Butthole Surfers – Locust Abortion Technician (Vinyl)

Matador’s Butthole Surfers reissue series continues with three of the Texas band’s most insane slabs – ‘Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis’ (1985), ‘Locust Abortion Technician’ (1987), and ‘Hairway to Steven’ (1988) – all originally released on the Touch & Go label. The period during which these records were first issued parallels the Buttholes’ transition from weirdo Texas outcasts to internationally recognized smut-kings of the American underground. In 1985 they were still the sole province of hallucinogen-soaked punk rock freaks. By 1988 they had toured Europe, had records licensed internationally, and bought a house in Driftwood Texas to serve as their home base. ‘Locust Abortion Technician’ was also recorded at the Butthole house in Winterville (most of it actually being finished before ‘Cream Corn’). By this point Jeff Pinkus had joined as bass player (a role he would fill until 1996) and drummer Teresa Taylor returned to the fold after a hiatus to deal with health and personal issues. Without anyone looking over their shoulders, the band really rose to the occasion. From the opening track, “Sweat Loaf,” which quotes Black Sabbath with results both hilarious and bowel-stomping, to the scuzz-guitar riven “found” vocals of “22 Going on 23,” Locust is a non-stop face-full of hallucinogenic gas. Maniacal sludge guitar figures and Gibbytronix vocals are smeared everywhere with most excellent results. For many folks, ‘Locust’ represents the album with which the Buttholes fully fulfilled their insane potential.