The Parasites Of The Western World ‎– The Parasites Of The Western World (1978, LP, Usa)

Tracklist:

A1 Mo - 3:15

A2 Electrokil - l1:58

A3. Flying - 3:42

A4. A Rare Case of Blues - 1:05

A5. Funeral for a Mouse - 7:43

B1. Accessories - 9:53

B2. God or Just a Slow Breeze - 1:55

B3. Siege of Twilight Loon - 4:04

B4. You Must Be Joe King - 3:37

B5. Alienending - 2:13

"The Parasites Of The Western World are a band from Portland OR who released their recorded debut in 1978. It's a fascinating spin, a galactic ramble across the otherworldly themes of alienation and paranoia, seemingly inspired by LSD and Philip Dick. Primarily the creation of Patrick Burke and Terry Censky, the Parasites were limitless with invention and completely DIY. This is a record that was recorded in an apartment, by a crew thoughtful enough to curtail its loud excursions for the daylight hours. Its rockist moves are surprisingly informed by the typical institutions of this era : Pink Floyd, the Beatles and Hawkwind and its many electronic flourishes are an above-ground sound that would presage the likes of Vertical Slit, F/I and Vertigo. The Parasites remain to be light years ahead of a time that has yet to come." Includes poster and insert.

The first album from Patrick Burke's space-punk collective uses heavy, phase-shifting guitar, fuzz bass, and electronics galore. Chrome, MX-80 Sound, Vertical Slit, and earlier futurists like Heldon and Eno share similar realms as this underrated, under-heard album from Portland.
"Mo" is a rocking opener with alien vocals. It's the most punk number on the album, and a preview of the sound they'd unleash on "Substrata".
"Electrokill" is a brief noise loop of the kind avant-noisemakers love tinkering with. "Flying" is a "Telstar"-like instrumental with wide, buzzing organ. I wish they'd written in a vocal, or something to make it really memorable. "A Rare Case Of Blues" is a snippet of studio jamming. I'd call it filler, but maybe they were trying for a Zappa-esque collage effect. It's only a minute long; compared to the filler blues jams on earlier psychedelic albums this is a very minor flaw.
"Funeral For A Mouse" closes the side and is a stately bass and keyboard instrumental. The drums kick in after five minutes and the synths sound like the ones of Battiato's "Fetus" album.
"Accessories" is where this album really earns its wings. Terry Censky's fuzz bass leads the way through a jungle of otherworldly sounds. At the 6 minute mark the vocals begin, over a stomping beat, and machine shop noise sculptures which fly and spin through the mix. An awesome centerpiece, and a bold distillation of Magma and Faust.
"Accessories" is such an awesome trip that the acoustic ballad "God or Just a Slow Breeze" and the piano and synth duet "Siege of Twilight Loon" are easy to overlook. Their inclusion feels pretentious and old-fashioned for 1978. Perhaps they were running out of studio time. "Alienending" is two minutes of backwards voices and ostrich guitar ... I have friends who used to trade tapes of this kind of doodling.
The side is saved by "You Must Be Joe King", a fully stacked psych nugget, something like Tuxedomoon paying tribute to SRC. Flipped with "Mo" this would've been a killer art-punk single. The album is worth it for "Accessories" alone, and their combination of fuzz bass and cosmic noise is potent when it comes together, which is about 2/3 of the time. With another strong number on each side "Parasites of the Western World" would be a classic.