Prairie Home Invasion

• Artist: Jello Biafra
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1994
• Genre: Rock

Review

Putting two legends of truly countercultural spirit together simply had to produce something of genius, and though Mojo Nixon's dropped a couple of hints since then that things weren't as cool as they could be, Invasion is nonetheless a fine fusion of Jello's deranged nerviness and Nixon's rootsy attitude. With Nixon's backing band, the Toadliquors, on hand to provide the rest of the cowpunk, honky tonk music, the two come out fighting with "Buy My Snake Oil," Jello's rip into early-'90s alternative culture, and don't let up. Pete "Wet Dawg" Gordon's piano work definitely deserves to be singled out -- check the opening break on "Where Are We Gonna Work" -- and Mike "Wild" Middleton's drumming doesn't let up once. One of the sharper things about Invasion is its sense of protest roots; almost half the songs are from earlier musicians or public domain folk songs, sometimes more picturesque, like "Convoy in the Sky," but other times slotting alongside Jello and Nixon's work perfectly. Phil Ochs' brilliant slam on fuzzy left-leaners, "Love Me, I'm a Liberal," gets a topically updated revamp, while the album's lead single revamps an old standard into "Will the Fetus Be Aborted?." As for the lead performers' own work, ultimately this is more Nixon's show than Biafra's. The latter definitely has the spirit for this effort, taking the majority of the lead vocals, but Nixon has the better voice for the proceedings, while his guitar kicks butt and takes names. The artwork for Invasion deserves special mention, too: besides a hilarious back photo of Jello and Nixon re-enacting Grant Wood's "American Gothic," the veritable explosion of news stories detailing business and government idiocies, random ad images, and snippets of Tom Tomorrow's "This Modern World" comic strip, is enough to make anyone reject mass culture in a second. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Buy My Snake Oil		Jello Biafra	(9:07)
Where Are We Gonna Work (When the Trees Are Gone?)	Darryl Cherney	Jello Biafra	(3:12)
Convoy in the Sky		Jello Biafra	(3:33)
Atomic Power		Jello Biafra	(3:06)
Are You Drinkin' With Me Jesus?		Jello Biafra	(3:10)
Love Me, I'm a Liberal	Phil Ochs	Jello Biafra	(4:01)
Burgers of Wrath		Jello Biafra	(3:51)
Nostalgia for an Age That Never Existed		Jello Biafra	(4:56)
Hamlet Chicken Plant Disaster		Jello Biafra	(3:48)
Mascot Mania		Jello Biafra	(4:50)
Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down		Jello Biafra	(2:38)
Will the Fetus Be Aborted	Judi Bari, Darryl Cherney, Public Domain	Jello Biafra	(3:42)
Plastic Jesus		Jello Biafra	(4:31)

Credits

Jello Biafra (Vocals), Cindy Yates (Vocals (Background)), Tri-State Kill Spree Johnson (Producer), Sean McCarthy (Bass), Louis Jay Meyers (Banjo), Evan Johns (Guitar), Mike Middleton (Drums), Mojo Nixon (Tambourine), Marshall Lawless (Producer), Mojo Nixon (Banjo), Mojo Nixon (Harmonica), Mojo Nixon (Guitar), Mojo Nixon (Vocals), Pete Gordon (Organ), Pete Gordon (Vocals (Background)), Ted Roddy (Harmonica), Pete Gordon (Piano), Danny Barnes (Guitar), Stuart Sullivan (Mixing), Jello Biafra (Photography), Champ Hood (Fiddle), Deborah Kelly (Vocals (Background)), Mike Middleton (Percussion), Sandra Patyk (Vocals (Background)), Amy Boone (Vocals (Background)), Marty Muse (Pedal Steel), Danny Barnes (Dobro), Pete Gordon (Accordion), Don Leady (Guitar (Electric)), Stuart Sullivan (Engineer), Danny Barnes (Guitar (Electric)), Mike Middleton (Vocals (Background))