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Customer Reviews of The Golden Palominos

The Golden Palominos, Part I
The New York studio collective known as The Golden Palominos were well-known for changing musical styles more frequently then people change their clothes. On their 1983 self-titled debut, drummer & group leader Anton Fier reels into the studio some of New York's most well-known, avant-garde jazz-fusion greats, such as Bill Laswell, Fred Frith, Arto Lindsay, and John Zorn. To sum them up in a single sentence, this 1st incarnation of the group sounds like King Crimson times two. It's a very bizarre, eclectic, progressive-sounding hodgepodge of funk, jazz, strange noises, vocal gibberish, and instrumental noodling. The first time I played this album, I was very perplexed---this wasn't the Palominos group I knew and loved from "Pure" and "This Is How It Feels" (and boy, did I miss Lori Carson's lovely voice). But after several more spins, the album finally grew on me. It's pretty trippy stuff and it's not for everybody, but there's no denying how daring & envelope-pushing this original version of the Palominos were. The best stuff on this disc are the funky jams "Clean Plate," "Monday Night," and "I.D.," featuring solid thump-drumming from Fier, Bill Laswell's fat basslines, and Arto Lindsay's weird, off-kilter vocals, while experimental exercises like "Hot Seat" and "Cookout" are also very intriguing. This album would be the Golden Palominos' only trip down the avant-garde jazz-fusion road, as Anton Fier would bring in a whole new set of musicians & singers for the group's next album, the more accessible "Visions Of Excess," including R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Jack Bruce of Cream, and the Sex Pistol's John Lydon. But it all started here---the Golden Palominos' self-titled debut is a very bold album that pulls no punches, and it won't appeal to everyone. But for those who can handle it, there is much to admire.

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Clean Plate
When my friends ask me what unusual, underrated, or unknown albums I'd recommend to them (this isn't pure egotism on my part - they're taking advantage of my 14 years as a college radio DJ), then this usually tops the list.

At which point I have to try and describe what this CD actually sounds like... The best I can usually come up with is 'avant-garde funk-jazz fusion', but that seems so pathetically inadequate.

Let's just put it this way, if the following names mean anything to you, you have to buy this CD: Anton Fier, Arto Lindsay, Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, John Zorn, Nicky Skopelitis. If those names _don't_ mean anything to you, then what the hell, buy it anyway. Whether you love it or hate it, I guarantee you you'll never hear anything quite like it again.

PS: but be warned that the late 80's / early 90s Golden Palominos albums - Anton Fier with various second-rate 'alternative' artists - are very different.

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The shot heard 'round the East Village?
This release blew the doors off my perception of music when I first heard it back in the early 80's. While the DMX programming sounds somewhat dated, this over looked classic demands a re- listen. Featuring a no wave supergroup consisting of Anton Fier, Arto Lindsay, Bill Laswell, John Zorn, Jamaladeen Tacuma, David Moss, Michael Beinhorn, Fred Frith and others I can't recall, this group threw noise, funk, hip hop, sound collage and a couple other influences into a "post rock stew" that few groups have equalled since. A few of the many highlights include the avant funk of "Clean Plate", the pulverizing groove of "I.D." and Zorn's bird call solo on "Monday Night". Put down your cd's from all those Chicago deep thinkers and give this a spin.