Peter Laughner Take the guitar player for a ridePereUbu
$
80
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Description
Trouser Press: As chronicler of — and prime mover in — the groundbreaking Cleveland scene in the early '70s, Peter Laughner (who died in 1977 at the age of 24) ranks as one of underground rock's true unsung heroes. Though Lou Reed was undeniably his major influence (particularly as a vocalist), Laughner's work can scarcely be narrowcast as mere tribute. The self-titled album, gleaned from a brace of demos and live recordings, reveals his folkier side, with nods to Ramblin' Jack Elliott ("Rag Baby") and Richard Thompson (on the melancholy "Baudelaire"). The two-record Take the Guitar Player for a Ride is much more exhaustive (and exhausting): from the sorrowful epic "Amphetamine" (a line from which gives the album its title) to a hushed version of Robert Johnson's "Me and the Devil Blues" (recorded the night before his death), it's a detailed map of a one-way route down to the crossroads. The CD has three fewer songs than the vinyl.
Amazon.com: To some, Peter Laughner was just another self-desructive, showy hack on the CBGB PUNK scene. To others he was a shadowy, peripheral, even influential figure in bands like Rocket From The Tombs, Pere Ubu & Television. Still others may remember him a bratty, self importnant Rock critic for CREEM magazine. Regardless, at 27, he wound up like his fellow staff writer, Lester Bangs---dead. Unlike, Bangs he didn't leave much of an archive behind to remember him by. This is pretty much it.
Like Laughner himself, this record is a glorious mess. Essentially, a bootleg. In terms of influences, Laughner wears them on his sleeve. Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Dylan, early Elvis Costello, The Stooges--just to name a few. There's even some Captain Beefheart-ish moments like, "Life Stinks".
The first half consists of acoustic bedroom demos, while the second features some stellar live work. At the very least Laughner was a fine guitar player, as evidenced on his stab at Richard Thompson's epic, "Calvary Cross". His subtlety can be found in "Lullabye" & in his sideman work on "Don't Take Your Love Away" ( featuring what sounds like Alex Chilton? on lead vocals). He even shows considerable Blues chops on the closer, "Me & The Devil Blues".
True standouts are "Amphetamine" & self-penned literary name droppers like, "Baudelaire" & "Sylvia Plath". Each characterized by sprawling, poetic lyrics & catchy hooks. Despite any literary pretention, both songs are moving. Though he definitely has a chip on his shoulder, lines like, "let's see you do something as graceful as Sylvia Plath" are enough to silence any detractors.
In short, he was versitlile--- touching on it all from purile punk, to bedsit strumming, to Rock God grandstanding.
In the end, this is an oddly touching record. Though not destined to go down in history as a Guitar God, this one goes to show Laughner's talents were prodigious. If anything, this collection serves as a faded snapshot of someone who "could've been a contender".
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