Personnel: Snakefinger (guitar); Steven Brown (soprano saxophone); Phil Culp (bass); Don Jackovich (percussion).
Audio Remasterer: Christian Loebenstein.
Phil "Snakefinger" Litham was part of Britain's pub-rock scene (while recording two albums with Chilli Willi and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers) before moving to California and hooking up with The Residents. Litham's guitar became one of the band's signature sounds and The Resident's collaborated with him on his first two solo albums, released originally on their own Ralph Records label. Sounding a bit like HERE COME THE WARM JETS-era Eno, this album fits in nicely with the more simply song-based works of The Residents (such as DUCKSTAB).
Snakefinger's guitar sound evokes cheap horror flicks meshed with a big, wide grin. If Edgar Allen Poe had written pop songs they might sound something like this (listen to "Kill The Great Raven"). Snakefinger's follow-up, GREENER POSTURES, is very much of a piece with CHEWING HIDES THE SOUND, and either one makes for a good entry point into his work.
