Hairway to Steven

Last updated
Hairway to Steven
Butthole Surfers Hairway Front.jpg
Studio album by
Butthole Surfers
ReleasedApril 11, 1988 (US)
1988 (UK) (Australia)
RecordedJanuary 1988
Dallas, Texas
Length41:22
Label Touch and Go (original release)
Latino Buggerveil (1999 reissue)
Blast First (UK)
Au Go Go (Australia)
Producer Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers chronology
Locust Abortion Technician
(1987)		Hairway to Steven
(1988)		 Double Live
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Hairway to Steven is the fourth full-length studio album by American experimental rock band Butthole Surfers, released in April 1988. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers, co-produced by Butthole Surfers and Ric Wallace, and mixed by Wallace. The album was recorded at January Sound Studio in Dallas.

Contents

The album was originally released on Touch and Go, and was reissued on Latino Buggerveil in 1999. Some of its tracks make allusions to famous musicians, such as Julio Iglesias.

Music

The last full-length Butthole Surfers album of the 1980s marked a midway point in the band's career, straddling their psychedelic-noise roots and the more accessible recordings that would follow. Like Butthole Surfers' previous releases, Hairway to Steven uses nontraditional instrumentation, extensive tape editing, and sound modulation. Unlike its predecessors, which relied almost exclusively on a foundation of electric guitar, bass, and dual drummers, it makes equally heavy use of the acoustic guitar.

This was drummer Teresa Nervosa's final studio recording with Butthole Surfers.

Live performances of all of the album's songs, with the exception of "Julio Iglesias", were included on 1989's Double Live . "Rocky" and "Fast" continue to be regular features of their concerts.

Song titles

This album used no actual song titles when originally released; each song was represented by an absurdist, often scatological cartoon printed on the vinyl record's label and in the CD's packaging. In the years since, fans have extrapolated the songs' actual names by cross-referencing this album with official and bootleg recordings of the Surfers' live performances, particularly 1989's Double Live . Many online music services use these widely accepted titles (see "Track listing").

Background

Hairway to Steven was recorded at one studio in a relatively short period of time. According to bassist Jeff Pinkus, the band had been performing most of these songs for years before recording them for this album. Many of the band's previous releases had been piecemeal affairs, recorded over several months in numerous studios, and their songs underwent far more in-studio development.

Butthole Surfers opted to follow this album's blueprint on future recordings, entering the studio with more fully formed songs than they had in the past. Pinkus has expressed the opinion that these better-organized recording sessions stifled much of the spontaneous creativity that had propelled the group's previous albums. [3]

Track listing

All songs written and co-produced by Gibby Haynes, Paul Leary, Jeff Pinkus and King Coffey. The following titles were extrapolated by matching the songs to those found on 1989's Double Live , with the exception of "Julio Iglesias", which is inferred from the song's oft-repeated mention of the singer's name. Searching in the ASCAP Repertory database website shows that all of them match, except 4 as "John E. Smokes."

Side 1

No.TitleLength
1."Jimi"12:38
2."Ricky"2:36
3."I Saw an X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas"4:56

Side 2

No.TitleLength
4."John E. Smoke"6:40
5."Rocky"3:45
6."Julio Iglesias"3:05
7."Backass"6:07
8."Fast"1:35

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1988)Peak
position
UK Indie Chart [4] 6

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butthole Surfers</span> American rock band

Butthole Surfers is an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus.

<i>Locust Abortion Technician</i> 1987 studio album by Butthole Surfers

Locust Abortion Technician is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in March 1987. The album was originally released on both vinyl and CD on Touch and Go, and was remastered on CD on the band's label, Latino Buggerveil, in 1999.

<i>Psychic... Powerless... Another Mans Sac</i> 1984 studio album by Butthole Surfers

Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac is the first full-length studio album by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in December 1984 by Touch and Go Records in America and Fundamental Records in England. All songs were written and produced by the Butthole Surfers.

<i>Live PCPPEP</i> 1984 live album by Butthole Surfers

Live PCPPEP is a live EP and first official live album by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released in September 1984. All songs were written by the Butthole Surfers, and recorded live at The Meridian in San Antonio, Texas, on March 25, 1984.

<i>piouhgd</i> 1991 studio album by Butthole Surfers

piouhgd is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Butthole Surfers, released in 1991 on Rough Trade Records. The album was reissued on Capitol Records in 1992, due to the album being out-of-print following the American branch of Rough Trade closing its doors the previous year. Capitol had bought the rights to the album after its initial release, in order to lure the Butthole Surfers away from other labels. The album was reissued yet again in October 2007 by Butthole Surfers' own label, Latino Buggerveil, and included the four songs from their 1989 EP Widowermaker as bonus tracks.

