Fleshtones
More Than Skin Deep
(Telstar/Ichiban)
I've been sittin' on this here puppy for several months now, waitin' to see if'n my initial impression held up. And it has: More Than Skin Deep is the best Fleshtones LP ever. Alright, squares. Pick yer jaws up off the hardwood. I'm serious.  From the opening cave-stomp of "I'm Not a Sissy" through the breezy optimism of the closer, "Better Days," Peter Zaremba and the boys play as if someone just hollered  "last call" and they've still got a keg to kill.  Over the course of their 20+ years together, these gray-hairs have evolved into a genre all their own. Sure, their foot is still firmly planted in the fields of Farfisa Farm, but the Kings of Super Rock have long since abandoned mere Nuggets worshipping.  Longtime fans who've been (understandably) disappointed with their recent output (the Steve Albini-ruined Laboratory of Sound; the spotty Powerstance!) are gonna flip their gourds. Even longtime sideman Gordon "The Wheelman" Spaeth returns from the grave, sax in hand, for the sleazy instro "Blow Job." This record is for real. It's got muscle, heart AND a tribute to everyone's favorite nickel-bubblegum hero "Bazooka Joe." So quit wearin' out yer copy of Hexbreaker!, 'cause the boys are back and they're pissed-off ya haven't invited 'em over in awhile. And of note to you digital geeks: the vinyl version has a couple of songs not on the disc. So nyah
nyah nyah.
Claude Zachary