Greatest Hits

Rube Waddell – Greatest Hits
Reviewed by Sadie O., 11/12/08
More than a quarter of a century of nigh-indescribable San Francisco weirdness. Retro (as in Spike Jones) instruments and styles, 20’s jazz and sea chanteys and blues, and very sick and disturbed (in the happiest way, mind you) imagery. Now, if you’ll excuse me a moment, I’ve got some gibbering to do.
No FCCs, but lotsa creepies. I’m sure you’ll love every moment, like I did.
1. 2:24 *Mexican radio intro, hyperspeed ooom-pah mariachi music, goofy homage to masa-encased bundles of joy.
2. 2:38 **tuba blats, accordion and hillbilly tale of hobos after your food.
3. 4:59 **plinks and tick tocks and a peg-legged waltz, and embitterment served on theremin and ukulele. Primal screaming, even! And why not.
4. 6:03 ***skiffle shuffle – great uptempo beat, and the best theology lesson since Patty Smith. Dischordant and vicious. Yay!
5. 3:21 **20’s style happy jazz, apparently about a woman done wrong…
6. 5:22 *starts with several seconds of very low barnyard noises, gathers random bits of sound and music until sudden guitar flourish about a minute and a half along… then uptempo tuba and banjo – very disturbed… The title the entire lyric sheet. Gnarly!
7. 4:11 ***starts with bits of distant conversation and music box. Downtempo waltz, fun lyrics.
8. 4:00 *very soft noises, then spoken explication, bit of quasi-gospel, then a swingy slide guitar and tuba something… Yep, this is a slippery bastard!
9. 3:27 **quite a nice sea shanty about beer and tobacco. Avast! Hey, it’s the story of my life!
10. 5:45 *dramatic intro with a smidge of jazz, then a downtempo waltz of the damned. Makes me wanna weep into my absinthe. There is a bit of seasickness involved, as well.
11. 2:29 ****bluesy harmonica, then upbeat blues boogie – fine and creepy cover of the classic.
12. 3:00 *marimba and pretty little tune and strange anti-love song.
13. 4:00 **acoustic strings and sirens singing sweetly, morphing into satan’s polka and yet another tale of the seamy side of the steaming underbelly of the gutters running with blood.
14. 4:01 ***starts out with pretty exotic strings – this won’t last, I feel certain… Actually, it does – it’s an instrumental. Quite nice, really – apparently an Armenian traditional tune.
15. 4:54 **solo acoustic guitar, hillbilly lament about aging or life or something. No, it’s actually about pederasty. Keen!
16. 4:43 *scratching guitar and hollering through a megaphone. Blues of the worst sort, in so many ways.
17. 1:52 **rather beatific slide guitar and chugging beat, instrumental. Fades early.