Hollywood’s celebrity starlet tabloid fodder — who use rehab likethe Ramada — could learn an important lesson from the Jon SpencerBlues Explosion: just push through it. Sounding unhinged,self-destructive and most importantly, booze-soaked for the better partof 20 years, the Blues Explosion is nothing if not resolute. And intheir mania they excel, stampeding through gritty garage punk with rawthroats and bloody knuckles. On Jukebox Explosion the groupconveniently presents a decade’s worth of singles originally releasedin a series of seven-inch singles including A-sides, B-sides andouttakes, like a gift-wrapped stick of dynamite.
“Son of Sam,”originally released in 1992 as the second record in the jukebox series,is a burst nearly as brutal as its subject — the 1977 serial killerwho terrorized New York City at the behest of a demon dog. Written byprimordial underground NYC act Chain Gang, “Sam” also celebrates theCBGB scene that was thriving amidst the panic of the murders as theJBSX version pairs filthy punk guitars and a shrieking sax beneathSpencer’s belligerent roar. “Cops won’t protect you,” he sneers, andhe’s right. Each time the song’s vicious discordant chorus hits, thebody count goes up one. Jukebox Explosion detonates in stores on Nov. 13 via the In the Red label.
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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion- “Son of Sam” DOWNLOAD MP3
On the Web:
thejonspencerbluesexplosion.com
Talk: Did the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion kill it with “Son of Sam”?
