BRAIN, BOC: My review of *Malpractise*

[John A Swartz]

Review of *Malpractise*

O.K., I've been a bit lazy, but have been meaning to offer my thoughts
on the latest offering by the Brain Surgeons, *Malpractise*, since
I got the disc nearly 3 weeks ago.  But, perhaps I couldn't really do
a review of this CD after immediately listening to it anyway (as
I've done with other tBS releases) since most of the songs on it are
already familiar to me.  So, if you wanted my first impressions on
some of these recordings, you needed to ask me up to about 2 years
ago, not 3 weeks ago.

Despite my familiarity with most of this release already, this CD is
definitely not an unwelcome addition to my collection.  From a my
own personal, collector-based, and somewhat anal retentive standpoint
(you know the joke phase "Does "anal retentive" have a hyphen it it?" -
when I first heard that, I had to wonder . . . but, perhaps I'm sharing
too much), I want to have every song my favorite artists ever released
for public consumption on a CD.  So, while most of tBS "Pull the Plug"
and all of their "Career of Christmas" fanclub-only cassette releases
are on this CD, I'm glad to have them there.  Up until this point, I
had played the cassettes somewhat infrequently (compared to the
amount of airtime my tBS CDs have received), partially out of fear
that they would eventually wear out and I might be forever deprived
of listening to those recordings again.  So, now I'm both happy to
have these recordings on CD, and hoping that the two songs from
"Pull the Plug" that didn't make it to the CD ("Frenchette" and "Lady
of the Harbor") will eventually turn up on a *Malpractise 2* some
time down the line (I suspect that tBS might be inclined to turn
out another fanclub cassette some time in the future that will
need inclusion on a CD, or maybe a few live tunes, and let us not
forget the rare, but smoking version of BOC's "Dominance and
Submission" that Albert and Joe Bouchard recorded with Mike Watt
a few years ago).  And, of course, there is the sonic advantage of
having these songs on CD - the dynamic range is so much better,
emphasizing both the heaviness of the guitars on a song like "Ciudades
Y Navides" and the subtleties of Deb's vocals on "Name Your Monster".
But, enough of my rambling - on to the songs:

Needle Gun - One of two Hawkwind cover songs, and one of two songs I
had absolutely know prior knowlege of.  This song rocks!  Menacing
vocals by Deb (verses) and Al (chorus) over basically a two-chord
song (yeah, there's a few breaks which have a few more, but this song
mainly oscillates between two chords with some cool descending bass
riffs thrown in).  This is a great straight-ahead rocker that makes a
great opening to this CD, and has been used as a tBS set opener as well.
The Brain Surgeons do many things right - here they show that they
know how to get things going.  Oh, and I like the little recording at
the beginning of the song where someone appears to be calling a
record store or radio station asking for information about a song
called "This Ain't the Summer of Love" - those Brain Surgeons are
so silly sometimes...

Ciudades Y Navidades - Ah, "Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll" the
way it was meant to be played.  In Spanish, you ask?  Well, I was
referring to the instrumentation.  While this song is still a staple
in BOC's live show, they have changed it in a way that I find is
untrue to the original.  Think about the start of the song - how does
it go?  There's 3 notes on the guitars (F# - A - F#) and _before_ the
rest of the signature guitar riff (which I won't transcribe here) there
is (and this is the part that BOC seems to have forgotten) that
characteristic, somewhat ominous "ba bum ba-BUM" on the bass
drum -- for me, this drum part has always been part of the main
riff of the song - yes, it's a different instrument, but it is still
essential to the song's feel.  So, here tBS deliver instrumentally
very true to the original with a few twists - one being the guitar
solo is played over the signature riff played up in a different key,
the other being the "Night of the 1,000 Guitars" bit (from tBS's
*Trepanation*) thrown in against the backdrop of of tBS's Holiday
message, "Feliz Navidad con Rock and Roll".

Hassan I Sahba - The other Hawkwind cover, and the song that I
suspect that the late Robert "Rudy" Rudich especially wanted tBS to
cover.  While I don't fully understand the lyrics or the title, this song
instrumentally is very heavy, and would have fit very nicely on either
of the last two tBS releases, *Box of Hammers* (making a nice
compliment to "'Lil Egypt") or *Trepanation* (which has a heavier,
more guitar-oriented sound).  TBS have covered several non-BOC
songs over the years, and this one may be their strongest yet.

Career of Evil - A smoother, more sinister-sounding version than
the one BOC recorded over 20 years ago.  While Deb's vocals are
excellent (when she screams, "You're mine for the taking!" I get the
shivers - a career of evil indeed), the CD has brought out Albert's
more subtle backing vocals and harmonies that I hadn't particularly
noticed on the "Career of Christmas" cassette.

Language of Love - Very true to the original, although more acoustic
(as all the songs from the "Pull the Plug" tape were done).  Again,
the rendition to CD brings out the subtleties of the backing harmonies.
A nice change of gears - Deb was just screaming about her career of
evil, and now she's looking for a kiss (and will probably get it too).
The only thing missing is the "Legendary Albertron".

