Let's Have A Talk With The Dead

Album Review

Let's Have a Talk with the Dead is the definitive Show Business Giants album, with 18 diverse songs chock-full of pop cultural references, zany hooks, and masterful rock riffing. From the opening "The First Pygmy in Space" to the finale "Wake Up and Roar, Bachelor God," Tom Holliston and his band show an adept ability to mutate elements of funk, punk, metal, reggae, doo wop, and boogie into a highly listenable concoction. Topics include homages to movie and minor television icons (Russell Johnson, aka Doc on Gilligan's Island; Wendy Mesley, a CBC newscaster; Mothra, winged nemesis to Godzilla; and Star Trek's "The Other Side of Mr. Sulu"), self-disparagement ("I've Got Gingivitis," "I'm the Lickspittle of the Animal Kingdom"), and even a straightforward cover of "Sugartown." The absolute killer, though, is the hilarious musician in-joke parody "Soundcheck," with a brilliant Jello Biafra impersonation leading listeners through a ridiculous routine. The original pressing is out of print, but it has happily been reissued. An excellent introduction to the group, and a must-have for fans of wacky independent rock and Nomeansno completists.