Friendly as a Hand Grenade

Friendly as a Hand Grenade is an album by the American band Tackhead.[7] It was released in 1989 through TVT Records.[8]

Friendly as a Hand Grenade
Studio album by
Tackhead
Released1989
RecordedUnique Recording, NYC and Matrix and Southern Studios, London
GenreFunk, industrial
Length36:12
LabelTVT, World
ProducerTackhead
Tackhead chronology
Tackhead Tape Time
(1987)		 Friendly as a Hand Grenade
(1989)		 Strange Things
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Houston Chronicle[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[6]

Production

The band added Bernard Fowler on vocals, and changed its name from Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System.[9] The album cover art is by Gee Vaucher.[10]

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote that Tackhead "draw deep, swampy grooves from funk, rap, house music and dub reggae, then add a paranoid overlay."[11]

Trouser Press wrote: "Opening and closing with the jaunty 'Ska Trek', living up to the title of 'Demolition House' and pursuing the by-now-familiar sardonic comments on the military with the infectious 'Airborne Ranger', the album captures Tackhead at its most coherent."[9] The Spin Alternative Record Guide declared that "at its best, the group melded deeply psychedelic rock and funk in a way that the Red Hot Chili Peppers could only dream of."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bernard Fowler, Keith LeBlanc, Skip McDonald, Adrian Sherwood and Doug Wimbish, except "Ska Trek" by Prince Buster

No.TitleLength
1."Ska Trek"0:48
2."Tell Me the Hurt"5:16
3."Mind and Movement"5:23
4."Stealing"6:32
5."Airborne Ranger"5:01
6."Body to Burn"1:04
7."Demolition House"4:08
8."Free South Africa"1:56
9."Ticking Time Bomb"4:23
10."Ska Trek"1:34

Personnel
Tackhead
Additional musicians and production

Charts
Charts (1989) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[12] 3

Release history
Region Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 1989 World CD, LP WR013
United States 1989 TVT CD, LP TVT 4060
Japan 1989 Alfa Records, Inc CD ALCA-553

References
  1. Bush, John. "Friendly as a Hand Grenade". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  2. Popson, Tom (6 April 1990). "'Friendly as a Hand Grenade', Tackhead". Chicago Tribune. Friday. p. R.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 23.
  4. Racine, Marty (22 April 1990). "Records". Houston Chronicle. Zest. p. 10.
  5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 690.
  6. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 352–353.
  7. Danton, Eric R. (6 September 2004). "TACKHEAD BACK TOGETHER: HARTFORD-FORMED QUARTET OF INNOVATIVE ARTISTS PIONEERED SOUNDS THAT BECAME STAPLES OF RAP, POP". The Hartford Courant. p. D1.
  8. "Tackhead | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  9. "Tackhead". Trouser Press. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  10. "The Quietus | News | Gee Vaucher Painting Used For Mirror Trump Blaster". The Quietus.
  11. Pareles, Jon (8 July 1990). "Rock, Rap and Reggae Rolled Into One". The New York Times. p. A28.
  12. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
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