs, meaning this album has, not necessarily an inconsistent feel, but a distinct sound. Whereas Now I Got Worry is most definitely an inclusive whole, as far as production is concerned, the songs on here are nearly all distinctive from each other. The opening "Calvin" was produced by Calvin Johnson and is barely a song at all. It begins with some old MC yelling "this is blues power" before the song moves into a vague hip-hop style sampling free-for-all. Similarly the superb album closer, "Attack", was produced by Alec Empire and Dan the Automator and is real take-no-prisoners intense stuff. A really fierce number, and excellent for it. "High Gear", like "Magical Colours", is a normal sounding song about being a long-distance lorry driver. On the other hand "Do You Wanna Get Heavy" and "Talk About the Blues" are far more lo-fi efforts. Of the two "Talk About the Blues" is far the better with Spencer preaching over the top of another hip-hop style blues background. Celebrity fan Winona Ryder appeared in the video for it. Friends in high places, that Spencer. As you can see, this is diverse stuff. "I Wanna Make it Alright" and "Give Me a Chance" seem pretty similar. Both good efforts, although nothing special. The penultimate duo of "Desperate" and "Torture" are fairly standard laid-back blues. Neither really fill me with the greatest inspiration. Rather tame, really. Maybe due to the nature of the production, there seems to be far less filler on here. That is to say each song stands out in its own right, although some are obviously better than others. One of the best numbers is the organ driven "Blue Green Olga". The verses are pretty restrained before the band let rip into the cracking chorus. "Lovin' Machine" is quite a throwback to some of the Orange material, although lesser than a lot of the songs on that particular album. "Bernie" is the only song I haven't mentioned...and now I have. Seriously though, it again features Martinez and Queens on backing vocals. The song itself isn't one of Spencer's best but it does feature a rip-roaring chorus. So, as with the previous two albums I recommend this album as a good slice of Spencer's style and wit with some cracking tunes to boot. It's no Sgt. Pepper or anything but you certainly couldn't accuse it of being boring. That, my friend, is the power of the blues.

When I first wrote this page and the above reviews I took Jon Spencer to be nothing more than a peripheral figure in alternative rock music. Now, however, things have changed. If an extensive history of rock music was to be penned there would be a footnote next to the name of the White Stripes saying, in effect, "much of the White Stripes' style of music was undoubtedly informed and influenced by New York blues-punk pioneers: the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion." Now, to be fair, it isn't just the White Stripes that have stolen Spencer's thunder but they are certainly the band that have done so most successfully. Personally, I find it quite frustrating that Spencer's creative peak, Orange and Now I Got Worry, are both that bit too much inconsistent to achieve classic status. Unfortunately for myself, despite much preferring the Blues Explosion, the White Stripes are the superior band, not least because Jack White actually concentrates on writing real-life songs. And you will no doubt be not so shocked to discover that is still a problem on here; Spencer's return to arms. After the free-for-all experimentation of Acme Spencer has opted for a "back to basics" approach, concentrating solely on his garage-rock interpretation of the blues. In the end, though, this just sounds like a more polished and less good revisit of the hi-octane wide-eyed rock'n'roll rush of Now I Got Worry. One noticeable change, though, is that this is actually a loose concept album about being a werewolf. Quadrophenia, this ain't, but it does lend a bit of fun to the proceedings. With regards to the more polished production it is interesting to note the use of Pro-Tools in recording. I realise most bands use it these days but one band you would have thought would never resort to it would be the kings of lo-fi, the Blues Explosion. (If you didn't know, Pro-Tools is a computer programme that allows you to record your parts onto a computer rather than a usual analogue eight-track and therefore edit and splice them to your heart's content.) Pro-Tools was invented for the likes of Bon Jovi or U2, I just thought the Blues Explosion were bigger than that. At any rate the production doesn't help the back-to-basics approach as most songs still sound like the post-modern blues on Acme. As always there is a fair whack of filler on here. It seems that Spencer just takes a blues riff and makes a whole song out of it, with little regard to traditional structure or melody. Obviously, sometimes this is the key to his success (like the head-long charge of the opener, "Sweet n Sour") but often it means a song goes nowhere, and certainly fails to reach your memory. "Down in the Beast", "The Midnight Creep" and "Over and Over" all are prime examples of this. On the other hand, the more traditional blues of "Killer Wolf" and "Tore Up & Broke" are mostly OK, sounding quite like the standard blues at the end of Acme. Speaking of Acme, "Mother Nature"'s chorus sounds suspiciously similar to Acme's "I Wanna Make it Alright". Similarly, "She Said"'s chorus sounds alike to the song of the same name by Brit-pop also-rans the Longpigs. I guess it is unlikely Spencer is familiar with the indie classic but it still detracts from this album's originality. "She Said", though, is at least a competent attempt at traditional songwriting (the first single from the album). The squealing "Shakin' Rock'n'Roll Tonight", complete with energetic guitar solo, is a glimpse of a return to form. The closing "Mean Heart" is perhaps the most original song on the album with a rare resorting to an acoustic guitar and a fuzzed-up guitar riff. It sounds similar, actually, to old-style Southern rock. I love the bit where Spencer warbles "I got struck by lightning, and now I glow". "Hold On" also aims at diversity, with pub sound-effects trying to create a bar-room groove. Unfortunately, even the presence of New Orleans' legend Dr. John fails to prevent it sounding disappointingly flaccid. Overall, the album is perhaps a bit disappointing given Spencer really needed to show the up-starts who the daddy was. It is mostly pretty entertaining but not really worth the four years wait. For now, Now I Got Worry remains THE album to own for the discerning White Stripes fan.

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Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk