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I believe that this album has one or
two songs on it that wouldn't be suitable for radio without at least a
bit of audio trimming. (I do know that a song from the Girls' second album that usess the "F" word in the second line of a song based on Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away" riff was played uncut at least once on community radio here in Atlanta...) But it has two tracks that were more than worth the original cost of the CD by themselves: "I Spent My Last $10 (on Birth Control and Beer)", the lament of a woman who, while between grrlfriends fell for a guy, for the careless, carefree lesbian days of her youth was the song that i heard on community radio several times and that i tracked down the CD for. It is hilarious. It is sad. It is so true, and potentially metaphorically about a lot of things other than sexual politics. You'd hardly think there could be a better song on the same album.When Cowboy Junkies' "Trinity Session" first came out, the longbox ("Daddy, what's a longbox?") had a sticker on it that said "This is the most authentic version of 'Sweet Jane' I have ever heard -- Lou Reed". In a rather more recent interview, Reed remarked that he hadn't heard the Girls' version yet when he said that. |
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(The original cover art, by the way,
features the Girls in a photo-pastiche of Maxfield Parrish; on the left
hand side is what, i think, may be the only mandocello you will ever
see.) Unfortunately, Rough Trade Records (which was at the time Fairport Convention's US label as well) went out of business in the early 90s. And, since the Girls' come nowhere near fitting the procrustean formats of Clear Channel (ptui!) and its ilk, their entire catalog is out of print, and thus their CDs are available only for Absolutely Astonishing prices. But if you ever happen upon a copy of this CD (or the LP, for that matter) in a store that doesn't know what it has and only has it priced in the $20 to $30 range... jump on it. (NEWS!!
It's been re-issued, and can be purchased
from the Two
Nice Girls website for a mere $15!!!)
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