The Fuzztones
Lysergic Emanations

LA RECENSIONE

1980s... in the United States, the scent of the decaying corpses of sixties garage bands leaves behind a new generation of rock'n'roll maniacs... among the most inspired (...and the most rotten...) are indeed the Fuzztones.

The 5 members sport a typical undertaker look adorned with skulls and horror accessories that perfectly reflect the b-movie atmosphere recreated by the old Jaguar Vox organ of Deb O'Nair (the only female member of the group).

Led by the mad leader Rudi Protrudi (the vinyl edition insert says of him: "...he indulges in illegal pornography, voodoo paraphernalia, blues records, bizarre models, and Vox guitars...") the quintet showcases a series of frantic episodes marked by splendid garage rock'n'roll. If all this isn't enough to make you love them, just play the record, it's impossible to resist the perverse energy of "Ward 81", the "jewel" of the record, supported by an otherworldly organ and the terrible fuzz of the Vox guitars, and how can you not love "Strychnine", a cover of the Sonics, which here gains a much more furious and sick atmosphere, particularly fitting to the song's lyrics "...wine is red... poison is blue... strychnine is good...".

The album even makes room for a slow and hallucinated episode like "Just Once", which serves as a prelude to the masterpiece "She's Wicked", a stunning example of a horror song (...the lyrics tell of a rather naughty voodoo girl...). The LP closes with a splendid cover of the Calico Wall, "I'm A Living Sickness", tormented by the inhuman screams of Rudi, almost emphasizing that there, among the gravediggers, there is no one wilder than him.