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CD reviews

Spanking Machine

Babes in Toyland - Spanking Machine Audio CD

A fair review of the Babes in Toyland "Spanking Machine" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Babes in Toyland reviews here, or go back to the Babes in Toyland tabs.

Band: Babes in Toyland
Title: Spanking Machine
Rating:

Release Date: 1992-09-10
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Swamp Pussy 2: He's My Thing 3: Vomit Heart 4: Never 5: Boto (W) Rap 6: Dogg 7: Pain in My Heart 8: Lashes 9: You're Right 10: Dust Cake Boy 11: Fork Down Throat

ohmygod

Women on the rock scene do generally get a hard time, whatever anyone says, and that seems to have created a culture where the majority of girlbands sing about the same pathetic things as the majority of boybands out there. This album is incredible! Every female rock fan on the planet should be given a copy of this CD, and ordered to think about it.
Babes in Toyland however, helped create a whole new genre, of girls screaming like the "big boys" - and sounding a hell of a lot better.
Their music is raw with emotion, defiance, and self-pride - something teenage girls need to be exposed to. Kat's lyrics are beautiful, poetic, haunting and original. Although this album may not be to everyone's tastes - I can think of a (horrible) number of boys who complain when I put this on - it is defintely a very special accomplishment.
The first three songs are all excellent, as are Lashes, You're Right, and Dust Cake Boy.
Their imagination has to be praised, and their determination not to be a band that panders to any expectations other than TRUTH, LOVE and FREEDOM (of speech. and grrrrlness)!.

sexy girls

I like the song, with the line `my blue boyfriend' it's really hardcore filth. They are annoying, succeed in being utterly horrible (quoting my brother) and beneath, what is a consistent sound the whole way through (one that gives off the impression that it was banged out with the same mic setup rather quickly) is some psychological energy caught on the tape, albeit most scarce.
The album has that self humiliation, and abuse the listener (boy in this song's case) edge to it. You don't get that in sonic youth (who you'd say are vocally copied here, on first sniff).
I really hate that sonic youth girl style vocal, so I'm surprised I actually enjoy this at night time (When I'm ready to be abused!)
You can only put it down to the different attidude. The more harcore punk attidude of this.
You bet ya.
I liked the lack of commercial puns.
I liked `pull my legs apart'
I'd still like to see a different kind of vocal art over pretty much exactly this kind of music by a girl, but I am quite young and have more records to find, girls to lure back to my home recording hole.
On the music, it's low-fi-trash, that just hits the spot on vinyl, I can't say it would for me on cd (although I `d better stop there, as my brother says it's all down to the mastering job/condition of master tapes with cd)
However, I think I just don't like the sound of cd anymore, at laest not for older music, I don't think anyone can after they start on vinyl and a good pair of low fi speakers (that helps me too- the tin cans- the crunch of a good cheap plasticy pair).
The best advice I can offer you is get a vinyl player, and record companies, start selling vinyl again as I hate cd's forever after.
Finally, on babes drummer, you are damn good. You must be main nut in the spanking machine.
I recommend this if you like to abuse yourself and [. . . ]. If you don't, I will have to quote my brother.

My Personal Favorite
I've had it for a while now and it's my most listened to cd. Babes In Toyland isn't my favorate band, but this is definitely my favorite album ever. Kat is screaming her ass off most of the time, but that mixed with her dissonent guitar playing and Lori's wild drum beat(there's a crazy beat throughout "Dust Cake Boy") makes for some great listening. There's some great sort of twangy guitar work in "Swamp Pussy" and "Lashes. " My favorite song on here has to be "Fork Down Throat" because of Kat's hardcore growls and screams. What I most adore about this album is the writing. It's hard to tell what she is saying most of the time so i used the internet for lyrics. Here's how I rated this album:
1. Swamp Pussy - 10/10 great guitar work, love the lyrics
2. he's my thing- 6/10 I liked the video version a lot better, but it's still kind of lame
3. vomit heart- 10/10 Great Song!
4. never- 10/10 I love the band at the beginning and end of this song, it sounds so trashy!
5. boto(w)rap- 7/10 the band sounds great and i love the lyrics, but Kat's voice doesn't compare to the rest and there's a chord pattern that's too repetitive.
6. dogg- 9/10 Lori is actually a very good singer, and Kat's guitar sounds a little scary
7. pain in my heart- 6/10 kind of boring. . .
8. lashes- 7/10 it's a little cheesy but the guitar sounds great
9. you're right- 10/10 I love the bass line on this song!
10. dust cake boy- 10/10 probably the fastest with the most yelling
11. Fork Down Throat- 10/10 My favorite Babes in Toyland song by far, i love what Kat's voice can do in this song, and it has her best guitar solo on this album!.

raw and unnerving
"Spanking Machine" has some great songs on there,such as "Swamp Pussy","You're Right","Dust Cake Boy",and my absolute favorite,"Lashes". This is the Babes' debut album,and the name right away gets you interested. the lyrics (when you can understand them,or,like I do,look them up online),are so deep and poetic and personal. Kat's angry,hurt yowl and soft,babydoll whisper are a fantastic mixture of what makes Kat Kat. This CD is hard to listen to at first,since I was used to the more melodic "Fontanelle," but it has grown on me. it is so complex yet primitive,groundbreaking yet stereotypically punk. I also recommend "Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair," the latest compilation of Babes material. It has several demos of many songs on "Spanking Machine". I highly recommend this album!!
"I see you grew into that stiff grey suit they've sewn for you/scrubbed you clean now you forgot what you mean"
-Kat Bjelland on "Lashes".

perfect

Babes in toyland while an excellent band, out did themselves with this cd, especially for it being their first. I ADORE this cd.

i was introduced to BIT through Hole, and while my hole cds are off somewhere collecting dust, I still listen to BIT, this cd in particular constantly to this day.

You can see a complete list of all Babes in Toyland discography, or go back to the Babes in Toyland tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.