SNAKEFINGER
Sorry for the delay, will be back in a few days with new posts…
SNAKEFINGER - “GREENER POSTURES” LP (1980) + ‘81 live set
Just heard this album for the first time, and I gotta say, I was significantly impressed. Normally, I don’t go for the Residents
Phil “Snakefinger” Lithman, an English guitarist and singer whose musical career began in the early ’60s, recorded a pair of albums in the early ’70s with his pub-rock band Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers. After working closely with the Residents and on his own, he died of a heart ailment in July 1987; the work he left behind typifies both imagination and technical excellence. On songs like “Sinister Exaggerator” and the Residents’ savage reworking of the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction,” his deranged slidework and upside-down solos — trickily playing the wrong notes in the right places — adds an immediately recognizable deviant edge.
Snakefinger’s first and third albums, “Chewing Hides The Sound” (1979) and “Manual Of Errors” (1981) left me a little cold, but “Greener Postures” (1980) is a solid, sometimes magical slab of post-punk terror.
Snakefinger - “Greener Postures” LP (ZIP file)
Snakefinger - Live, Melbourne University, Australia, 05-03-81 (ZIP file)
June 17th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Thank You
June 18th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Thanks a ton. I’ve been rocking the two Snakefinger albums nonstop for the last two days. I’ve never heard of Snakefinger, but am not a new convert. Keep up the good work, this website is great, I know a lot of work goes into it.
June 20th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I’ve see Snakefinger and his fabolous band live in Bologna,Italy,in june’81,they were fantastic,one of the best gig ever.The great guitarist played also a pedal steel guitar and they do a cover of Everybody Need Somebody to Love from the Blues Brothers,a hit at these times…thanks!
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:34 am
Wonderful! Thank you!! I dearly love the first Snakefinger album (listen again to his cover of Ennio Morricone’s “Magic and Ecstasy”), but Greener Postures has some of his best original songs, esp. “Living in Vain” and “Man in the Dark Sedan”. Snakefinger and the Residents made a terrific music video for “Dark Sedan”, and you can find it on YouTube.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:25 pm
I always thought “Chewing Hides the Sound” was a better album than “Greener Postures”– admittedly the production on “…Postures” is better (”Chewing…” definitely has a Residents sound to it– I think they co-wrote a lot of the songs), but “Chewing…” had better quality songwriting overall (some of the tunes on “…Postures” sound forced to me). However, I will go back and give it another listen.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for sharing this album!
July 24th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Definately love “Chewing” the most. But I will listen to them all again. Even if you’re not a Residents fan, Snakefinger’s guitar makes “The Commercial Album” and “Duckstab/Buster and Glen”. Hi sguitar playing on those are ingenius. Primus lifted SO much off of that guitar-playing!
August 11th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Saw Snakefinger during his ’80s tour of NorthAmerica In a small Chicago venue. he brought some residents videos (sic- films) and was B-L-O-W-N away! Technical expertise & effects/fast/innovative- love love love this guy- RIP….
actually got to meet him and autographed my album. DO like the Residents esp. the Commercial Album, but like Greener Postures & Chewing the best! Thanks!