Collector's Choice
1981
Pronounced Normal
About This Album
This is a masterpiece in its own category, and possibly the best album recorded by anyone during the 1980s. After Larry Fischer's mother had him committed to a mental institution for singing in his room, the doctors "pronounced" him "normal" and released him. The whole idea of being certifiably sane or otherwise is something each person needs to confront, and Pronounced Normal might just be the perfect tool for the job. What makes this vastly superior to his 1977 Rhino LP Wildmania is the inspired instrumentation and overall creative production provided by the team of Barnes & Barnes. Fat beats and syntho-tones make the title track a delightful scream-along challenge to the entire American Psychiatric Association. "Don't Be a Singer" is a charming example of Fischer's consuming distrust of all who work in the entertainment industry. "It's Nice to Have Things" constitutes Fischer's debut as a jazz singer! Amazing lyrics listing marketable commodities are intoned with a wonderfully outrageous nonchalance, while a very cool rhythm section walks in 4/4 and the atmosphere is charged with carefully placed skronks from a saxophone. "Talking," an electronically addled commentary upon humanity's inability to stop yammering, resonates strongly in today's world so full of cell phones.
Track List (try tracks 2,11,12,15 and 16)

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