8 Eyed Spy

by Lydia Lunch, 8 Eyed Spy

Overview

Another chunk of Atavistic's long-overdue retrospective of Lydia Lunch's highly influential early work, 8 Eyed Spy collects the entire recorded output of Lunch's second band. A far more overtly "musical" group than Teenage Jesus & the Jerks (which also featured Lunch and Jim Sclavunos, who switched from bass to drums for the new band), 8 Eyed Spy were no less confrontational. A modicum of actual talent and a newfound appreciation for musical forms that predate 1977 inform 8 Eyed Spy's slightly less chaotic music, making this compilation sort of the downtown post-punk equivalent to Trout Mask Replica. Indeed, the album kicks off with a peculiarly effective deconstruction of Captain Beefheart's early single "Diddy Wah Diddy," joining tracks by the Strangeloves and Creedence Clearwater Revival alongside the powerful originals led by Lunch's harsh but urgent vocals and Pat Irwin's honk-blat-phwee saxophone. The live half of the album suffers from the same kind of beyond-lo-fi sound issues as Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, but this is in all other ways a tremendous step up. Unfortunately, 8 Eyed Spy broke up after barely a year when bassist George Scott died, and they were never able to fulfill the promise of these early recordings. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/1997
Label:	Atavistic
UPC:	0735286197525

Tracks

1. Diddy Wah Diddy
2. Lazy in Love
3. Love Split
4. Dead Me You B Side
5. Swamp
6. Run Through the Jungle
7. Motor Oil Shanty
8. You Twist I Shout
9. Looking for Someone
10. Lightning's Girl
11. Innocence
12. Boy Meets Girl
13. 2 Square
14. I Want Candy
15. Ran Away Dark

Album Credits

Performance Credits

8 Eyed Spy   Primary Artist
Lydia Lunch   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Anthony Phillips   Composer
Mike Rutherford   Composer
Tony Banks   Composer
Peter Gabriel   Composer
Richard Gottehrer   Composer
Gerald Goldstein   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
B. Russell   Composer
John Silver   Composer
John Fogerty   Composer
Lee Hazlewood   Composer
Lydia Lunch   Composer
Bob Feldman   Composer
Bo Diddley   Composer