Oldies But Goodies

They Say...

Review by Mark Deming, All Music Guide

Clarence Reid, the twisted genius behind smut-funk icon Blowfly, had firmly established his alter ego's persona as the master of the freaky late-night party record by the time he cut Oldies But Goodies, in which he tackles a couple dozen rock & roll and R&B dusties in typically X-rated fashion. On the rudeness scale, Oldies But Goodies is on a par with the rest of Blowfly's catalog, replete with alternately funny and cringe-inducing tales of sexual conquest, venereal disease, and rampant perversity of all kinds, all of which stands in bizarre contrast to the familiar melodies on deck, ranging from the hits of Elvis Presley and Bill Haley to Sam Cooke and the Drifters, all presented complete with quality doo wop harmonies. As for the music, Reid and his gang sound like they were having an especially good time cutting these sides, and the results are a noticeably more playful than most of Blowfly's albums, with the band clearly relishing the opportunity to cut some different grooves and Reid enjoying showing off his different vocal styles (he's a solid singer, if a few notches short of inspired). And while this is pretty much a one-joke album, at least the guys telling the joke thought it was funny, and this is one of Blowfly's best efforts, with the rowdy energy of the crazed party generating some solid sounds along with the dirty rappin'. Then again, if you're not the sort of person who finds the prospect of "Get a Job" being turned into a demand for oral sex amusing, then you might want to stick with the American Graffiti soundtrack.