78 minutes, 26 seconds

Velvet Acid Christ
Between the Eyes, Vol. 1

Kind of a weird thing this band did a few years ago, basically rereleasing their first few CDs (Neuralblastoma, Church of Acid, and some additional singles and rare material) on four volumes, all called Between the Eyes. I think one track from Neuralblastoma didn't make it onto any of the rereleases, which is a bummer, but otherwise these are pretty complete. And I'm nothing if not a completist.

The Star Trek samples on the first couple of tracks on Vol. 1 are pretty cheesy and obvious, but it gets interesting on Track 4, an alternate mix of the "Decypher" single. Someone who sounds an awful lot like Ronald Reagan (perhaps when he was governor of California, perhaps earlier?) rants against lascivious dancing and drugs at the University of California. I know, shocking, right?

It reminded me of the old Skinny Puppy song "Far Too Frail," from 1984's Remission. "For years, some people have argued that this kind of pornography is a matter of artistic creativity," Reagan says in the sample they used. (Apparently this was taken from remarks he made on child pornography.) Of course, Reagan was still president when Skinny Puppy recorded that album. That's what makes VAC's use of the sample a little more interesting and obscure, especially if you weren't alive then or you don't remember Reagan's presidency. (For the record, I was and I do--I'm old.)

And damn if it doesn't make you somehow nostalgic for the Gipper. Despite all the bad stuff he did (invade Grenada, authorize the Iran-Contra program, ignore the emerging AIDS pandemic, etc.), he was a gentleman and a scholar compared with President Monkey-Boy. Sheesh.

Also today:

78:22 Various artists, Metro Tekno
78:18 Terrorfakt, Reconstruction