Mystical Shit
title: "Mystical Shit" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["king-missile-albums", "1990-albums", "shimmy-disc-albums", "albums-produced-by-kramer-(musician)"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystical_Shit" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mystical Shit |
| type | studio |
| artist | King Missile |
| cover | Mystical Shit (King Missile album) coverart.jpg |
| released | 1990 |
| studio | Noise New York |
| (New York City, New York) | |
| genre | |
| length | 46:51 |
| label | Shimmy Disc |
| producer | Mark Kramer |
| prev_title | They |
| prev_year | 1988 |
| next_title | The Way to Salvation |
| next_year | 1991 |
| :: |
| name = Mystical Shit | type = studio | artist = King Missile | cover = Mystical Shit (King Missile album) coverart.jpg | alt = | released = 1990 | recorded = | venue = | studio = Noise New York (New York City, New York) | genre = | length = 46:51 | label = Shimmy Disc | producer = Mark Kramer | prev_title = They | prev_year = 1988 | next_title = The Way to Salvation | next_year = 1991
Mystical Shit is the third studio album by experimental music band King Missile, released in 1990 by Shimmy Disc. It is the first of their albums to be recorded after guitarist Dave Rick and bassist Chris Xefos had joined and composer Stephen Tunney had departed the group to form Dogbowl. The album was first issued on vinyl record in 1990 and was later included on the compilation album Mystical Shit & Fluting on the Hump.
Reception
|rev1 = AllMusic |rev1score = | rev7 = The Village Voice | rev7score = B ()
Stewart Mason of AllMusic called Mystical Shit "a transitional album" and said "Dogbowl had decamped for a solo career and King Missile was firmly in Hall's hands; as a result, the album is much less musically interesting, the songs consisting of little more than noodly jams underneath Hall's surreal, often funny monologues. Mason said the album was "weaker than both its predecessors and King Missile's later career high point, Happy Hour, where Hall would finally regain the proper balance between music and lyrics." Richard Gehr commended Hall for "spearheading New York's electric poetry movement" and said "the revamped King Missile sounds more focused than before, with the humor coming off as conceptual rather than jokey. Robert Christgau chose the track "Jesus Was Way Cool", by Hall and bassist Chris Xefos, as the album's "choice cut".
Track listing
| headline = Side one | all_lyrics = John S. Hall, except "Love You More" by Pete Shelley | title1 = Title Track | music1 = | length1 = 3:09 | title2 = Rock-n-roll Will Never Die | music2 = | length2 = 1:55 | title3 = No Point | music3 = | length3 = 3:35 | title4 = Gary & Melissa | music4 = | length4 = 2:18 | title5 = Frightened & Freezing | music5 = | length5 = 2:09 | title6 = How to Remember Your Dreams | music6 = | length6 = 3:07 | title7 = The Fish That Played the Ponies | music7 = | length7 = 2:36 | title8 = Jesus Was Way Cool | music8 = | length8 = 2:42 | headline = Side two | title1 = Open | music1 = | length1 = 4:36 | title2 = The Sandbox | music2 = | length2 = 1:45 | title3 = The Neither World | music3 = | length3 = 3:36 | title4 = She Didn't Want | music4 = | length4 = 2:48 | title5 = Cheesecake Truck | music5 = | length5 = 1:11 | title6 = Equivalencies | music6 = | length6 = 3:14 | title7 = Love You More | note7 = Buzzcocks cover | music7 = Pete Shelley | length7 = 1:46 | title8 = Forthly | music8 = | length8 = 3:24
Personnel
Adapted from the Mystical Shit liner notes.
King Missile
- Steve Dansiger – drums, percussion
- John S. Hall – lead vocals, flute (A4), harmonica (B3)
- Dave Rick – guitar, backing vocals
- Chris Xefos – bass guitar, piano, organ, synthesizer, accordion, tuba, backing vocals
Production and design
Release history
::data[format=table]
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1990 | Shimmy Disc | CS, LP | shimmy 029 |
| Netherlands | LP | SDE 9016 | ||
| :: |
References
References
- Thompson, David. (November 1, 2000). "Gravy". [[Miller Freeman, Inc.]].
- (Apr 15, 1993). "Rock's royal jesters". Rolling Stone.
- (March 30, 1996). "John S. Hall". [[Harry N. Abrams]].
- Buckley, Jonathan. (2003). "John S. Hall". [[Rough Guides]].
- Mason, Stewart. "King Missile: ''Mystical Shit'' > Review". [[AllMusic]].
- Christgau, Robert. (July 3, 1990). "King Missile: ''Mystical Shit'' (Shimmy-Disc)". [[The Village Voice]].
- "King Missile (Dog Fly Religion)". Trouser Press LLC.
- (1990). "Mystical Shit". [[Shimmy Disc]].
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