Only Fan is the debut album by Psing Psong Psung the latest project from legendary artist Raymond Pettibon who roped in some friends and recorded this album between 2017-22 at Casa Hanzo Studios in San Pedro California after Mike Watt cajoled him that it was a good idea. Recorded with help from Pete Mazich in the producer's chair, the players include Raul Morales, Vince Meghrouni, Ricky Sepulveda (Who plays D. Boons Guitar), Ray Farrell and Dick Vanderburg, obviously Raymond provides the cover artwork as well as the lyrics for this collaborative album.
The A-side opens with B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) sung almost like the Rocket's steward reading out the instructions to you, as you sit back, strap in and get ready to leave the planet at supersonic speed. This is a nicely ramshackle indie rock tune with a debt to Nikki Sudden, as all sorts of adventures happen to ready you for the stratosphere, while finding out just who the crazy one is.
Pip Of A Pipe has a quixotic feel as it meanders like you've had something very trippy in that pipe, as they try to blow the joint as well as your mind, so take a deep long toke and wonder at what's going on.
Hair is an experimental song with what sound like stream of consciousness lyrics, almost tossed off like the haircuts he references as things get more tripped out.
Sinatra has a laid back but slightly distressed feel, to this tribute to the chairman of the board, the original king of the strip, as the guitars devastate in ways Frank would have been horrified to hear, but sound perfect in this setting.
Goodbye Baby has a desert blues feel to it, with super carefully placed guitar parts, the mix on this is quite something, as this echoes the Four seasons monument, while taking the original idea and taking it some place totally new, as all sorts of reverential influences get mentioned, from Charlie Chan on down.
The B-side opens with What Is This Thing Called Love that isn't that far from the classic song it shares a title with, only this has echoes of Big Star at their most out there semi-deranged best, as they go on about their Ding A Ling like they want to have Chuck Berry filming the toilets, kind of reputation as Love gods, or smiling men with bad reputations so What Is This Thing Called Love exactly.
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Awahoo is a reasonably normal straight ahead bubblegum punk song, a little on the low-fi side of things, but the guitar scrawls across the speakers like the punch-drunk character at the centre of this song.
Bobby Darin is a laid-back swoon some tribute to the silky tones of Bobby Darin and the effect he had on all sorts of women, especially if they saw him live. This recalls Darin in his Las Vegas majesty entertaining the rubes who've just bet the bank on the tables.
Morrison Blues is a slow rumination on the cult of Jim, with lots of shout outs to Brian as they try to conjure up the ghosts of the 60's, deeply laid-back nocturnal guitar shapes, for etiolated disembodied poetics, streams of memories.
The album closes with Roll Jackson Roll that football out of your penalty area once more, as I hope this is a tribute to John Jackson the mighty goalkeeper, rather than Stonewall Jackson or Jackson Browne, the lyrics take us all over the place as the slide guitar flies about, as this gets dedicated to the boys in the band.
Find out more at https://orgmusic.com/collections/vinyl-lp/products/only-fan?????https://orgmusiclabel.bandcamp.com/album/only-fan https://www.facebook.com/PsingPsongPsung
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