Locust Abortion Technician

As a former locust abortion technician myself, I can confirm that this record truly represents what an under appreciated role we have society. It really gives us a voice.

Worst one yet! My horizons are expanding but I don't want them to.

the first comment on youtube is this "My wife and kids not only hated it, they think I may have lost my mind. How do I tell them that this album touched my consciousness like a greasy finger dipped into a puddle - the oily rainbow slick instantly spreading accross the entire surface of my mind - altering, imbuing, opening. Perspective is the greatest gift we ever got." fair enough - it wasn't quite a greasy finger up the bum like this guy had but i did enjoy it.

I gave this a cursory listen and was about to mark it “1” and move on but the last few songs on the LP grabbed me. I liked the Asian sounding guitar work that kicks off Kuntz.  Also, the last song (22 Going On 23) is powerful. It sounds like a radio show where a very hurt and / or deranged woman calls in and the host has nothing useful to say to her.  It’s pure magic how the guitar playing captures the mood of the talk show dialogue. These two tunes motivated me to listen again and pay more attention and I'm glad I did. The album starts w Sweat Loaf. I quite like it but can’t for the life of me figure out why. The song transitions back and forth from quiet and almost whisper like  to aggressive and heavy. Nirvana later did this very effectively on Heart Shaped Box. The lyrics on Sweat are measured. This the case on most songs on this LP. No excess verbiage, no references to Greek Philosophers or obscure  contributors to the Bible. Nothing here is even one inch pompous and, if I remember correctly, being pompous was quite fashionable in 1987. In Graveyard, I like the distorted voice. It’s reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man but I couldn't for the life of me (pardon the pun) understand the lyrics without my friendly  internet connection.  It’s a dark and creepy song which is up my alley. Another angst filled song  I also like is Human Cannonball  (although Human Cannibal seems to be the better name???)  By the time we get to U.S.S.A. and The O-Man the LP has disintegrated to the stage that all that remains is noise. The lyrics to U.S.S.A. are by any definition terse. The words are: U.S.S.A, U.S.A, U.S.S.R, U.S.S.A. No Pulitzer Prize coming anytime soon but I doubt they'd want one. The interesting part about using such terse lyrics is the listener can decide what the song's about. The words do evoke thought and I can think they have a meaning related to the Bay of Pigs while another person can think they relate to the different kinds of poverty and crime in the two then super powers. The beauty of simple lyrics is that the customer is always right. This is also the second album sent to us in the last week where barnyard sounds figure prominently. Hey if it’s good enough for Sgt Pepper . . . I told a friend about the LP tonight and as I was doing so I couldn’t help but worry that the fact I like this LP so much might cost me a friend. lol.

I gotta say fellas, this is some of the most fucked up shit. It has a vibe. And I do enjoy noise 4/5

Here's a record that I feel like I should have listened to a long time ago. This is right up my alley; heavy, weird, funny, trippy. I love how it leans into how badly recorded it is, and goes heavy into the weirdness. Lots of effects and strange production techniques on what is a pretty punk album, which makes it sound like nothing else. I love the fired take on Black Sabbath ('Sweet Loaf'), plus the backwards tape, effects, sound effects and found tape. It is pretty unsettling, but there are songs o n here that rock pretty hard, and few memorable riffs (if no tunes to speak of). I've listened to this three times through today, and really dig it. (I do like that it doesn't outstay its welcome. 30 minutes is about perfect timing for it to barge in, mess your head up, and then ride off into the sunset.). I really would liek to give this 3.5 stars, but I can't, so I'm going to lean towards 4, because this was a lot of fun, and I will buy a copy next time I see one at a reasonable price.

the best part of this album is at the beginning when they sample a guitar riff from a competent band

Truly appalling. I own 1001 albums that are better than this and not on the list.

