While released initially in 1980 in Australia, this single released in the UK on 4AD contains two of my favorite Birthday Party tracks. The A-side Mr. Clarinet features the gnarliest farfisa organ sound I've ever heard. It snarls, I'm serious. The song itself has some of the menace that the band would be known for latter, but here contains some of that bouncy punk sound that would be gone by their album Junkyard. The bass here is also very springy which adds to the bounce, making this a very messed up dance song.
The B-side is Happy Birthday, with the goofiest lyrics i think Cave has ever written. It's about a kid's birthday party, him getting a samurai sword as a present, and a dogchair, whatever that is. The music itself is much in the vein of the Hee-Haw EP released in 1979, being fairly skeletal in arrangment, and not fairly dramatic or frenzied. The track still kicks ass though and Cave can really whoop.
Rating: 4.5/5
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