Tonio K. Albums (8)
'Tonio K. and 16 Tons of Monkeys Live'
Release Date 9/11/2001
Tracks 12
Label Gadfly
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What The Critics Say
Let's clear up a possible confusion right up front. From its cover, you might think Tonio K.'s Yugoslavia was a collection of traditional ethnic music. After all, the photograph ("courtesy of the Yugoslav tourist office, circa 1958," the singer notes) depicts two Eastern European men in traditional garb, including colorful blouses and skirts, brandishing sabers at each other (or perhaps doing a saber dance), while the copy reads, "Tonio K. and N.Y.M. Co. Present: Yugoslavia -- Love Songs & War Dances from Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Dalmatia, Bosnia, Slovenia (of the heart)." This is all a joke. Yugoslavia is an album of Tonio K.'s typically acerbic pop/rock songs with no relation to the fragmented, war-torn European country. Though it is not billed as a compilation, the album seems to be a gathering of stray tracks dating back several years, probably assembled after Gadfly issued Tonio K.'s long-deferred Olé album in 1997 and was interested in a follow-up. The songwriter hasn't really been active as a recording artist since issuing four albums and an EP between 1978 and 1988, but he has been working as a songwriter, and he notes that several of these songs were written for submission to established stars -- "I Know a Place" and "Murder My Heart" for Tina Turner (whom he helpfully identifies as "former wife of R&B great Ike Turner") and "Sure as Gravity" for Emmylou Harris -- not that these people ever recorded them or, apparently, even heard them. Others were part of other people's recording projects that didn't come to fruition, such as three tunes written with and for, and recorded by, Charlie Sexton, but given Tonio K. vocals so they could be used here. But no matter what the origins or intentions of the tracks, they bear the singer's trademark. His basic philosophy is expressed in one of the song titles, "Life's Just Hard," and that's a theme he reiterates throughout, from leadoff track "16 Tons of Monkeys" ("And it's a hard lesson") to "I Know a Place" ("Ain't nothing fair in life"). Love is hailed as the only salvation from life's difficulties, and by the trio of songs that end the album -- "Sure as Gravity," "Home to You," and "I've Got a Song Anyway" -- it seems to have won out. But life's hardness gets the lion's share of the attention. Tonio K. sings in a gruff baritone reminiscent of Peter Wolf over modestly rocking tracks, and doubtless a more distinctive performer could make more out of what is essentially a collection of demos. But the sarcasm the singer employed on earlier albums, which could be funny sometimes, has given way to a bitterness only occasionally leavened by absurdity, which makes Yugoslavia a less engaging effort. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Tonio K's fifth full-length album was originally slated to be released in 1990 on the heels of Notes From the Lost Civilization, thus completing his trio of comeback recordings. Due to the inherent nature of corporate restructuring, however, this project was canned by A&M only to see the light of day seven years later courtesy of Gadfly Records. This album, while being denied a final mix due to financial and political constraints, continues stylistically in the vein of Notes From the Lost Civilization. Tonio K's patented form of intelligent funky roots rock and commentary-laced ballads is complemented greatly by a stellar cast of musicians like Peter Case, T Bone Burnett, Booker T. Jones, Bruce Thomas, David Hidalgo, Paul Westerberg, and Charlie Sexton. Co-produced by Burnett and David Miner Olé contains several intense and substantive songs like "Hey Lady," "Day and Night," (co-written with Burnett) and the caustic "What a Way to Live" which revisits his ornery heyday as a burgeoning voice of unreason. ~ Dave Sleger, All Music Guide
'Notes from the Lost Civilization'
Release Date 1/1/1988
Tracks 10
Label What?
