Only A Mother

F.P...
for the past 15 years i've been writing music for theater, film and dance. w/the recent cutbacks in the arts in michigan this has become even more difficult so it should come as no surprise that most of my energies these days is aimed at protesting the many impeachable offenses of the current resident's administration. i have enlisted the following friends for a tour of protest duty...joel peterson, doug gourlay, terri sarris, doug shimmin and marko novachcoff. i have played w/them all in previous bands including but not limited to little bang theory, only a mother, immigrant suns, scavenger quartet, etc. for more info on the music (buy my cds) visit www.frankpahl.net. enjoy.....




Riding White Alligators (1987)

1 Bricks Are Naked, Dammit 2:14
2 Ode To A Euphonium 0:50
3 Penis Envy 2:15
4 Aborted Optimism 2:25
5 Only A Mother Could Love 3:55
6 I Prayed In Toledo 2:00
7 Warped #12 3:15
8 Doot-N-Doi 3:33
9 Eve And Adam 3:20
10 The Romantic Side Of Brutus Lee 3:00
11 Endymion The Shephard 2:45
12 Riding White Alligators 3:15
13 Warped #15 (Cricket Song ) 3:12

Frank Pahl - Banjo, Guitar, Water, Clarinet, Vocals, Squeezebox, Euphonium, Mandolin, Fretless Bass, Trumpet, Toy Marimba, Bass Drum, Hi-Hat, Bogaphone, Harmonium, Rhythm Tech, Pepper Grinder, Snare, Submerged Trumpets, Saxophone, Whistling, Sitar, Farfisa, Happy Apple, Pan Pipes, Extendaphone, Knees
Bobbi Benson - Double Bass, Vocals, Oboe
Ken Stanley - Water Suggestion, Slide Whistle
Doug Gourlay - Wood Percussion, Brush Snare, Drum Kit, EML 500, Snare, Cymbal, Bass Drum, Tams, Clay Pots
Mary Richards - Violin, Vocals
John Aho - Guitar
Dean Western - Bass
Jim Kiraly - Bass
Don Gutz - Grate, Triangle
Male Crickets - Forewing Rubbing




Naked Songs For Contortionists (1991)

1 The Contortionist Song (3:05)
2 Fingers Of A Pumpkin (2:45)
3 Bricks Are Naked, Dammit!!! (2:19)
4 Licorice Stick Drum Corps (1:21)
5 Ballad Of Wild Bill (3:18)
6 Hideous Humunculus (4:38)
7 Bucket Of Brains (2:50)
Lyrics By - Mary Richards
8 Vegetables (4:44)
Lyrics By - Ernest Noyes Brookings
9 Jump Start My Heart (1:56)
10 The Romantic Side Of Masking Tape (3:33)
11 She Walks In Beauty (3:19)
Lyrics By - Lord Byron (2)
12 Warped #16 (2:52)
13 A Little Blackout (3:30)
14 Ode To Euphonium #5 (2:12)
15 I Could Be Happy (3:16)
16 Dirge #13, Pt. 2 (1:01)
17 Gertie Day (2:18)
18 Warped #21 (2:11)
19 Warped #21 (Reprise) (0:36)
20 Riding White Alligators (3:25)
21 Warped #17 (2:57)
22 The Brick Sequel (Epilogue?) (4:02)
23 Only An Overture (3:18)



Feral Chickens (1995)

1 Warped #24 (4:00)
2 Mr. Hair (3:20)
3 Doot-n-Doi (3:25)
4 Mahagony Wood (2:16)
5 The Frog That Wished To Be As Big As The Ox (2:10)
6 Mother's Little Helper (2:37)
7 The Farsighted Man On The Flying Trapeze (3:56)
8 Nice Place To Paint (1:36)
9 A Little Blackout (6:04)
10 When We Two Have Parted (3:10)
11 Crosslegged And Amazed (3:56)
12 Yeti (3:13)
13 Holding Time (3:05)
14 Tango (2:19)
15 The Weather's So Bad (0:50)
16 O Death (3:53)
17 A Collection Of Warpeds (12:07)




Damned Pretty Snout (1998)

Dimes (2:44)
Katy (2:37)
The Bricks Trilogy (8:41)
Swamp Song (3:41)
You Just May Be the One (2:57)
Minnie Pearl's Bolero (3:36)
Peter Gunn (2:12)
Cinammon Girl (2:10)
Secret (2:40)
More Soko (2:16)
Ode to Ukes (3:29)
Not (2:46)
Warped No. 27 (2:18)
Answer Me (1:29)
Al Halbibya (2:19)
Seven Wedge (2:26)
Sub Jazz (2:15)
Persian Balls (3:04)
Homer (3:14)
Deed'n Deed (3:57)
I Keep Bumping into Myself (2:55)
Pork Rinds and Perrier (1:53)

Only a Mother's last album, Damned Pretty Snout is already more like one of Frank Pahl's solo CDs (or the Scavenger Quartet) with the other members of the group guesting. The focus is firmly held on instrumental pieces -- only a few are sung. Mary Richards was not a full-time member anymore, but she appears on a couple of tracks. Other guests include Eugene Chadbourne, surely by that point a honorary member. Fans of Pahl's strange lyrics may feel a bit disappointed, but the instrumental writing comes through as being very clever and addictive, and woodwind player Marko Novachcoff throws in some of his best recorded work. The opening piece, "Dimes," sets a circus mood not unlike what is found on Pahl's CD Remove the Cork. "The Bricks Trilogy" lumps together the two previously released chapters of the story and a (real) epilogue. The middle section of the album features a sequence of cover songs, all completely off-the-wall in typical Only a Mother style: Michael Nesmith's "You Just May Be the One," Ravel's "Bolero," Mancini's "Peter Gunn," Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl," and, to top it off, the Beatles' "Secret." Genres are bulldozed to the ground by the group's tongue-in-cheek avant- folk arrangements. Newcomers should start with Feral Chickens, but Damned Pretty Snout remains very satisfactory. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide


See Also Frank Pahl