Boss Hog

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by Boss Hog, 1995.

Cristina Martinez’s Pussy Galore offshoot Boss Hog was more notorious for the nude front sleeve photos of Martinez than for their music. So, in the post-Nirvana strip-mining of indie music that had DGC snap up the band, it only made sense that a cartoon Martinez appeared on the front cover of her major label debut in a long, conservative black dress and flowing hair obscuring any notion of naughty bits (and wearing gloves and holding an umbrella, no less).

Tongue-in-cheek album sleeve art self-referencing aside, Boss Hog is one of those records that sits high up on my unwritten list of underappreciated albums. It did nothing commercially (the band’s next record was, predictably, not on DGC), but artistically it’s a very pleasant combination of the offbeat and accessible, helped in large part by the presence of Martinez’s spouse Jon Spencer. Spencer’s role is more than that of a sideman, lending lead vocals to “Beehive”, “Strawberry” and the Ike & Tina cover “I Idolize You” (the band joked that they considered naming the record Ike Turner Was Right), as well as a liberal helping of his trademark hoots and buzzing blooze guitar. (Boss Hog was released between the Blues Explosion’s Orange and Now I Got Worry.)

The silly duet “I Dig You” is the closest thing to an alternative radio single here, but this album has plenty of hooks and charm, and never takes itself too seriously or gets boring as it casually changes tempo. The major label makeover cleaned up the band’s sound and image a bit, but there’s still enough scum stuck in the cracks to betray any notion of a sell-out.

“I Dig You” music video.

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Tags: 1990s, 1995, alternative rock, american, boss hog, cristina martinez, ike & tina turner, jon spencer, punk, pussy galore