My first Butthole Surfers experience. It's loud and I liked it. I've always heard of the band but never heard the music. I really loved the first track and how it sounds oh so similar to Sweet Leaf by Black Sabbath...let me see, what was that song called. Oh yeah, Sweet Loaf. I liked this band right from the start! Ok, it took 1+ minutes, because of that slow load into the guitar riff. Ok, some of the songs have lyrics - I guess. I think they are saying something in "The O-Men" but It could just be nonsense... it doesn't matter. Their noise is interesting. Kuntz is a song sung in Thai... where'd that come from! I'm sure they picked the word because it sounds like cunt! Songs like Graveyard, pound hard and make me turn it up a bit more... I turned it up to 11 on a 10 scale :) There are some really interesting sounds in the song "Hay". Calling it a "song" is a stretch. It is more of an experience in sound than a song. Human Cannonball is probably the most "radio-worthy" song. It seemed like a complete song that I would easily expect to hear on College Radio back in 1987. It has lyrics you can understand too! Halfway through U.S.S.A. I smiled. That guitar riff, that nonsense babble just got me. The into of "22 going on 23" is baffling. She sounds more like 82 going on 83... Great guitar riffs throughout this one. Standout tracks: Sweet Loaf Human Cannonball.

A thundering volley of whingeing fuck knuckles.

Avant garde noise rock at its finest. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea and I totally get that.

Throw genre out the door because it has no place on this record. Perhaps we could call it noise punk; it certainly fits the punk ethos. This album conjures feelings of disconnection and seems to be a gross parody of music and society. However, for whatever reason, it really appeals to me and I throughly enjoyed this album.

That was a wild ride. A good time, but not one that I think I'll go on very often if ever again. Favorite Track(s): "Sweat Loaf" and "Graveyard" (the second one)

Well it took about 10 seconds of each song for me to physically become ill. That’s not a good sign.

Really weird and punk. Gave it a few rotations and loved it

Nightmare Fuel. Recommended for fans of Sonic Youth, Ween’s pre-Chocolate and Cheese albums, LSD

I don't like the butthole servers much

Well, this is going to be a challenge. Well, actually no, it isn't. Whilst there are some challenging tracks, the album altogether just works. The Butthole Surfers are one of those verymost irritating of bands, in that they seem to just fart about. Nothing of them should work. They give no indication of ever putting any effort in, and yet they produce works of musical genius. They shouldn't be this good. Now, I'm not saying that they weren't hard working - but a million bands have worked just as hard (or harder) and not achieved what the Butthole Surfers managed to. Admittedly, Kurt Cobain said in an interview once that he liked them, and that probably helped quite a considerable amount. Luck is more of a factor than hard work, and "who you know" helps out an awful lot more than that. I can't not mention in this review though how Orbital sampled the opening lines from Sweat Load for their track "Satan". What a track. Beautiful. I'd genuinely had no ideas that it came from the Butthole Surfers.

bom demais

Love the album. Reminds me of highschool.

Very nice!

SATAN SATAN SATAN Great album

Punk as all hell

Strong 4. Dark and hard as nails. Not a huge huge fan of the pure noisy tracks but the feeling is understood. Standout Tracks: Pittsburgh to Lebanon, Hay, Kuntz, Graveyard (2), 22 Going On 23

This album is an experimental blend of punk rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic music. The music is creative as the band recorded everything themselves, but it's also supported by great guitar playing. The entire album was a trip, whether that be nightmarish or awesome, is up to the listener to decide. For sure an interesting album nonetheless.

Butthole Surfers. What a name. I don't like this, but I like it more than that Scott Walker album, it's more interesting. It's loud, dark, and aggressive, but there are a few bright spots. For the '80s, it's a little impressive. These guys clearly aimed to shock and offend. Sorry boys, I was just a little bored. Also, big shout out to Alden for discovering that Albino Andrew was in this band. Favorite tracks: Kuntz, 22 Going on 23 Album art: We love clowns, don't we folks? These clowns are having the time of their lives training a pup. I'd love it if this happy picture tricked some unsuspecting rubes into buying this. 2/5

Chaotic genius My favourite Buttholes album. I perfect mix of experimental weirdness that doesn't overshadowed some well crafted industrial grunge sludge that is strangely indebted to Sabbath

5.0 - This horror-psychedelic blend of sludgy guitars, demented imagery, raw noise and bizarre recordings hits me like a gut-punch. Perhaps it's my jaded ears but I'm loving this shit. Standouts: "Pittsburgh to Lebanon", "Kuntz", "22 Going on 23."

