What a Joke (re-issue) by Deliverance

When Deliverance first unleashed What a Joke in 1991, fans thought that surely this album was the extent of Jimmy Brown and company’s experimental side. They had no idea what was really in store in the next few years, but at the time this album had a few people scratching their heads. Extremely short songs about food? An intro that seemed to mock the killer albums that had preceded by just a year? Fans have been debating for years which songs should have been cut. I’m in the camp that loves every song on here and wouldn’t change a thing – the shorter songs break things up a bit and add a diversity that was missing on the previous discs. The 2011 re-issue has a much improved sound and a bonus track. I only had the cassette of the original, but you had to crank it way up to get to head-banging levels, and by then it was too distorted. Now you can crank it up and enjoy each bone-crushing note. One note to companies re-issuing CDs: could you please tell us where you dig up the bonus tracks? The bonus track here is a mellow but nice addition – I just wish I had some context for it.

Much has been said about the ‘updated’ artwork included on the re-issue. Many out-right hate it. I don’t necessarily hate it, but I wouldn’t have gone with it either if the choice had been up to me (sine when do cups have football-shaped lids?).  It looks like the beginning of an idea rather than a final one.  I would have gone out and bought a generic meal like the one on the cover, set it up like it is on the cover, and then taken the business end of an Ibanez guitar with the Deliverance logo on it and smashed it right in the middle. Take that to Photoshop, add a few funky color effects and filters, and that would have been one seriously metal cover.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*