Bongwater: Double Bummer/Breaking No New Ground

I remember standing in the Virgin store at the top of Pinstone Street (Sheffield) with this in my hand, sometime in the late '90s, weighing up whether to buy it or not. On the positive side, I really loved Bongwater's Power of Pussy album, which I'd had for several years by then. On the negative side, well, sometimes you can just sniff when a good album is a one-off and I had that feeling about Power of Pussy. Also this album was a double CD on import, so it was expensive: £17.99.

You know the result of my deliberations. On balance, I think I should have listened to my doubts. The first disc has its moments (mostly when Ann Magnuson is telling the stories of her dreams), but the second one sounds like the Butthole Surfers on a bad day. I see Wikipedia refers to the "dense and sludgy experimental style" of their earlier recordings, and that about gets the measure of it.

Happy Summer Solstice! Six months now since this site began.

MusicBrainz entry for Disc 1 Disc 2

Comments

[mihai]

Interesting. When I was 15 (back in 1989?) I worked all summer holidays as a rubbish collector, and managed to save up for Double Bummer. It's one of my favourite records, a kaleidoscopic take on the 70s, musically, politically and personally. It really helped get me into certain Beatles tracks I never really knew (eg Rain).
Also for me it was the first record I ever had that used samples, and long ones... Actually a very unique use of samples. But the one where the father of a kid killed in Vietnam speaks - that is incredible, I think.

It's very moving in places.

I don't remember one good song on Power of Pussy.

There is one - and only one - good song on Too Much Sleep which is Ill-fated lovers go..., which you can also get on the compilation What Else Do you Do (also Shimmy Disc).

Kramer's The Guilt Trip is pretty good too, but nothing like the classic DOUBLE BUMMER!!!!

[David]

Thanks, mihai, it's really interesting to hear that viewpoint and those things that you touched you on this album. Kramer has certainly done loads of good stuff, not least his production work with Galaxie 500 and Low. But your comments will send me back to Double Bummer for another listen. Can I convince you to give Power of Pussy another listen, too?