Released: 1990
Tracks: Big Game; Scary Movies; M – For Show; Traveling Song
Best track: Traveling Song
Track to skip: Big Game kinda bites none, really
I don’t know a lot about Mongol Beach Party, other than that the lead singer, Christian Hankel, left to go solo and the band became Grumpy. Their demo has the trademarks that would make Toast and then Grumpy so great. I never noticed how much these guys sound like Barenaked Ladies. I don’t think they would’ve crossed paths since MBP was a local Kansas City band at this time and BNL hadn’t left Canada. Either way, just imagine early BNL with a horn section and you get a good example of what Mongol Beach Party sounds like.
Scary Movies would pop back up on the full length, but it’s a slightly different version. The most noticeable difference is Jeff Freling’s guitar solo: very good Robert Fripp imitation! Traveling Song is really cool and I wonder why they didn’t put it on Toast. The quality is very good for this demo; it’s rare to hear demos that sound this good. If I heard this as a band’s demo I’d either get them into my club as quick as I could or (as a fan) I’d find when they were playing and show up to every show. In the front row every time. Of course this thing is not going to be found anywhere, I was lucky enough to have someone tape it for me. This is really good stuff and a great way to whet your appetite.
Rating: 86
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Addendum – 12/23/08
After witnessing the band’s reunion shows this past weekend, I’m no longer under the impression that Big Game “bites”. After hearing it live, I can safely say I quite like the song now. The Mongols have re-released their CD, Toast, and it features 5 bonus tracks, with 3 from this demo: Big Game, M – For Show & Traveling Song. Remastered! The songs sound great. Maybe we’ll get this version of Scary Movies sometime too. In the meantime, 3 out of 4 isn’t too shabby. Get info on the CD at mongolbeachparty.com
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