siLLy puPPy Technically the third “special” release of the prolific career of the eccentric BUCKETHEAD but in reality nothing more than the early demo tapes that were recorded in 1988 while a young Brian Carroll was a mere maggot of 19 years old, however even at this stage he was possessed by aliens or something and already had amassed supernatural guitar playing powers. Even on these earliest of recordings his techniques are quite developed as he callathumps down the genre highway pumping out his famous shredfests, country bluegrass pickings (covers from Lester Flat and Earl Scruggs), techno dominated guitar jams, classical meets flamenco (Tarrega covers) and good old fashioned metal and rock.

While the production is fairly primitive as to be expected from just a mere simple recorder of the era. The tracks are basically just snippets of practice sessions with only a couple reaching four minutes. This compilation was released by popular demand on CD exactly 20 years after the tracks were laid down to tape. This is definitely one for the fans who want to dig into the vaults and hear how BH had already set in motion all of the familiar styles and idiosyncrasies that had made him the freaky rock star that he would become including all those two-handed arpeggios and solos.

I certainly wouldn’t call this essential listening but for a mere collection of demos, it is obvious even at this early stage that he who wears a BUCKET on his HEAD was quite the accomplished musician already seamlessly fusing funk with rock, electronica with jazz, classical with flamenco and the avant-garde with the OMG! A very worthwhile listen indeed. BH handles all guitar, bass and drum machine duties. Many of the ideas presented here will be quite recognizable for anyone who has sampled even a fraction of the BH canon. Nothing will come as a shock except how good he was at a young age.