Massacre
Killing Time

THE REVIEW

“I feel that "Killing Time" should be the first album to listen to when deciding to learn to play the guitar.*” An album for all teenagers approaching the world of six-string rock... Yes! Yes! I know what you're thinking: today the monkey smoked too much and is completely out of it. But beware, because everything has a logic.

First: after this listening, many super young people would sell the guitar and stop playing before they start, which would prevent future useless rock bands from forming. Considering that ten out of a thousand bands (Istat data) get contracted by a record label, nine of them will play things that are already overdone, so it's better to have one less decent band rather than dozens more annoying us.

Second: many young ex-guitarists will turn their gaze to another instrument (all except the violin, please).

Why do you all have to play the guitar? Do you feel cool imagining yourself on your knees on stage, launched into an improbable solo? Do you think you’ll pick up more with the guitar slung over your shoulder? Why does no one play the accordion anymore, damn it? It's not just for polkas (a recommended option for those who wanted to use the guitar to pick up). Is it hard to transport? Has nobody blown out the amplifier after twenty minutes of feedback?

Third: our young person falls madly in love with the guitar approach contained in the album and will begin to research how, when, and why to play the guitar in such a way. Not finding suitable study methods in the continent’s bookstores, he decides to become self-taught. At this point, we have two options: a) He’s a genius and learns all the techniques on how to caress, strike, stimulate, poke, pinch, etc., etc., the six strings. He will have to encounter serious difficulties finding someone who, without calling him crazy, wants to join him on his psycho-pseudo-musical journey; b) He's not a genius but is stubborn. He will suffer perpetual frustrations, be ridiculed by friends, and abandoned by the girlfriend, until one day he will sell the guitar to buy a nice accordion.

Technical details of the album:
Massacre – Killing Time (1981) remastered version (1993)
Fred Frith: burns guitar (!?), voice, casiotone (!?), radio.
Bill Laswell: 4 & 6 string basses, pocket trumpet
Fred Maher: drums, percussion.

Genres: mat(h)rock, improvisation.
Comment: what it is, I can’t say more, easier it would be to say what it is not.

*Freely taken from the review by “dervin” on “Steve Vai´s Passion and Warfare”. Thanks!

P.S. No offense, naturally, to all my guitarist friends for this despicable foolish review.