Archers of Loaf: The Speed of Cattle

Archers of Loaf: The Speed of Cattle

1996

Alisa Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1.  Wrong  2. South Carolina  3. Web In Front  4. Bathroom  5. Tatyana  6. What Did You Expect?  7. Ethel Merman  8. Funnelhead  9. Quinn Beast  10. Telepathic Traffic  11. Don't Believe The Good News  12. Smokin' Pot In The Hot City  13.Mutes In The Steeple  14. Revenge  15. Bacteria  16. Freezing Point  17. Powerwalker  18. Backwash

An Archers of Loaf compilation album featuring early singles, compilation tracks, etc. This has been made almost (but not quite) obsolete by the recent 2012 reissues, but there are still a few tracks here that don't appear on them.

A large chunk of these I just listened to a couple of days ago  on the "Icky Mettle" reissue, and these are honestly all of my favorites here. I love "South Carolina" which is an awesome track that outlines a civil war between North and South Carolina. "What Did You Expect" is catchy too!  All of this "Icky Mettle" -era stuff is so visceral and fun, I can't help but love it.

The tracks that appear on the "Vee Vee" reissue are a lot more laid back and is more in line with that album's twisted melodic sense. "Telepathic Traffic" being an easy favorite.

Now for the material that doesn't appear on the reissues;  "Funnelhead" is a cover of a song by the band Tree People (who I'm not familiar with). It's a 6/8 rocker that's not bad by any means, but nothing to write home about...

"Dear Mom,
Today I listened to Archers of Loaf cover a song by the Tree People...It was pretty catchy and I liked it a lot..."

See, there's just no reason for it...

The album ends with a great 5 song Peel Session.  They do a version of "Freezing Point" that I like even more than the version on "Vs the Greatest of All Time." It's a bit more easy-going and catchy. It would easily trump the original if they didn't have to censor it for the BBC, but honestly, when they replace the offending word for "BBC," it is kinda funny, so I'm going to let it slide and declare this the superior version. They also do a monster 7-minute song that doesn't appear anywhere else, called "Bacteria,...

Would I buy this if I already had all the reissues? A good question...to be honest, as an Archers of Loaf die-hard I would say go ahead if you found it for a decent price...I'd say the Peel session and the Tree People cover are worth a good five bucks...

Actually, just print this one on your home computer, and take it to the used record shop and buy it now! How's that for service?

Let's check out "Tatyana" by the Archers of Loaf...