To include this amongs the best albums of the 80s is a bit of a cheat I must admit, the album was actually released in 1990 and to hammer that point home even more when researching I discovered that John Peel actually named it his LP of the year for 1990. So why is it here… Well, it was recorded in 1989 by famed grunge producer Jack Endino at the same Seattle studio where the likes of Nirvana and Mudhoney first cut their chops and for me has the exact same exciting feel hanging over it as the releases from those aforementioned bands had with their initial output. But that’s not the only reason, the album was available as a copy of a copy of a copy cassette around that point and some had found their way into the UK. In today’s digital age it’s an everyday occurrence for those that way inclined to bootleg a new recording straight off the internet. Back then I guess it was down to funds as Babes In Toyland opted to have their home town indie label Twin/Tone release the record and in 1989 that took some time. That twinned with the fact that my copy says 1989 on the back and I’m happy enough to include it here.
Hailing from Minneapolis the formation of Babes In Toyland is crammed with legend. An early incarnation of the band featured Jennifer Finch who later found fame with the awesome L7 and of course when the band was called Sugar Babydoll Courtney Love was featured in the line up as well for a few weeks before she was ejected and formed Hole. This is a band with calibre all right.
Oddly enough band leader Kat Bjelland who is renowned for being the first lady of grunge to wear the ‘Kinderwhore’ look was a cheerleader during high school. A position completely at odds to what she became as the ferocious anti-sex symbol singer of this prototype grunge band. Track after track she displays a venomous vocal attack that can slip between a cutesy singing style one second and a full on roar the next. Songs such as He’s My Thing and Dust Cake Boy which were amongst the groups most popular moments are so full on and up front with female angst it’s no wonder that after the albums initial release hundreds of female rock bands were spawned all referencing Kat’s attitude as to what made them want to pick up their instruments and play. What’s more is that many Riot Grrrl bands cited Kat as a major
influence although in interviews Bjelland was always quick to make clear that she didn’t want her band to be affiliated with the scene.
There are a couple of weak songs on the album. Both Dogg which has drummer Lori Barbero taking the lead vocal and Pain In My Heart which drags on and on are really surplus to requirements. Their inclusion is bizarre as Babes In Toyland followed Spanking Machine up with their To Mother EP which simply contains off cuts from their debut. Each of the songs on it are far superior to the two duds here.
There are so many awesome things going on in this record that it more than makes up for its faults. Swamp Pussy, Vomit Heart and Fork Down Throat sound as great (or horrid) as you would expect them to, they thunder along with thick distortion filled riffs that almost seem out of control. It’s a thrill ride of a record that helped usher in the sounds of the n ext five years.
lostinrock 