THE ALBUM OF THE DAY IS… MR. BUNGLE, MR. BUNGLE
Oh. My. God. Even less traditionalist than Faith No More is the band Mike Patton was the singer for when Billy Gould and the boys found him (at age 19!), Mr. Bungle. This 1991 offering is musically all over the map and not for the musically close minded or faint of heart (the band had not one but TWO saxophone players, for crying out loud). My personal favorites are what I can only describe as the surfer-metal anthem “My Ass is on Fire” and the surprisingly catchy, wah-funk infused “Girls of Porn,” which features Patton’s stunning spoken-word description of about a jillion different types of fetish vids. Little wonder that FNM later also hired guitarist Trey Spruance (credited here under the alias of Count Dracula’s birth name, “Vlad Drac,” for reasons I’m still not clear on). The album’s mix of daring, bravado, and twisted humor makes it a must-own for all of us who happily worship at the altar of Mike Patton.
-AR
Buy Mr. Bungle
