Artist: Jim Carroll Band
Album: Catholic Boy
Release Date: 1980
Label: ATKO
Reviewed By: sonofabelch
Killingboxx Score: 8 Cleavers

I had, by coincidence, started this review on Sep 11th of this year and then shelved it when it was about half done figuring I would finish it the next day. As it turned out, I had a few emergency naps that attacked me and kept me from getting off my ass to finish it. Later on that following day, I had heard that Jim Carroll died. Not that I think I had anything to do with it mind you, but it freaked me out just enough to cause me to put it down for a few weeks until the heat blew over.

I first heard this one at Will’s house sometime during our high school years and instantly loved it for what it accomplished. It was right up my alley featuring simple, straightforward rock beats and plenty of weirdo lyrics to keep my little (key word being little. Ed.) mind occupied while baked off my ass. At first, I knew nothing of his poetic work prior to the album, or that Anastasia’s favorite actor would one day portray him in the filmed version of his own Basketball Diaries memoir. All I knew at the time was that the song “People Who Died” kicked ass and that I was amazed that one person could know so many people who died in fucked up ways at such a young age.

Naturally, I had to buy it (or steal it from Will) and constantly play the hell out of it until I knew every corner of the album by heart.

It begins rather blandly with the song “Wicked Gravity” and then launches into one of my favorites, “Three Sisters”.  Continuing with a few more tunes that are serviceable it finally unleashes “People Who Died” upon your ears. Jesus, I remember sitting there and playing that song repeatedly until I had all the names memorized and could sing it without the song playing in the background. I am not sure what possessed him to write it all out, some sort of therapy I guess, but it still amazes me to this day.

The album continues with a few more attempts at Carroll musicafying (yes, I invented that word bitches, and its protected property!) some poetry, and then arrives at another of my favorites, “It’s Too Late”.

Over all, Catholic Boy stands as a solid work by Carroll in an attempt to put some of his poems to music. He would follow this album up with two more over the next few years before realizing that the experiment just wasn’t working, at which point he returned full time to his writing and teaching. Later in life, he toured the spoken word circuit reading excerpts from his latest, but unreleased book.

If you are looking for the weird lyrics of an Andy Warhol-esque prodigy set to straightforward rock and roll, this is the one to get. You could get the other two albums, but after listening to this one, you will be somewhat disappointed and probably file them on the shelf. This one, however, will stick to your guts like granny’s potato pie.