Conference mr1pst::music

627.0. "Blotto" by QRYCHE::STARR (We all want something beautiful) Wed Apr 20 1994 16:44

For the unitiated, Blotto is sort of the upstate New York version of The Fools.
First formed back in 1979, they are part musicians, part comediens, very 
hilarious and a lot of fun both live and on record!

I was in Disc Diggers in Somerville over the weekend, and was surprised to see
a 'Collected Works' CD, released on One Way Records. It appears to have all
of Blotto's previously released material, plus a couple other things (20 songs 
in all).

There's at least a handful of classic songs on here. "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard" 
is represented the most often, with the studio version, a live version, and a 
Karaoke version. (There's a warning label on the album that states: "BLOTTO 
and One Way Records hereby disclaim all reliability for any injuries sustained 
as a result of or in conjunction with the karaoke performance included 
herein.") My favorite couplet in this song remains "summer blondes revealing 
tan lines, I'll make more moves than Allied Van Lines".  8^)

There's lots of other great spoofs on here also. "Metalhead" (featuring a
guest appearance by Blue Oyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma) starts out with

	"Something strange is coming over me
	 Something I can't explain
	 Suddenly there's an empty void
	 Where I used to keep my brain
	 I want to call a doctor
	 But I'm too wasted to phone one
	 Wanna customize my van
	 And I don't even own one...."

and just does downhill from there! 8^)

My personal favorite is "We Are The Nowtones", an absolutely *hilarious*
takeoff on Top 40 lounge acts. And there's also the classic "My Baby's The
Star Of A Driver's Ed Movie". Here's a complete listing of the songs on the 
disk:

1. I Wanna Be A Lifeguard
2. We Are The Nowtones
3. Too Much Fun
4. It's Only Money
5. Scream
6. I Quit
7. Metal Head
8. It's Not You
9. Occupational Hazard
10. When The Second Feature Starts
11. Goodbye, Mr. Bond
12. She's Got A Big Boyfriend
13. Gimme The Girl
14. My Baby's The Star Of A Driver's Ed Movie
15. H.S.H.
16. Stop! In The Name Of Love
17. Lightning Strikes
18. I Wanna Be A Lifeguard (live)
19. The B Side
20. I Wanna Be A Lifeguard (karaoke version)

Total running time: aprox. 78 minutes

Personnel:	Broadway Blotto: guitars and vocals
		Bowtie Blotto: guitars and vocals
		Sergeant Blotto: various things and vocals
		Cheese Blotto: bass and vocals
		Lee Harvey Blotto: drums and vocals
		Blanche Blotto: keyboards and vocals (1,2,16,20)
		Chevrolet Blotto: keyboards and vocals (10,12-15)
		Rob Sabino: keyboards (11)
		Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser: big fat guitars (7)

I don't think Blotto is around anymore; the last time I saw them live was
about five or six years ago at The Rat. Not sure what the members are up
to now.

alan

    Man, the last time I saw Blotto was about 10 years ago in Lowell, MA
    at a small club called The Raft.  They played many of the songs listed
    in the base note (my two favorites being "Metal Head" and "Nowtones").
    
    I'll have to sniff out this CD.
    
    				- Paul

    
    	I bought a video of theirs about 8-10 years ago in one of those
    	mall music stores, which has:
    
    	"Metal Head"
    	"I Quit"
    	"I Wanna Be a Lifeguard"
    
    	First heard "Metal Head" on The Dr. Demento Show over 10 years
    	ago and loved it.
    
    							GTI
    

    
    Seen 'em in Syracuse a few times and in the old Living Room in
    Providence, RI.  I personally think they were better than the Fools.
    
    - Sean

    When I was in college at RPI in Troy, NY, Blotto used to play
    there several times a year.  They used to headline many of our
    student gevernment events [i.e. GM week].   Great band live; though
    the last time I saw them [1987?] they were getting really corny;
    getting into the Elvis tribute stuff and all that....