siLLy puPPy
Once BUCKETHEAD got his feet on the ground there was no stopping him. After a gazillion albums and collaborations all these years later, there was a beginning. The year was 1992 when he worked with Praxis on their debut album but it was also the year when he released his first album BUCKETHEADLAND on John Zorn's label Avant with Bootsy Collins from the Praxis along for the ride. It was only available as a Japanese import but this dude was weird enough to stand out amongst the crowds of increasingly gifted guitarists in the world. The album, like most of his is a bizarre mix of funk, metal, samples and DJ electronica. In fact everything that BUCKETHEAD is known for debuts right here.
The album contains two discs. One of the strange ride through BUCKETHEAD's imaginary amusement park which provides a collage of musical extravaganzas, spoken word, movie samples, strange sound effects and DJ house beats. The second disc is a short 16 minute remix disc that has a few select tracks more pumped up for a housequake party without diminishing any of the other qualities such as his frenetic lightning fast metal guitar solos.
Everything BUCKETHEAD may be on display here but at this point he hadn't quite honed them down into a cohesive whole. The album is really all over the place, which is both it's downfall and what makes it interesting. Although I prefer the more refined albums that come later, BUCKETHEADLAND is still a unique and interesting piece of music in its own right. Not an album that a sane person could spin every day perhaps but when the mood for something really, really weird hits then taking a ride on this roller coaster ride is just what the doctor ordered.