
The name is a contraction of naphthenate palmitate, both(?) aluminium based compounds. Strictly speaking, napalm is a thickening agent. Literally `Army of God', the Hizbollah are a revolutionary Shiite Muslim faction, which rose to prominence during the war in Lebanon in the 1980s, and have since been involved in numerous terrorist actions aimed at Israel and America.Īlbum Oriented Rock (or Album Oriented Radio, the stations that play it) - ghastly mainstream classic rock predominates.

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The methods used tended towards the extreme, and the name Torquemada is usually used as a symbol of cruelty and sadistic zeal, although recent revisionist histories have suggested that the Spanish Inquisition have suffered from a bad press over the years.Īndrew has previously cited Torquemada as a hero / influence, references include The Gothic Rock Black Book by Mick Mercer.Ī television show, which Americans apparently find funny.ĭisgraced children's TV star Pee Wee Herman. The avowed rôle of the Inquisition was to find and try heretics, specifically false conversos (Jews and Muslims who had converted to Catholicism in order to escape religious persecution, but carried on practicing their previous faiths in private). Tomas de Torquemada (1420-1498) was the one of the first, and certainly the most famous, Inquisitor-Generals of the notorious Spanish Inquisition, established by Ferdinand V and Isabella of Spain in the fifteenth century. ? Is this a typo, or a commonly used alternative spelling? Alternatively, might the mis-spelling be relevant? It is reported that the rest of the band were inspired by this reckless derring-do and went to Disneyland. The band were stuck in LA for a few days waiting for a flight back to England, so Andrew and John Martin, the tour manager, decided to hire a car (despite neither holding a driving license) and headed way down Mexico way. Andrew supposedly has numerous anecdotes about Mexico, presumably relating to his trip there in 1985. Pink and white noise are two forms of random noise pink and white are also apparently two forms of amphetamine.īoth a mythical source of fantastic wealth hidden somewhere in the jungles of Central or South America (variously an individual, a city or a whole region), and a (vast) American car.Įnsenada (note the spelling) is a resort in Mexico which by many accounts, is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, in which you could `catch something weird' very easily. Is this supposed to echo the line '.stuck outside of Memphis.', from Dominion? The wheel goes round and the friends get higherįor the juggling men and the idiot clown"Īn echo of Dylan's Desolation Row?, or perhaps, The Sweet's Desolation Boulevard.Ī quote from the Chuck Berry song Memphis, Tennessee. There is a verse in Burn which is recorded backwards, and is not listed in the official lyric book. Sadly, these days it appears to be in decline, though one hopes. Official Reptile House T-Shirts always identified the wearer as a "REPTILE" which was a dubious privilege at best. The Reptile House was also adopted as the name of the Sisters' information service which existed in fits and starts from 1987 until 1992 when it blossomed for four years into the most literate, enervating fan club going. I'm also reminded of Turner's famous painting of the 18? destruction of the Houses of Parliament. The syntax of this line is also reminscent of the opening line of Eliot's Sweeney Erect (q.v.): "Paint me a cavernous waste shore". I would like to think that this is a metaphor for the Houses of Parliament given the extreme political nature of Valentine and Fix, torching the Palace of Westminster would seem a suitable conclusion.

"The Reptile House" is a building common in zoos where, obviously, the Reptiles are housed.


Reptile refers to the elemental evil present in every human mind. I have a suspicion that this is a phrase from some ultra-famous Shakespeare soliliquy. The title is taken from Walt Whitman's poem I sing the Body Electric. Dr Avalanche (Drums) and Craig Adams (Bass) had been recruited along with some decent equipment, and the furious, intense, thrilling wall of noise was impressive enough to bag the `Single of the Week' slot in the Melody Maker. Musically and lyrically, Body Electric/Adrenochrome represent a significant advance on the Damage Done single.
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The cover features Francis Bacon's excellent Head VI, one of a series of Bacon pictures based on Velasquez's portrait of Pope Innocent X. CNT (Confederacion National de Trabajo) was the name of an anarchist worker's collective which was active in the Spansih Civil War. Contemporary cashflow problems at Merciful Release meant that the Sisters second single was released on the CNT label out of York.
