“20th Century Wolf”
by Sky Saxon's U.S.A.
1991 song
Sky Saxon’s U.S.A.’s atypical 1991 CD Flashback opens with "20th Century Wolf". “Not again!” laughs one of the musicians in the studio before the track begins, which is an odd start since this album and song are nothing like anything Sky had done before. There’s a professional studio sheen to "20th Century Wolf" in jarring juxtaposition with Sky’s druggily mumbled singing, a fascinating feature of the CD in general. Sky’s U.S.A. co-conspirator Dana Smith adds some great “talking” guitar using his wah-wah pedal; it last throughout the song and is basically a co-lead vocalist duetting with Sky. Larel Holt’s organ gives "20th Century Wolf" some bold lines of droning color.
Dana Smith added a remixed version of this recording to a 2008 promo CD called Sir Majik Love Her's Le Chateau. The title is spelled out ("Twentieth Century Wolf") and the remix sounds a little brighter and punchier than the smooth, pinched and processed 1991 version.