I love this album name so much

this i should like and do a lot

this is fucking amazing! Noisy and wild. I listened to another album right away

yknow in like, cartoons or teenybopper sitcoms when the characters knock over a vase, and they gotta glue and duct tape it back together and comedically hope that the owner of said vase don't notice that it's been shattered into a million pieces? the Butthole Surfers knocked over rock music on purpose, tried to tape it back together on Locust Abortion Technician, and it is now your duty to see how long you can humor them and pretend it's still rock and not a pile of shattered debris on a pedestal.

I would say it’s a 3.5 for me, I enjoyed my listen but I don’t see myself coming back to the album as a whole, maybe some of the specific tracks like “Kuntz” and “22 going on 23.” But I’m giving a four just because of how interesting an experience the whole album is

Clearly a really influential album for some big grunge artists of the 90s, I love the almost broken guitar sounds, huge fuzz and mad reverse sections and messed up vocals. Can't say it will be an album I will go back to time and time again but from an influence, production and pure madness point of view this deserves recognition. Gets a boxbat special 3.5 from me

The Sweat Leaf riff is a good start if you wanna get college radio play. The noise rock is a bit hit & miss. I liked “the O-Men”. “Hay” not so much. It seems to me that their only contribution to the Phloen Phromdaen song was turning it into toilet humour. I would give this a higher mark, if not for “22 going on 23.” While I think it’s at times unfair to look at lyrics through a 2020 lens, building a song around (and mocking) a woman’s recounting to a radio host of how her rape gives her nightmares was surely over the top even way back in 1987. It’s too bad because the song itself is well-realized, so dark and heavy, and since so many US radio talk shows are also dark and heavy, there should have been no shortage of other material (though it might not shock and disgust to the same extent).

Some of these songs made me want to jam a screwdriver into my ears to make it stop. Some were okay.

You know, I think these guys were on to something here. Oops, sorry. I meant on something. These guys were ON SOMETHING when they made this album, and whatever it was didn't enhance their creativity or musical abilities!

Another one of those albums make me question the office mentality when putting this list together. I have quite a wide ranging vocabulary but even I'm struggling come up with words that adequately describe this utter bowl of sputum that has been delivered. To call it noise is actually insulting the concept of noise itself so i'm left describing it as the biggest pile of horseshit I have ever encountered put together by the largest bunch of fuck knuckles. And there You have it, Only the fact I'm obliged to give it one star, but I do sir but I am doing so reluctantly having had my fingernails pulled out with a pair of pliers and my ears syringed with hydrochloric acid.

I could write all day about this band and my relationship with them. This is not the Butthole Surfers album I would have picked if I could put only one on the list, but it is still a fucking amazing album that showcases both how offputting and weird they can be, but also their alchemic ability to make something weird and upsetting be enjoyable to listen to. It starts off hot with Sweat Loaf, a song that occasionally explodes into noise and a guy yelling the word Satan over and over before sliding into gentle melodic guitar parts. That sums it up pretty well. You never know where this bus is going next, and you always have the feeling that it might drive straight off a cliff at any moment, and then every once in a while it opens up into a vista so beautiful that you see it in your bones, and then you look closer and see that said vista is actually just painted on the side of a dilapidated porno theater 5/5

Sounds super interesting

I’ve only known Butthole Surfers for their more popular tracks, especially when they started getting radio play back in my middle and high school days. That’s when all my friends were listening to them, but I never really gave their albums a chance because they felt like a more commercial, polished version of experimental music. At the time, I was already diving into more extreme avant-garde artists like John Zorn. Listening to this album now, I was surprised by how good and experimental it is, but in a DIY, punk, and sludgy way. If I’d heard this back then, my perception of the band probably would’ve been very different.

I was a few years late to this wonderful record, which always puts a smile on my face. and it did so again when it popped up for me here as the next album. Played it twice in a row while enjoying all the 1 star reviews.

Heavy metal meets hardcore. Butthole Surfers are committed to irreverence and experimentation in equal measure. They want to make a lot of chaotic noise, push the boundaries and also mess with you a bit. The music is wild and brilliant. “The O-Men” is a mad piece of hardcore absurdism sung in gibberish. It feels like walking through a nightmare funhouse. Oof, this last track is pretty devastating with the voices of women talking about abuse on top of the music. From the opening Black Sabbath cover through every weird twist and turn this album takes, I was continually surprised and delighted. Heaven help me, I think this might be a masterpiece. Great album cover.

