Search - T-Bone Burnett :: Behind the Trap Door

T-Bone isn't a DEMON. Fun With Record Speed Controls

Danny M. Dean | Baton Rouge, Louisiana United States | 06/20/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In 1986, when this Import Only EP was released, a dear friend (and fellow Bruce Cockburn Fan) told me that T-Bone had finally gone too far. "This is junk. I don't know why he is on the Demon label. Maybe, it's because this experimental garbage sounds demonic." After listening to a little, having spent time in radio, I realized the problem. I corrected the pitch from 33 to 45 RPM and my friend's face turned an almost purple shade of red. If you have the Vinyl EP, note this is a 12" 45 RPM record. Past that oddity, there's little more than "Amnesia & Jealousy: Oh Lana" to suggest this hastily recorded hodgepodge of six songs. My wife's tired of me using the cleverly titled by Bono/Burnett "Having A Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her" line on my postcards when away from home. (With a great title like that as well as help from Bono, it seems it wouldn't seemingly drag at 33&1/3rd RPM even when you play it correctly. It does.) This EP is a hard find on CD as it was released in a small pressing on Demon in the UK. Completists: go for it. Everyone else, get the real Warner Brothers "Trap Door" or Warner's stunning "Proof Through The Night." Equally amazing are: The Criminal Under My Own Hat, The Talking Animals, J. Henry Burnett & The B52 Band With The Fabulous Skylarks, Truth Decay, The Acoustic Self Titled 1986 Dot release and T-Bone's lead in the supergroup "The Alpha Band" as chronicled on Edsel's "Interviews" CD. Everyone Else: Wait for the T-Bone Box Set for "Amnesia & Jealousy: Oh Lana" and buy the aforementioned T-Bone Burnett recordings while you can still find them."

Behind T-Bone

Toomuchnoise | 11/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even though it was a commercial no-show in America, this album contains some really great material. I assume it is a follow up on his genius "Trap Door" album but I assure you, these songs are definitely not second tier out-takes. It is one of my most cherished LP's."

Nice, But Where's The First EP 'Trap Door'?

D.C. Hanoy | Athens, Georgia | 06/27/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Behind the Trap Door, T-Bone Burnett's fourth recording (his second EP) following the breakup of the Alpha Band, is a varied collection of material that includes collaborations with Bono, Bob Neuwirth, and Richard Thompson. The record, with its stripped-down and decidedly uncommercial sound, along with the inclusion of a soundtrack instrumental and a cut recorded prior to 1980's Truth Decay sessions, has the feel of a career filler for Burnett (he was between major labels). This by no means suggests that Behind the Trap Door is without its charms. The opener, "Strange Combination," is pure Burnett, with its impressionistic spoken lyric over a chunky acoustic guitar and clanging percussion. "Amnesia and Jealousy (Oh! Lana)" and "The Law of Average" are infectious acoustic pop, while the winsome instrumental "Welcome Home, Mr. Lewis," written with Thompson, closes the record nicely. Fans of T-Bone Burnett's work will find pleasures throughout Behind the Trap Door, although it's by no means an essential piece of his catalog. - by Brett Hartenbach, AMG



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