Search - Pig :: Praise the Lard

The LORD OF LARD strikes!

11/16/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"if you've heard JUKE JOINT JEZEBEL from mortal kombat, you've heard RAYMOND WATTS. he wrote the MAJORITY of the lyrics, if not all, for JUKE JOINT JEZEBEL. he was one of the ORIGINAL members of KMFDM, along with SASCHA KONIETZKO and EN ESCH.first of all, the track listing... bah! 1. my sanctuary 2. gravy train 3. angel 4. valley of the ignorant 5. a touch of upheaval 6. infinite shame 7. hog love 8. sweet child 9. sweat and sour 10. blood slicked highway 11. !toxico! 12. sick cityit's an ILLEGAL re-release from cleopatra records, but hey, there were only 3000 copies made. :)some of the more MEMORABLE tracks include: ANGEL, VALLEY OF THE IGNORANT, BLOOD SLICKED HIGHWAY and !TOXICO!ANGEL is unlike anything i have heard RAYMOND WATTS do before OR after this. it's light, and dainty, and melts on your tongue like a wafer.VALLEY OF THE IGNORANT starts out very serene, but changes rather quickly. scratchy guitars, and droning bass work VERY well together. the hi hats take a bit of a back burner during the majority of the song. but the vocals are ALWAYS the focal point, and the only songs that fails in this department are the instrumentals.BLOOD SLICKED HIGHWAY starts out with some ominous sounds, but the guitar comes up rather smoothly, whiny as they may be. the song builds its pace up gradually, for the "power finish" it so well deserves, as RAYMOND WATTS keeps speaking of the BLOOD SLICKED HIGHWAY. mmm... road pizza. :)!TOXICO! is VERY not-like-PIG. it's JAZZY! but it's GREAT! hi hats, horns, upright bass and all! i swear, this song and A TOUCH OF UPHEAVAL have a majority of their roots in jazz, or so it seems.as with all songs that have RAYMOND WATTS doing vocals, the lyrics are TERRIBLY important. if you can get a hold on MORE than just: A POKE IN THE EYE... WITH A SHARP STICK, PRAISE THE LARD, A STROLL IN THE PORK, SIN, SEX & SALVATION, SINSATION and WRECKED, consider yourself blessed, and VERY lucky."

Amazing, and very underrated!!!

Omega | Kansas City, MO, USA | 07/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I guess this record was somehow retrieved and put out without Watts authorization, but I honestly think it's the best of his work to date. It's his most diverse, and he uses a wide array of musical insturments/experimentation on this album creating a twisted nightmare reality one would picture in a Tim Burton film, whereas his later releases like Sinsation and Genuine American Monster were more industrial-metal driven. Anything by Watts is good, but this record proves he's a musical genius far ahead of his time. Highly highly recommended!

By the way the track listing is messed up. It goes as such:

1)My Sanctuary

2)Gravy Train (my favorite track)

3)Angel (a close 2nd)

4)Valley of the Ignorant

5)A touch of upheaval

6)Infinite Shame

7)Hog Love

8)Sweet Child

9)Sweat and Sour

10)The Blood Slicked Highway

11)Toxico

12)Sick City (the song i bet kmfdm wishes they wrote)



The produdction quality is a little muted, but not terribly bad. If you can get ahold of this release I'd say grab it while you can. If I were stranded on a desert island for the rest of my life with only 10 cd's to listen to, this would be one of them."

Toxico!

Stephen | 03/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Praise the Lard may not be 's best work, but I put it up there, solely because of a few tracks (in order of appearance):



1. My Sanctuary - the opener of the album is one of the strongest opener's I've ever heard. This dark track begins with a very cinematic orchestra opening, which then gets a volume blast, and some effects for a fantastic opening. Then the vocals kick in, which evoke some sort of apocalyptic vision, complete with the Four Horsemen. This song is fantastic, which catchy lines that you'll find yourself repeating constantly ("Devotion isn't what it seems" "Two wrongs don't make a right//Two blacks don't make a white")



2. Gravy Train - as with much of 's work and some of KMFDM's there's a noticable ska sound (trumpets and what not) that I like to call "Big Band Industrial." Gravy Train is one of those songs. Unlike "My Sanctuary," this song is much more upbeat with equally catchy lyrics.



3. Angel - "Angel" is an intriguing song, in that it changes structure, tempo and ... general mood about midway. This song isn't your typical love song, folks. I'd assume Watts wrote this about his first wife.



4. Infinite Shame - this song opens with some sort of chanting which I found quite effective in setting a mood. These chants come and go throughout the song and match Watts' nearly gravelly voice wonderfully. This song is infinitely better solely because the preceding song is much worse than it (yep, "A Touch of Upheaval" is the stinker of the album).



5. Toxico - this song makes all other songs on PtL pale in comparison. Another Jazzy Big Band style track, Toxico has the catchiest lyrics I've ever heard, hands down. If you don't listen to this, you will die an unfulfilled life. Painfully. With knives and poison. If there's a reason to buy Praise the Lard, this is it. Right here. When this song ends, you will most likely have an orgasm and then smoke a cigarette with your CD player. That's how good it is. Eargasmic.



6. Sick City - The final track of Praise the Lard is a doozy. It's hard to follow up after a song of a caliber as Toxico, but Watts manages to pull through with a great song, leaving you with good feeling after the album is done.



All in All, Praise the Lard is worth it, if not great. I managed to find a copy for 16 bucks at an FYE. This CD is limited; I doubt they'll make another pressing, so get it while you can. Especially if you like or know someone who does. They'll thank you."