Dead Milkmen: Not Richard, But Dick

 Dead Milkmen: Not Richard, But Dick

1993

Hollywood Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Leggo My Ego  2. I Dream of Jesus  3. Jason's Head  4. Not Crazy  5. Let's Get the Baby High  6. Little Volcano  7. Nobody Falls Like  8. I Started to Hate You  9. The Infant of Prague Customized My Van  10. The Woman Who Was Also a Mongoose





 "Thar she blows! Lady lumps like a snow hill! Not Richard, But Dick!"

 This album was my white whale for the longest time...All music collectors have a mental list of elusive albums that they're constantly seeking...Every time I went to a record store I'd make a bee-line to the "D" section and inevitably be disappointed that I could never find the perennially out-of-print "Not Richard But Dick."

For me, finding music is all about the hunt...There's nothing like digging through the crates at the local record store and having your eyes pop out of my head when I spot an album I'd been seeking for years...So to me, turning to ebay or other online outlets is like giving up...A pseudo safari...The hunt is canned...

The hunt is canned...

But one night I got ridiculously nostalgic for the days I'd ride the school bus...
 

...blasting my cassette of "Not Richard, But Dick" and couldn't take it anymore...I finally threw in the towel and just plain-ass bought a copy online...

Again, I'll never understand the world...People seem to really dislike these last few Dead Milkmen albums, so I can only assume that there's something wrong with me...I love this era of DM...The only valid criticism I'll accept is the common complain that it's too short ( just shy of 28 minutes!)...

 I think the main reason I find this album so great boils down to one perfect moment..."The Woman Who Was Also a Mongoose." Oh my God! I love this song so much! I honestly think it represents the pinnacle of mankind's artistic accomplishments...

 Michelangelo's David? Not as good as "The Woman Who Was Also a Mongoose"...

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony? Not as good as "The Woman Who Was Also a Mongoose"...

Season four of the A-Team? Okay, I'll give you that one, but that doesn't diminish the song's achievement...First off, why would you write a song about a woman who chases snakes and field mice and then decide that the best way to realize this grand vision is by making it sound exactly like Lou Reed?!?! How did they arrive at this?! Astounding! And then the icing on the cake is the trilling Pied Piper-esque flute line...

 "♪Tweet tweet tweddle deeee...♪" 

Why would a Lou Reed possibly song need a flute? And why does it work so well? I'll never understand it...I can only marvel at its existence...Check it out if you don't believe me...

 Oh yea, there's nine other songs too! They drop the fluffy "Soul Rotation" sound and adopt a more stripped-down pop-punk-rock style...Less jangly and sloppy than their earlier punk stuff, and Rodney and Joe split the vocals fifty-fifty...The whole thing is really solid (which probably isn't surprising since the album's so short), so pointing out highlights is difficult...I've always though "Jason's Head" was one of their catchiest tracks, I don't know what's really going on the song...Some sort of homicide spawned from jealousy, or maybe it's about slasher flicks...

Who knows...Stays stuck in my head all day, regardless...I also like "The Infant of Prague Customized My Van" which is a fun little rockabilly song about preserved saints...And although musically-speaking, "I Dream of Jesus" isn't one of my favorites, the concept is so brilliant that it hardly matters...To my knowledge, it's the only song that addresses the issue of people using Jesus as their personal genie, and does so in a very literal manner (finding JC in a Manischewitz bottle, who goes on to grant all the narrator's wishes)...

"I Started to Hate You" was another song that used to get an endless workout on that old tapedeck of mine...I know people will think I'm crazy, but it reminds me of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."  (flinches). I'm serious...It has the same kind of grand stagger at the end of the chorus...I think Dead Milkmen fans need to revisit this era...So much excellent music to be found. Hopefully somebody does a physical reissue of this someday so future generations will know the glory of this album (P.S. I forgot to mention how amazing "Little Volcano" is...oops!)

Wait, it's Friday! Time to grab a couple of Golden Boys from the fridge...

...and check out some Dead Milkmen...Here's "Jason's Head"...
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