Hexbreaker!

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Hexbreaker!
Hexbreaker!.jpg
Studio album by
the Fleshtones
ReleasedJune 7, 1983
RecordedMarch 1983
StudioSkyline, New York City
Genre Punk, garage rock
Label IRS [1]
Producer Richard Mazda [2]
The Fleshtones chronology
Roman Gods
(1982)		Hexbreaker!
(1983)		 Fleshtones vs. Reality
(1987)

Hexbreaker! is an album by the Fleshtones, released in 1983. [3] [4]

Contents

Production

The album was recorded at NYC's Skyline Studios, in March 1983, and was produced by Richard Mazda. All the songs were composed by the band, with the exception of "Burning Hell", a cover of a John Lee Hooker song. A dance remix was made of the title track with engineer David Lichtenstein and retitled "Super Hexbreaker"; it later appeared on the European EP of "American Beat '84".[ citation needed ]

The record sleeve was designed by lead singer Peter Zaremba, with Carl Grasso, George Dubrose and Richard Mazda, and featured "fey devil photos" by Dubrose. The back cover of the original LP displayed the following message:

"The theme of this album is NEW, because after all, this is the FLESHTONES newest LP. And not only is it their newest but it's also their wildest, most emphatic, most super-rock record yet! It's been said that the FLESHTONES aren't just a pop group but an outlook, a way of life. But - although a lot of things have been said about the FLESHTONES, you'll agree that their new hexbreaking record album renders all praise not only superfluous, but unnecessary. The Guys"

Singles were released in Europe for "Right Side of a Good Thing" and "Screamin' Skull". A promotional music video was made for "Right Side of a Good Thing".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Robert Christgau B− [6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Maximum Rocknroll thought that "great tunes like 'New Scene' and 'Screamin’ Skull' are emasculated by a slick, squeaky-clean sound." [8] Trouser Press called the album "an ultimate ’80s garage-rock classic" and "an exuberant collection of memorable numbers made even better by brilliant playing and spot-on production by Richard Mazda." [2] The New York Times called it "a delightful surprise, a disk that captures the raw excitement of a Fleshtones performance while suggesting that life can add up to more than a round of parties." [9]

The Morning Call deemed the album a "bona-fide" classic. [10] In 2004, Hexbreaker! was one of ten representative albums included in Spin's "garage rock" record guide list. [11]

Track listing

All songs by Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng, except as indicated.

Side one

  1. "Deep in My Heart" (Zaremba)
  2. "What's So New (About You)"
  3. "Screamin' Skull"
  4. "Legend of a Wheelman" (Spaeth)
  5. "New Scene" (Zaremba)
  6. "Hexbreaker" (Fleshtones)

Side two

  1. "Right Side of a Good Thing" (Zaremba)
  2. "Brainstorm"
  3. "This House Is Empty" (Pakulski, Zaremba)
  4. "Want!"
  5. "Burning Hell" (J.L. Hooker, B.Besman)

Personnel

The Fleshtones
Additional personnel

References

  1. 1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. p. 499.
  2. 1 2 "Fleshtones". Trouser Press. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  3. ↑ "The Fleshtones | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ Lochart, James (March 20, 1998). "The Fleshtones". Washington City Paper.
  5. ↑ Deming, Mark. Hexbreaker! at AllMusic
  6. ↑ "Fleshtones: Hexbreaker". Robert Christgau.
  7. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 253.
  8. ↑ "Hexbreaker LP".
  9. ↑ Palmer, Robert (August 3, 1983). "The Pop Life". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ Righi, Len (May 24, 2003). "Although they never really went away, The Fleshtones swing into action again". The Morning Call: D7.
  11. ↑ Milner, Greg (September 2004). "Garage Rock". Spin. 20 (9): 116.
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