Though a bit over the top, this album was still powerful and surprisingly melodic, and managed to be quite bluesy and soulful even as the band overhauled chestnuts by
James Brown
and
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
.
"Spontaneous Apple Creation"
is a willfully histrionic, atonal song that gives
Captain Beefheart
a run for his money. Though this one-shot was not (and perhaps could not ever be) repeated, it remains an exhilaratingly reckless slice of
psychedelia
. This CD reissue includes both mono and stereo versions of five of the songs. Although the mono mixes lack the full-bodied power of the stereo ones, they're marked by some interesting differences, especially in the brief spoken and instrumental links between tracks. ~ Richie Unterberger