The Body Has a Head
Encyclopedia
The Body Has a Head is an album
by King Missile
frontman
John S. Hall
, released exclusively in Germany
in 1996
. Though billed as a Hall "solo album
," the collection features considerable input from multi-instrumentalists
Sasha Forte
, Bradford Reed
, and Jane Scarpantoni
, all of whom would become members of the next incarnation of King Missile ("King Missile III") and contribute to that group's "debut" album, 1998
's Failure.
King Missile's compilation
The Green Album
, sold exclusively at live shows
, contains all the tracks from The Body Has a Head plus fourteen live King Missile tracks and an alternate version of the song "Gay/Not Gay" from Failure.
by Hall.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by King Missile
King Missile
King Missile is an American avant-garde band that has been led in various disparate incarnations by poet/singer John S. Hall since 1986. Currently, Hall performs with a new version of the first incarnation, King Missile ....
frontman
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
John S. Hall
John S. Hall
John S. Hall is an American poet, author, singer and lawyer perhaps best known for his work with King Missile, an avant-garde band that he co-founded in 1986 and has since led in various disparate incarnations....
, released exclusively in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1996
1996 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
. Though billed as a Hall "solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
," the collection features considerable input from multi-instrumentalists
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
Sasha Forte
Sasha Forte
Sasha Forte is an American multi-instrumentalist and member of avant-garde band King Missile III. She is proficient at such instruments as bass, guitar, synthesizer, viola, and violin....
, Bradford Reed
Bradford Reed
Bradford Reed is an American multi-instrumentalist, experimental luthier, and member of avant-garde band King Missile III. He is proficient at such instruments as drums, guitar, melodica, piano, and synthesizer. In the 1980s he invented the pencilina, a custom-made string instrument.-Pencilina:The...
, and Jane Scarpantoni
Jane Scarpantoni
Jane Scarpantoni is a classically trained cello player who has played on a number of alternative rock albums.She was a member of Hoboken, New Jersey's Tiny Lights in the mid-'80s, then went on to play with other musicians especially those associated with the Hoboken underground rock scene of the...
, all of whom would become members of the next incarnation of King Missile ("King Missile III") and contribute to that group's "debut" album, 1998
1998 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998.-Events:*January 28 – "Weird Al" Yankovic gets LASIK surgery to cure his myopia...
's Failure.
King Missile's compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
The Green Album
The Green Album (John S. Hall and King Missile album)
The Green Album is a compilation of John S. Hall's 1996 album The Body Has a Head and fourteen live tracks by Hall's band King Missile, plus an alternate version of the song "Gay/Not Gay" from King Missile's 1998 album Failure.-Track listing:...
, sold exclusively at live shows
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
, contains all the tracks from The Body Has a Head plus fourteen live King Missile tracks and an alternate version of the song "Gay/Not Gay" from Failure.
Track listing
All lyricsLyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
by Hall.
- "The Bunny Who Wanted to Be a Rat" (Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 3:08
- "Punish Him" (Dougie Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 3:06
- "A Good Hard Look" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:16
- This track appears in a different arrangement on Failure.
- "On the Metro North" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:14
- This track first appeared on the compilation Fast Forward Sampler #2 under the band name "The Body Has a Head."
- "The Friendly Man" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:54
- "Keep Walking" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 3:37
- "My Lover" (Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:35
- "Wizard" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:03
- "A Little Restraint" (Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 1:22
- "Clamsauce" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:10
- "Satan" (Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 3:06
- "Freyne" (Bowne, Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 2:26
- "The Angel" (Forte, Hall, Scarpantoni) – 1:17
- "Nine Wishes" (Forte, Hall, Reed, Scarpantoni) – 1:09
- "Prophecy" (Forte, Hall, Reed, Scarpantoni) – 3:47
Personnel
- John S. Hall – lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on "The Angel" - Dougie Bowne – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on "Punish Him," "On the Metro North," "The Friendly Man," "Keep Walking," "Wizard," "Clamsauce," and "Freyne," tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
on "Punish Him," guitar on "Punish Him" and "Clamsauce," vibesVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
on "Clamsauce" - Sasha Forte – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on "Punish Him," guitar on "The Bunny Who Wanted to Be a Rat," "Punish Him," "On the Metro North," "Clamsauce," and "Prophecy," percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
on "A Little Restraint," lasso d'amoreLasso d'amoreThe lasso d'amore is an experimental musical instrument made of corrugated plastic tubing, employed in some of Peter Schickele's comic P. D. Q. Bach compositions such as the Erotica Variations and Shepherd on the Rocks with a Twist...
on "Satan," synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
on "Nine Wishes," bellsBell (instrument)A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
on "Prophecy" - Bradford Reed – drums on "Nine Wishes" and "Prophecy," pencilina on "Prophecy," bells on "Prophecy"
- Jane Scarpantoni – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
, bass on "Punish Him" and "On the Metro North," backing vocals on "Punish Him," pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
on "The Friendly Man" and "Keep Walking," WurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
on "The Friendly Man," synthbassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
on "The Friendly Man," vacuum cleanerVacuum cleanerA vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
on "A Little Restraint," guitar on "Satan," fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
on "The Angel," bells on "Prophecy"