The noise and the rage and the knowing smirk straight at the audience. These guys knew exactly what they were doing. I love that Mr. Peppermint's son cut this path for himself.

perskarvoilla kickflippejä ja muuta hyvää ruokaa

This album is nucking futs.

I've never listened to this album before and it's amazing

Well. They sure are insane! I think it would be a terrible idea to listen to this if you're not sober lmao. I am well aware that there are albums of similar quality that I would rate lower but turns out this is just my kind of noise... but just enough of it. As a short album, it works. Super experimental, really interesting and just... so, so strange

Great. 5/5

Be sure n tell her, SATAN

Cannot go wrong with these guys

Pittsburgh

bold of me to listen on my work laptop. What a grimy album. No notes. 5 stars.

Yeah surf da buttholez

epic madness

I knew I’d get a surfers album eventually, absolutely enjoyed it and listened a second time through! 5/5 recommend. It’s short and sweet, and Sweat Loaf is a great song

It's rare a band min-maxes into both the experimental and fun stats, but my god they do it. They could surf my butthole any day.

Weird, abrasive, fuzzy, and shocking. The guitar sound is superb, as is the playing. I think I love it.

Happy day 365 to me and I’m blessed with a masterpiece. This is SO good. Don’t trust the haterz.

First I thought, are my headphones broken? But no, amazing

Love this album

cool

Oh, I love this one. Fierce and aggressive, unpredictable changes with experimental sound and structures. So noisy and chaotic! This is exactly what I signed up for! I would give a 3.5/5 exactly on this one. It's not so nice sounding but weird and fun!

Avoiding their awful name meant I missed this great album, also with an awful name.

A wild psychedelic ride that helps you appreciate the surfers for what they are worth to the industry.

Positiv overraskelse! Meget nært beslægtet med Mr. Bungle. Jeg nød den

Oh yeah, this one almost defines weird for the sake of weird. Is it a punk rock album? Is it grunge? Is it a psychedelic rock album? Is it just noise? Nobody has a single clue, and that’s the key defining characteristic of this album. Musically it’s just straight up bizarre. It’s almost the OG edgelord album, but it’s not at all unenjoyable for me to listen to it. It’s almost intentionally controversial, and it’s clearly born of an incredible amount of drug use, but there’s so many references and unique little quips in this album, I’m positive that the majority of them went over my head. It’s clever in its strangeness. It’s not something that I’ll ever add to my regular rotation, but it’s definitely a record that I’m glad exists. 4*

Loud. Strange. Absurd. Kinda anxiety-inducing. Often dissonant. Weirdly fun? There is a lot of creativity in this album and it doesn’t take itself very seriously. A strange sense of humor permeates it. The opening track, “Sweet Loaf” oscillates abruptly between different sounds; the result is a lot of fun to listen to and one of my favorites on the album. “Kuntz” is the other favorite, an expected and delightful twist on a recording of some southeast Asian origin. “Pittsburgh to Lebanon” sounds like a blues track that marinated in a vat of toxic sludge. The weak points for me were “USSA” and “The O-Men”, which I found a bit grating. This album sounds like a bad acid trip but somehow uses that to its benefit and ends up a miraculous winner. There is some kind of black magic going on here. 7.5/10 would listen again

Oh! This is where Orbital got the sample from! Nice. Heavy and Weird. I am in, sir! Sign me up for a subscription! Noise. Human Cannonball is a great post-punk banger also. More noise. Yes thank you.

Goes Hard 8/10

- Avant-garde garage rock? I had no idea that was the Butthole Surfers oeuvre. - Really digging this for the first half. Great crunch, enthralling beats, keeps your heart pumping. Comes to a head with "Human Cannonball." - Loses me a bit after that stellar track. Found the next two to be a bit grating and "Kuntz" to be more bewildering than anything else.

The Surfers at the pinnacle of weirdness. Good stuff.

