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BATTLE HYMNS FOR CHILDREN SINGING my quest is complete April 17, 2000 twelve years i searched for this album on cd. i am in heaven at this moment, listening to 1 of the 4 copies that just came from amazon. why 4 copies? to give to friends, of course. this album is so weird and chunky and full of life that it just can't be not shared. hard to explain, but it sounds like sesame street music gone freakazoid, with about 5 shots of sex appeal and hipness thrown in. yeah, they disappeared as quickly as they arrived, maybe because there was nowhere for haysi fantayzee to go after this weirded out collection of supreme goofiness; don't let that bother you. if you've never heard of haysi fantayzee but you're a fan of musical diversity, buy this and let it sink into your head. if you're already a haysi fan, i think you'll enjoy the bonus tracks and remixes. took me a couple of road trips in the 80's with a 'battle hymns' tape playing in the background, but i am hooked on this gem now. when listening to the more twisted vocals ('i lost my dodi' for one), some people will probably be too dense to figure out that kate garner really can sing, but what would be the joy in getting it if everybody else did too? shiny shiny bad times behind me, girlfriend. what a piece of work this is. Sabres And Stovepipes April 15, 2000 Its about eighteen years since this album first appeared on vinyl, and now Haysi fans (and yes - there are many!) are thrilled to see its release on CD at long last. The album contains the songs which made Haysi Fantayzee such a media and pop phenomenon here in the UK - the style of Kate and Jeremiah visually was always a clue to the music, but the content of that music escaped many. "Sabres Of Paradise" focussed on suicide, while "John Wayne Is Big Leggy" concerned itself with a stab in the eye of racism. And the ubiquitous "Shiny Shiny" was more than just a modern nursery rhyme - the song took a quirky look at an impending apocalypse. This album is a treat not only on its own merits, but also because of the inclusion of the 12" versions of many of the singles - the Groovy Long Version of "John Wayne" is more fun than a bouncy castle in summertime, and the remix of "Sister Friction" is nothing short of thrilling. The only thing that would have improved the track listing would have been the inclusion of Kate's solo single, "Love Me Like A Rocket" - the remix of that was astonishing, with the vocals of a angel and the look of a devil! Dip beneath the Dickensian stove-pipes and dreadlocks and listen to the heart of the music. You won't regret it.. Demented but clever 80's classic! April 7, 2000 What a truly mad reggae-hillbilly new wave experiment this album was! Jeremy "Haysi" Healy and Kate "Fantayzee" Garner were true subversives beneath their seemingly bubblegum veneer and their outrageous raggamuffin fashions. "Shiny Shiny" has garnered (no pun intended!) them a "one-hit wonder" designation here in the States, but was anyone paying attention to the scattershot post-apocalyptic lyrics? This album contains some truly dark visions ("Sabres of Paradise" is downright creepy), sexual subtext and sociopolitical mockery. No, they weren't shallow and innocuous new wavers like so many think; they were like cheerfully wicked and perverse nursery rhyme characters. All the while, the music is deliciously danceable and quirky. Besides the aforementioned, don't miss "Jimmy Jive Jive", "John Wayne is Big Leggy" and "Sister Friction"; and the bonus tracks and 12" mixes make this a completists dream come true.
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