THE SHAVEN block of wood that makes Ted Milton's head butts its uncompromising way from the stark cover of his band's latest missive. A decade of bleeding his tormented soul through warped sax squeals and insane poetry has seen little reward on the bleak Brit mainland. Not surprisingly, Ted and his two piece band have spent most of their time chewing up the continent, where they've been roundly applauded on the Euro art circuit. The unique guitar/drums rhythm section produces a sparse skull-scratching beat, with Steve Eagles' guitar and Nic Murcott's drums spitting along the spastic jive. It's as tight as James Brown's band and as danceable. Typical Blurt exercises like 'Shoot And Shout' and 'Portage And Main' chunder along at a squint eyed pace, leaving Ted's poetry influenced tracks to create their own space. Taking the freeform squirming of jazz and cramming them into three minute howls from the soul has always been Blurt's great gift. And 'Kenny Rogers Greatest Hit' sees Blurt at their most finely chiselled. The great ignored danceband of our times, its time to wheel them out for general inspection.
© 1989 John Robb taken without permission