YAY sweatloaf- 7 or 8. i wonder how the janitor who told me about the butthole surfer show he went to is doing. miss him graveyard- 6 pittsburgh to lebanon- 7 weber- 6 hay- 6 or 7 human cannonball- 6 ussa- 6 or 7 the o man- when youre happy you enjoy the music, when youre sad you understand the lyrics. 7 or 8 kuntz- 7 grave yard 2- 5 22 going on 23- 6 favorite song is sweat loaf or the o men

I kinda dig it. Some of it is pretty... just noisy, but I've heard many albums that are noise for noise sake and this isn't one of them. Like, they know what they're doing and how to use some of those harsh tones in kind of a Stephen Riech way. I guess, less experimental and with more purpose.

4/5

It is what it is. Long live the Surfers.

I’d be satisfied giving this a 3, but in order to spite Kevin it’s a 4/5.

Good crunch sound, some weird stuff on here but it goes hard.

Holy shit wtf lol this opening track. This album kinda rules.

I hope there's more of them on here wow

America's freakiest freaks come from the south.

One of my only complaints is that it's too short. This album is heavy as hell while maintaining it's acid-soaked, psychedelic, abstract approach throughout. Real tasteful fuzzed out bass riffs infused with megaphone vocals, backwards effects, slowed down tracks, and enough lo-fi studio trickery to keep you guessing.

So way better than I expected. Not just some mindless punk or sludge album. You never really know where each track is going. I'll take weird any day of the week. The blending of styles and samples worked really well.

I know some of the songs are annoying but damn...1987? These guys were at the vanguard of a massive assault on 80s shit music and they kick ass. Butthole Surfers, Faith No More, Fugazi, Pixies...there are many others but there is no doubt that was change in the air in the waning years of the 1980s if you could look past your Whitesnake and see it. And don't even fucking start with me...I loved Whitesnake! But it was time to move on by 1987, and bands like The Butthole Surfers forced the issue. As for this particular album, it a lot like other Butthole Surfers albums: annoying, brilliant, poignant, loud, repetitive, punky, rocky, poppy, confusing, funny. I felt like I was listening to music at least, as opposed to a commercial endeavor. And for that, I say, "Thank you, Butthole Surfers."

Loved it.

Really good album, I have been listening to a few tracks on it for years, but coming back to it with more understanding of the Surfers' work means I appreciate all the tracks on this, but still some more than others. Dirty, noisy, chaotic, punk, irreverent, fun, energetic, with the tracks like Kuntz and 22 Going On 23 showing that the band are capable of beauty, empathy and nuance, but choose to express themselves otherwise. Edge of a five star rating for me, really enjoyed this.

I can see how this was a big deal in 1987. Now it's just noise. Their later stuff is better.

Pretty interesting and entertaining album.

Since Butthole Surfers is to hard rock as Miles Davis is to jazz, I shouldn’t like this album - but I do. The group’s ability to create catchy phrases of lyrics and riffs, along with keeping each song and the album short, made me want more. The jerks!

Sounds super progressive for early 80s punk. Not even sure if post-punk was a thing by that point but they certainly were on the vanguard.

Experimental and psychedelic alternative rock from 87. Inspiring Kurt Kobain and others. Powered by drugs in a small flat.

Rockin' tracks. I'm going to be listening to this until my butthole hurts.

All these people have no taste. This was cool and fun and didn't take itself too seriously. Great album.

Cool

I was lead to believe this was one of the worst albums on the website. This album is incredible, I don’t understand everyone. I really like it

The name of this album really was something. The actual content was quite fun, except for the last song which was called 22 going on 23 (literally me fr) and was about a girl who had been sexually assaulted. So. Certainly covered a Range of subject matter

Album 356 of 1001 Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician Rating : 4 / 5 Their 'Electriclarryland" album is a favorite and I hoped that I would like this one, as well. While it didn't seem to hit that mark, it is certainly the Butthole Surfers and I like it. They are an acquired taste, for sure. I've been known to like some weird stuff. If you've only heard of them but never heard them, give a listen. I would recommend Electriclarryland over this one, but this would be a fine start, as well. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Music needed this, the same way it needed Black Flag and Fugazi. It's not user friendly, but it's worth the effort. And to the haters: the music you and the critics fawn over wouldn't look so good if it wasn't for these guys.

didn't listen to the whole thing but 4/5 on principal.

An absolute classic