DUANE DENISON

THE JESUS LIZARD/TOMAHAWK

Magazine “Secondhand Daylight”: Seriously talented band (Howard Devoto, Barry Adamson, and John Mcgeoch all in one band) at their peak. Songs like “Back to Nature” and “Permafrost” were instant classics. Guitarist Mcgeoch would later join Siouxsie and the Banshees and help make their “Juju” album the thrillride that it was.

Public Image Ltd ” Metal Box”: Droning and repetitive, one of the most nihilistic albums ever. Moments of beauty shine through as well–’BBC 2″ I think it’s called–I can’t find my copy right now….

The Birthday Party “Mutiny in Heaven”/”The Bad Seed” CD: With songs like “Swampland” and “Sonny’s Burning” and production by Flood, Nick Cave’s caterwauling vocals and Rowland Howards’ spaghetti western guitar, well, what more could you want?

Roxy Music “For your Pleasure”: Sleek and decadent, with some surreal weirdness (“The Bogus Man” “In every dream home a heartache”) from another truly talented band—Eno, Ferry, Manzanera all in one group. I saw them open for Humble Pie (my first rock concert in 8th grade) on their first tour—Eno and everybody, the original lineup–and it was the weirdest thing I’d ever seen. Nothing like the pop hit-makers they were to become.

David Bowie “Scary Monsters”: Bowie at the height of his powers, lotsa vocal experimentation, odd arrangements, and Robert Fripp’s blazing guitar strafing all over the place. I can’t imagine not having this.

King Crimson “Red”: Since I mentioned Fripp a minute ago, I can’t ignore this. I stole a copy of this (back when it was on 8-track) back when I was in high school. Out of all the bands of the “Prog Rock” era, they were the most evil sounding, and this was their shining moment. Everything works together–tunes, arrangements, production, lyrics, etc…

Killing Joke “Fire Dances”: Most people cite their first album as the one, but this one was my favorite. Guitarist Geordie Walker never sounded better than here—riff after churning riff, served up with style and grace.

Einsturzende Neubaten “Halber Mensch”: Back before the term ‘industrial’ meant bad dance music played by drugged out robots, the boys from Berlin were using air hammers, sheet metal, garbage cans and the like to create a soundtrack for the end of time. Numb your ideals indeed!

Butthole Surfers “Psychic … powerless … another man’s sac”: When this album came out, the punk rock scene in the USA had become as rigid and conformist as the ‘corporate rock’ it was supposed to replace(leather jacket? check. doc martens? check. spiky ‘do? check. You’re now a real punk). This blast from the heart of Texas helped change all that. Psychedelic and disturbed, funny and creepy, all at once.

Sonic Youth  “Daydream Nation”: Another album that helped break things open in the USA. Sprawling and dense, a good mix of tunes and noisy improv stuff. The S.Y. were the bridge between punk and art, with Lee and Thurston bridging the gap between rock and experimental guitar styles…

Honorable Mentions: 

-Black Flag “Slip it in”

-Scatch Acid -1st album  

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