"The Billy Childish Native American Sampler: A History 1983-93" 1993

From the haunting intro to the rockin' "Reindeer Are Wild" or the surf rock intrumentals like "Lakota Women" - This album has got it all!

Something of a sequel to the excellent two-disc I Am the Billy Childish compilation, Billy Childish Native American Sampler: A History 1983-1993 also does an overview of Childish's career, but with a specific point -- all songs contributed are about Native American figures or issues. Childish himself makes reference to Link Wray in his liner notes -- Wray himself being of Native American descent -- and what in lesser hands might be patronizing glop becomes a fierce, growling celebration. Wray himself unsurprisingly gets a cover version on the compilation -- "Comanche," as recorded by Thee Headcoats in 1992 -- but the rest are Childish originals or collaborations, aside from the Blackhands' sharp reworking of "Louie Louie" as "Louis Riel," named after a Native Canadian leader of the 19th century. Split more or less halfway between vocal and instrumental numbers, it functions just fine as a dip into Childish's obsessive muse, but the particular focus lyrically and musically makes for a cohesive, fun-as-hell time. Many of the tracks are heavy on the tribal drums, and while a fair amount of his inspirations may seem like Western appropriations / bastardizations of said sound, it beats the heck out of Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Indian Reservation" any day of the week. There's plenty of dank, twanging nods to the kind of spaghetti western numbers Ennio Morricone made his trademark -- "Thunderbird" really should be the backdrop for one last Clint Eastwood western, if he ever does one again. Kira from Thee Headcoatees turns up for a cool and sly vocal on "Pocahontas Was Her Name," while the pointed humor award goes to Thee Mighty Caesars' "Cowboys Are Square." Childish also recites some poems specifically for the collection -- while brief, the cutting "Playing Pool with a Salish Indian Drug Dealer in the Dodson Bar Down-Town Vancouver" is one of the most direct and unforced contemplations of the effects of history one will hear. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

trax:
1. Billy Childish: Tshunko Witko 2. Thee Headcoats: Crazy Horse 3. Thee Headcoats: Comanche 4. Thee Headcoats: Pocahontas Was Her Name 5. Thee Mighty Caesars: Young Man Was Afraid of a Horse 6. The Milkshakes: Thunderbird 7. Thee Milkshakes: Dull Knife 8. Thee Headcoats: Reindeer Are Wild 9. The Milkshakes: Wounded Knee 10. Billy Childish: Playing Pool With a Salish Woman 11. Thee Mighty Caesars: Cowboys Are Square 12. Thee Mighty Caesars: Man Taken from Guts 13. The Delmonas: Black Elk Speaks 14. Thee Headcoats: Pocohontas 15. The Blackhands: Louis Riel 16. Thee Mighty Caesars: Ten Bears 17. Thee Headcoats: Lakota Woman 18. Thee Headcoats: We're Gone
...originally served by Bucephalus...