Blast From the Past

Brian Jonestown Massacre - Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request (Committee to Keep Music Evil)
Perhaps most people know of Anton Newcombe from Ondi Timoner's 2003 questionable documentary Dig! than through his career itself; as leader of the neo-psychedelic Brian Jonestown Massacre, Newcombe and his cohorts have turned out a dozen discs showcasing his unique musical vision.

In any event, there's growing evidence that Newcombe's got his act more together these days. One major indicator is the timed re-release of the BJM catalog. These lovingly-packaged albums are out on CD and high quality colored vinyl. The sound is top-notch, and the records are a thing of beauty.

And of course the music's great. This particular album is an example of truth in packaging: the music herein is very much along the lines of the Rolling Stones oft-maligned 1967 answer to Sgt. Pepper's. The original Satanic Majesties was intended as a darker corollary to the Summer of Love, and the 1996 BJM album builds from there with all original material; it's not exactly a Stones sound-alike, but it just fits. It makes one yearn for the days of vinyl, and the sort of music people put out then. Luckily, BJM are still at it.

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