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What The Critics Say
The sparsely orchestrated "Children's Crusade" sets the tone of the record: short, simple lyrics and lots of musical space. Though not so clever and sardonic as some of his earlier work, this is an good collection of what Tonio K. himself calls "urban surf music." Songs tend to be more emotionally ("Stay, darlin' stay") than intellectually oriented like his earlier work. The exception is found in the song "What Women Want" -- left off the WHAT? Records version presumably because of the line, "I know what these women want/They want sex!" Very little really stands out on this album -- the urban surf music description seems appropriate from many angles. Great CD for your car. ~ Mark W. B. Allender, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Heralded by many as Tonio K.'s greatest release, this record does not age well, being rich in many trendy 1980s gimmicks (electric drums and glossy synthesizer work). It is also the least representative of his intellectual style, nearly all the songs being centered around the subject of relationships. Not a bad idea for a concept album but for the over-abundance of similar subject matter. Released in the wake of the PMRC, when the mainstream CCM market had little to offer in the way of challenging music, this release is good, but is far from up to par with most of his other work; the key phrase here is "safe territory." Try the long-delayed release Olé for a more well-rounded post-conversion release for Tonio K.. "Living Doll" is downright embarrassing given a post-'80s take on the lyrics. There is hidden gold to be found in the last two tracks: "You Don't Belong Here" and the T-Bone Burnett-produced "You Will Go Free." ~ Mark W. B. Allender, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This is the first post-conversion record for Tonio K. after his nihilistic tour de force on Amerika. It's pretty good as far as EPs go. He still keeps his acerbic wit in place -- songs like "Fools Talk" and "Mars Needs Women" ring in with the Tonio listeners have seen before. "La Bomba" is a masterpiece, changing the lyrics to sing not about "the dance" but "the bomb" -- in Spanish, no less. The cover of Cream's "Politician" is nice. ~ Mark W. B. Allender, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Happy nihilist Tonio K. returns after his critically acclaimed Life in the Foodchain with a stronger, even more sardonic record, Amerika. With tight riffs and intelligent lyrics, Tonio K. rocks hard on this one. But if an album's message can make one want to walk into traffic, this is it. Every song here espouses the end of all hope, the absence of values, the hopelessness of the human condition -- all sung with intelligence and wit (from "Say Goodbye": "The signs are everywhere/Only no one even cares/This paradise is dying/Say goodbye"). Most notable is the Dada tribute in the final track, "Merzsuite," which is divided into three sections ("Let Us Join Together in a Tune," "Umoré," and "Futt Futt Futt"). A lot of fun. Tonio K. is punk for academics. Lots of literary and political references. Lots of words in foreign languages (he admits in the CD reissue liner notes that he doesn't know what the foreign words mean, but he can look them up). A fun recording all around. ~ Mark W.B. Allender, All Music Guide
'Life in the Foodchain'
Release Date 1/1/1978
Tracks 9
Label Full Moon/Epic
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What The Critics Say
One of the best things about the late-'70s punk rock explosion is that it changed the rules for pop musicians across the board, and while Tonio K. wasn't a for-real punk rocker (or even really new wave), there's no way he could have made an album as willfully strange and bitterly witty as Life in the Foodchain without Elvis Costello or Johnny Rotten first raising the stakes in the rock outrage department. And it's a good thing; Tonio K. (aka Steve Krikorian) was actually a staunch Leftist moralist wearing the cloak of a raving lunatic, and on Life in the Foodchain, his rampantly cynical trades about the abuse of wealth, the collapse of values, and the emotional abuse that passed for love near the end of the 20th century cut like a chainsaw while also managing to be pretty damn funny. "The Ballad of the Night the Clocks All Quit (And the Government Failed)" is nearly as ambitious as its title (and even funnier), while "Life in the Foodchain" and "The Funky Western Civilization" say a lot more about the failings of our culture than most "serious" songwriters were offering in 1979, and side two's meditations on romance (especially "American Love Affair" and "How Come I Can't See You in My Mirror?") make Warren Zevon sound like James Taylor. And while one might wish that Tonio K. had had a band as tough and brittle as the Attractions backing him, he and producer Rob Fraboni got an admirably hard-rocking, stripped-down sound from their band of studio professionals (including Earl Slick, Albert Lee, and Garth Hudson) -- and Tonio K. was way ahead of the hipster curve in giving Dick Dale a guest shot on a couple cuts. And who wouldn't love an album released by the same people responsible for Dan Fogelberg's career that featured the line "I wish I was as mellow/As for instance Jackson Browne/But 'Fountain of Sorrow' my ass, motherf--ker/I hope you wind up in the ground!"? A masterpiece. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