<i>Independent Worm Saloon</i> 1993 studio album by Butthole Surfers

Independent Worm Saloon is the sixth album by alternative rock band Butthole Surfers, released in 1993 on Capitol Records. The band chose to follow a heavier orientation for most of the record, following the hiring of producer John Paul Jones, formerly of Led Zeppelin.

<i>Widowermaker</i> 1989 EP by Butthole Surfers

Widowermaker is the third studio EP by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released in September 1989. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers.

The discography of American rock band Butthole Surfers consists of eight studio albums, four extended plays (EP), two live albums, three compilation albums, one video album, and eight singles. Formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas, the group signed with the Alternative Tentacles label in 1981. Butthole Surfers' eponymous debut EP was released two years later. The band added drummers King Coffey and Teresa Nervosa in 1983, moved to the Touch and Go label the following year, and released their debut full-length album, Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac.

<i>Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis</i> 1986 EP by Butthole Surfers

Cream Corn from the Socket of Davis is the second studio EP by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released in October 1985. All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers.

Teresa Taylor, also known as Teresa Nervosa, is an American musician and actress. She is best known as being a drummer for the American punk band Butthole Surfers.

<i>Rembrandt Pussyhorse</i> 1986 studio album by Butthole Surfers

Rembrandt Pussyhorse is the second full-length studio album by American experimental rock band Butthole Surfers, released in April 1986. All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers, except "American Woman"—which was written by Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson of The Guess Who—and "Perry", which borrows the theme music to the Perry Mason TV show starring Raymond Burr.

<i>Butthole Surfers</i> (EP) 1983 EP by Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers is the debut studio EP by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in July 1983. It is also known as Brown Reason to Live and Pee Pee the Sailor. All songs were written and produced by Butthole Surfers.

<i>Double Live</i> (Butthole Surfers album) 1989 live album by Butthole Surfers

Double Live is a live double album by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released on vinyl and cassette tape in 1989. An expanded CD edition followed in 1990. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers, except: "The One I Love," written by Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.; "Paranoid," written by Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad; "No Rule," written by Jonas Almqvist of Leather Nun; and "Kuntz," a distorted version of "The Fear (กลัวดวง)" ( written by Kong Katkamngae and performed by Phloen Phromdade, two Thai artists.

<i>The Hurdy Gurdy Man</i> (EP) 1990 EP by Butthole Surfers

The Hurdy Gurdy Man is a studio EP by American alternative rock band Butthole Surfers, released in 1990.

<i>The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt</i> 1995 compilation album by Butthole Surfers

The Hole Truth... and Nothing Butt is the first compilation album by American punk band Butthole Surfers, officially released in March 1995. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers, except for "Come Together" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man".

<i>Humpty Dumpty LSD</i> 2002 compilation album by Butthole Surfers

Humpty Dumpty LSD is the second compilation album by American experimental rock band Butthole Surfers, released in July 2002. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers, except for "Earthquake," which is a cover version of the 13th Floor Elevators song.

<i>Butthole Surfers/Live PCPPEP</i> 2003 compilation album by Butthole Surfers

Butthole Surfers/Live PCPPEP is the third compilation album by American punk band Butthole Surfers, released in January 2003. All songs were written by Butthole Surfers.

Bar-B-Que Movie is an 11-minute Super 8 film directed by American actor/filmmaker Alex Winter, created in 1988. It is a spoof of 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and stars American punk band Butthole Surfers. Featured Surfers include Gibby Haynes, Paul Leary, King Coffey, Teresa Nervosa, and Jeff Pinkus, as well as the band's dancer, Kathleen Lynch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Pinkus</span> American musician

Jeff 'J.D.' Pinkus is an American bassist best known for his work with American punk band Butthole Surfers from 1985 to 1994 and the 2009 reunion.

Kathleen Lynch is an American dancer and performance artist, best known as American punk band Butthole Surfers' "naked dancer" from 1986 to 1989; however, she was never officially part of the band.

References

  1. ↑ Raggett, Ned. "allmusic ((( Hairway to Steven > Review )))". Allmusic . Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  2. ↑ Brackett, Nathan. "Butthole Surfers". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 123, cited March 17, 2010
  3. ↑ Ken Lieck, "Reissuing the Butthole Surfers," The Austin Chronicle Newspaper Vol. 18 Issue 52 Archived 2007-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.