Eggs How Do You Like Your Lobster? CD

HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR LOBSTER? is a collection of 7" singles, compilation tracks and previously unreleased material.

A collection of various singles and compilation appearances, How Do You Like Your Lobster? makes for a mighty fine overview of the Eggs' first half of the '90s, and arguably might actually be its best album all around. It's certainly a great snapshot of the band's quietly evolving approaches over time. If opening songs like the wonderful "Skyscraper" are low-key indie rock with a bit of energy here and there, as the album goes things are much more varied, from the odd chants on "Sexual Tension" and the not-quite-scat-singing and funk turns on "Roll Away the Stone" to the shoegaze-meets-tempo change of "Baked Alaska." It's not that one can't hear the ambition early on -- Marianne McGee's low-key turn on flügelhorn helps add just a touch of majesty, if one likes, to "Ocelot," while Rob Christiansen does similar on "Sugar Babe" and both parts of "The Oblivist" with tuba (on the latter adding some woozy New Orleans jazz moans). Some really wonderful songs and performances mark the entire disc -- the earliest stone classic is "The Government Administrator," which sounds like the type of epically heroic song the Flaming Lips would end up doing more of towards the end of the millennium. Then there's Mark Robinson's "ruined" remix of "A Pit With Spikes," beautiful, simple verses complete with bizarro falsetto midsong break, and a snaky, just off-kilter enough cover of OMD's early-'80s winner "Genetic Engineering" (the replication of the computer voices is quite amusing!), as well as a slightly peppier version of Low's "Words" -- with tuba. Andrew Beaujon tackles the liner notes with a curious but fun theme, relating every particular single or recording session to a fish dinner or meal of some sort. Among other revelations -- that Mimi from Low "sure can cook au papilotte." ~ Ned Raggett

Photographer: Jimmy Cohrssen.

Personnel: Andrew Beaujon (vocals, guitar, trumpet, organ, electric piano, synthesizer, tape loops, sound effects); Rob Christiansen (vocals, guitar, trombone, drums, tambourine, percussion, sound effects); Evan Shurak (vocals, bass, percussion, sound effects); Dave Park (vocals, bass); Mark Nelson (vocals); John Rickman (guitar, drums); Marianne McGee (flugelhorn); Jane Buscher (bass); Jacquelyn Briskman, Patrick Gough, Brian Markovitz, Ben Currier (drums); John Morand (snare drum); Ian Jones (congas).

Engineers: Barrett Jones (tracks 1-3); Eric Ashman, Rob Christiansen (tracks 4-7); Rob Christiansen (tracks 8, 11-14); Geoff Turner (tracks 9-10, 15); John Morand (track 16); Dave Marsh (tracks 17-18).

Alternative Press (1/96, p.77) - "...The secret of enjoying Eggs lies in recognizing the inherent cheekiness that fuels much of their work. Eggs see no reason why they shouldn't switch gears into a ridiculous 1970s Bee Gees parody in the midst of a sensitive ballad....If you're unfamiliar with these warped sons os Virginia, then this comp is as good a place as any to introduce yourself..."