The Girl That Love Made Blind - As pointed out, this rendition is
markedly different than the song demoed for *Imaginos*.  No longer
a waltz, and now sung by Deb, the character of the song has changed
to the point that it isn't really fair to compare them - they are two
distinct songs.  But, if I were to compare them, I like the verses of
the *Imaginos* mix better (where Albert sings very emotionally -
somewhat uncharacteristic of his other vocal performances), yet I
like the choruses of this new version better (which bounce along
nicely as Deb sings of Christmas time).

Death Valley Nights - A song which BOC left for dead years ago, tBS
gave it new life a few years back in their live sets with Al on guitar
and lead vocals, and Deb handling the drums.  This "Pull the Plug"
rendition is very true to the way they do it live, and it is excellent.
A bit different from the original, which included some great piano
backround and a little leaping bass figure thrown in on the verses
that I liked, this rendition better fits the style of tBS (who don't
regularly employ a keyboardist on the road).  A real treat for the
long-time fan.

Name Your Monster - My favorite song from *Eponymous* has received
quite the different treatment from tBS here.  I was initially surprised
by how well this hard rocking, semi-punk number came across when
rendered on acoustic instruments.  In some ways, the guitar parts
sound much less impressive than when they're played on electrics with
the amps on 11, and in other ways, it is interesting to here some
subtleties that can't be experienced when the amps are on 11, the band
is rocking, and the beers I've had at the club waiting for tBS to open
their set with this numer kick in.  But, what makes this rendition so
cool are Deb's vocals.  Where the original vocals came screaming at
me, here they are at times almost whispered in a way that is enticing
and seductive.  When she coos, "Die with me Henry, we're goin' down",
I'm thinking, "Whatever you say..."  Luckily, the band gives me a chance
to calm down as they stretch out a nice little instrumental soloing
section at the end (Billy Hilfiger, Peter Bohovesky, and David Hirschberg
really shine quite nicely here), followed by some downright silliness -
well, Al mentioned that the "Pull the Plug" songs were done in an
atmosphere where "we goofed around a lot, drank a few beers, ate some
food and recorded some tunes".  The ending of this recording shows us
how much fun tBS are.  Makes you wish they'd drop by your house
sometime...

Baby Ice Dog - A BOC song which never grabbed me much until I heard
tBS do it.  This song, recorded over 20 years ago by BOC, benefits by the
heavier guitar sound (with a very driving and prominent bass) that tBS
employ in the 90s.  While tBS show at many times that they can be
subtle, this isn't one of them.  It's time to rock - and how can you be subtle
when the fourth word in the song is "bitch", anyway?  This rendition
sounds as good today as it did when I first heard tBS 3 years ago in a
little club in Boston - the first BOC song I heard tBS cover.

Tour Spiel - Well, I may be one of the relatively few tBS fans who already
have this recording on CD (when I heard about this song appearing on the
Minutemen tribute CD *Our Band Could Be Your Life*, I quickly tracked it
down, despite knowing next to nothing of the Minutemen), so this wasn't
really a "new" one for me, but I suspect that it is for many who pick up
*Malpractise*.  While the song has been re-mixed slightly, I find it very
close to the version Deb and the Bouchard Brothers recorded for the tribute
CD.  The main differences are a few more effects thrown in, and the mix
seems a bit cleaner.  A nice heavy guitar sound that fits nicely with The
Brain Surgeons style, with lyrics paying homage to "Albert's old band".

I Am The One You Warned Me Of - One of my favorite songs from
*Imaginos*, I did worry that an acoustic rendition of this song would
not be particularly to my liking.  However, my fears were soon put aside -
despite it's acoustic nature, this song is very true to the original
instrumentally.  I'd say Albert's vocals are also true to the original,
although most people familiar with *Imaginos* would question this
logic as Eric Bloom of BOC sings the vocal on the released album.
However, I have been fortunate enough to have heard some of Albert's
mixes for the album that were made when he was doing *Imaginos* as
a solo project.  So, when I say "true to the original", I'm referring to
Albert's mixes, not the BOC album.  I don't know that I have a preference
to Eric Bloom or Albert Bouchard singing this song, but they are quite a
bit different, and it's nice to now have this other version on CD.

Astronomy - An acoustic rendition of the original version, this song
features a sparkling vocal rendition by Deb.  This version of the song
feels very dreamy, almost giving a "drifting away" ending feel to the
CD, which is a nice constrast with its hard-hitting start.  This is also
another song which features some distintive guitar-work.  While I may
often point out Deb and Al's more obvious contributions to this band, I'm
sure that they would be first to admit that they have three other very
talented individuals in the band.  This song is a fine example of what
Billy, Pete, and Dave bring to the Brain Surgeons.

All in all, this album ranks probably at about a 9 out of 10 for me - I'd
also say that *Eponymous* ranks a 9 while *Trepanation* and *Box of
Hammers* rank as 10.  Consistent, high-quality stuff from a band that
leaves me hungry for more.

Final comment - while I'm not one to buy CDs based on cover art, the cover
of *Malpractise* is my least favorite.  Steve Brodner draws some cool
stuff for tBS (*Trepanation* easily being the best), this one isn't quite on
par with the others.  While I like the picture and how it ties with the album
title (showing someone with a nose sewn to the side of their face), the
black and grey on white background (where the other tBS covers are color
images on black background) gives the cover an unfinished appearance.
But, that's picking nits, and certainly doesn't diminish from this sonic gem.
Do yourself a favor - buy this album!

John Swartz