Butthole Surfers Songs Ranked
Butthole Surfers is an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarists Paul Leary and Jonathan Grisham in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second drummer from 1983 to 1985, 1986 to 1989, and 2009. The band has also employed a variety of bass players, most notably Jeff Pinkus. Emerging from the 1980s hardcore punk scene, Butthole Surfers quickly became known for their chaotic live shows, black comedy, and a sound that incorporated elements of psychedelia, noise rock, and punk as well as their use of sound manipulation and tape editing. Although they were respected by their peers and attracted a devoted fanbase, Butthole Surfers had little commercial success until 1996’s Electriclarryland. The album contained the hit single “Pepper”, which climbed to number one on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart that year. Here are all of Butthole Surfers songs ranked.
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14. Birds (Electriclarryland, 1996)
“I definitely hear late 80s style post-punk across many bits of Electriclarryland. Opening two songs deliver a good one-two kickstart. “Birds” reminds me a little of Big Black, and I definitely hear similarities to Dead Kennedys with the attitude and attack of “Ulcer Breakout”.
13. Jingle of a Dog’s Collar (Electriclarryland, 1996)
“Jingle of a Dog’s Collar is so soft and lugubrious because they genuinely thought that what they were playing would be a big enough punch to make their audience like the album.”
12. The Lord is a Monkey (Electriclarryland, 1996)
“The version that appeared in Beavis and Butt-head Do America is the better version of this song my favorite from this band”
11. Creep in the Cellar (Rembrandt Pussyhorse, 1986)
“From the opening of Creep In The Cellar it’s a joyous exploration of sounds and strange noises. I’ve lived with this album since its release and many of the hooks are familiar to me but here we are in 2020 land and I still get exited anticipating the next one.”
See more: Butthole Surfers Albums Ranked
10. The O – Men (Locust Abortion Technician, 1987)
“Of the more normal songs (and I use the word ‘normal’ to mean tracks that at least have some semblance of conventional structure) we are treated to ‘The O-Men’, a freaky industrial rock groove with Gibby Haynes shrieking and babbling like a mental patient and the stoned sludge blues of ‘Pittsburgh to Lebanon’ which boasts fuzz that Mudhoney would envy.”
9. Graveyard (Locust Abortion Technician, 1987)
“Graveyard” has one of the catchiest basslines I know of (and it comes up TWICE! ), the next few tracks, while excellent, blend into one entity, weirdly spooky, even though you know that the band is laughing at you.”
8. Whatever (I Had a Dream) (William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet: Music From the Motion Picture, 1996)
“Best song ever, the music video monologue is stunning, an amazing songwriter, amazing singer. Their vocals are amazing and their voices are so vulnerable.”
7. Sweat Loaf (Locust Abortion Technician, 1987)
“I heard this first at a weirdly young age, so ‘Sweat Loaf’ is a very fun track to me with an unforgettable intro. “Sweat Loaf” Kicks off the album with the question “what does regret mean?” then outta know where it kicks your head in with a mad interpretation of Black Sabbath’s “Sweat Leaf”.”
See more: Buzzcocks Albums Ranked
6. Human Cannonball (Locust Abortion Technician, 1987)
“Human Cannonball is the hookiest song on a surface level, but I find myself singing Kuntz way more. “Human Cannonball” is a gem thanks to Gibby’s vocal, backed by a hook-filled melody”
5. Moving to Florida (Psychic… Powerless… Another Man’s Sac, 1984
“Very unique style, this song won’t be another everyday type of song most of people listen to, but guaranteed about it’s finest.”
4. Hurdy Gurdy Man (piouhgd, 1991)
“The band give a little people pleasing with the album’s single, a cover of the ’68 psych folk hit “Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan (which had Jimmy Page on guitar). Not much to write home about, they do a bang up job and it certainly played to the increasingly 60’s and 70’s obsessed Gen Xers.”
3. Dracula from Houston (Weird Revolution, 2001)
“They were right to use a donut as the cover. Sugary sweet, a light-hearted yes-nonsense tale from a band with a lot of great darker and inaccessible stuff, too. I can like spicy foods too, y’know.”
2. Who Was In My Room Last Night? (Independent Worm Saloon, 1993)
“Unfortunately no one was in my room last night, besides my dog who scratches to get out last night, me, and my crazy dreams. Speaking of crazy you have this group, they come up with absurd song titles, absurd lyrics, and absurd antics. Only thing is they or a really good band, this is a really good song.”
1. Pepper (Electriclarryland, 1996)
“This is and odd song in style, but actually fairly conventional in it’s verse/chorus/verse composition. Still, this is a hazy trip of guitars and poetry courtesy of Gibby Haynes who recounts the tales of a cadre of hedonistic everyday jackasses while waxing philosophical about mountains and how you look through other people’s eyes. These lyrics are strange and they make for an entertaining listen with some warped guitars and a decent drum beat.”
