Snakefinger, Manual of Errors (side A)

1986's Night of Desirable Objects was a better effort to make a polished, almost commercial Snakefinger effort (thanks in part to Howard Johnson's tasteful engineering). Manual of Errors somehow seems a little bit off. It seems like it's trying to be cleaner and more accessible, but it also doesn't really sound that good. The vocals are sort of out in front, the song structures somewhat more evident. The results seem a bit bland, and not quite clear what the intention was (I can't imagine anyone thinking a Snakefinger record would be a big hit in 1982?, plus the "sellout" quotient is really far too low). I'm a sucker for almost anything on Ralph, and this album definitely has its charms, starting with some overtly damaged lyrics (even by Snakefinger's already weird standards). Amusing and perplexing, but probably his weakest album.