THE GOLDEN PALOMINOS

BLAST OF SILENCE

  1/  I've Been the One                          (George)                      3.17
  2/  Something Becomes Nothing                  (Fier,Blegvad,Sweet)          4.54
  3/  The Push and The Shove                     (Kidney)                      4.22
  4/  (Something Else Is) Working Harder         (Fier,Harris,Blegvad)         5.10
  5/  Angels                                     (Fier,Blegvad,Straw)          4.58
  6/  Diamond                                    (Holsapple)                   4.30
  7/  Faithless Heart                            (Fier,Harris,Dixon)           4.00
  8/  Work Was New                               (Fier,Blegvad)                4.00
  9/  Strong, Simple Silences                    (Fier,Blegvad)                4.15
  10/ Brides of Jesus                            (Payne,George)                3.25

          Recorded at RPM Studio
          Recorded and mixed by "Iron" Mike Krowiak at RPM Studio
          Assisted by Jeff Lippay
          Additional recording by Don Hunerberg at Radio City Music Hall Studio and
            Larry Hirsch at Eldorado Studios
          Produced and arranged by Anton Fier
Anton Fier : percussion (1), drums (2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10); Aiyb Dieng : percussion (1); Chris Stamey : bass (1,10); Lisa Herman : piano (1,10); Peter Blegvad : guitar (1,4,5,6,10), six & twelve string guitar (2,8), acoustic & electric guitar (9), vocals [uncredited] (8); Sneaky Pete Kleinow : pedal steel guitar (1,7); Syd Straw : vocals (1,5,6,10), background vocals (2,4,7,8); Bill Laswell : bass (2,3,4,6,7); Bernie Worrell : Hammond organ (2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10); Jody Harris : guitar (2,3,4,5,6,7), lead guitar (8,10); Nicky Skopelitis: guitar solo (2), guitar (4,7); Matthew Sweet : vocals (2); Robert Kidney (3) : guitar,vocals; Larry Saltzman : acoustic guitar (4); Jack Bruce : vocals (4); Tony Coniff : bass (5,8,9); Don Dixon (7) : guitar, vocals; T-Bone Burnett : guitar (8,9), vocals (9); Carla Bley : piano (9); Pat Thrall : acoustic guitar (9).

          1986  -  Celluloid (USA),  CELL  6127  (Vinyl)
          1986  -  Celluloid (USA),  CEL N.Y. 6127 D  (CD)

REVIEWS :

With Blast of Silence the group that began as an outlet for drummer Anton Fier and his friends in the New York avant-garde scene (Arto Lindsay, Fred Frith, etc.) unexpectedly veers off into country-rock and folk, of all places. But with Fier's reputation, listeners should realize from the start this is not country-rock in the New Riders of the Purple Sage fashion. Rather, Fier and company, which includes singers Syd Straw and Mathew Sweet, organist Bernie Worrell, and guitarists T-Bone Burnett and Don Dixon, experiment with confidence on songs like Lowell George's "I've Been the One," adding raga percussion to the C&W ballad. The rest of the album is filled with such musical daring and is a worthy addition for fans of both Palominos and the avant garde scene alike.

3 stars out of 5

Steve Kurutz (courtesy of All Music Guide website)