Bigger than Jesus (album)

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Bigger than Jesus
Studio album by
Released11 November 1989 (11 November 1989)
StudioShifty Studios
GenreExperimental Rock
LabelRecommended Records
Kalahari Surfers chronology
Sleep Armed Bigger than Jesus Akasic Record

Bigger than Jesus was, in 1989, the fourth full-length album by the Kalahari Surfers, the recording identity of South African musician Warrick Sony.

The South African censorship authorities banned Bigger than Jesus[1] due to concerns about the title and song "Gutted With The Glory"'s use of the Lord's Prayer, which they deemed "abhorrent and hurtful". A shopper, Mevrou Mulder of Cape Town, was so offended by seeing the record on sale that she organised a petition to the Directorate of Publications. She complained: "The name alone is enough to make any Christian furious, not to mention the words. We as reborn Christians object to the publication of this record and also the distribution of it."[2] Sony successfully appealed, and the record was unbanned on condition that the name was changed to Beachbomb.[3][4] Personality magazine said the album "alternates between sheer poetic brilliance and intellectual nonsense."[5][6]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Plan for Peace" 03:45
  2. "Good Advice" 02:35
  3. "Running Out of Time" 03:37
  4. "Limpet Mine" 02:54
  5. "Interrupted Service" 00:17
  6. "Tongaat" 03:06
  7. "Let's Go Shopping" 02:35
  8. "The Last Kick (One Verwoerd in the Grave)" 05:04
  9. "Goldreef City" 02:19
  10. "Reconnaissance" 03:56
  11. "Bigger than Jesus" 04:18
  12. "Gutted with the Glory" 02:19
  13. "National Party" 01:49
  14. "Meet the New Boss (He's the Same as the Old Boss)" 05:12

References[edit]

  1. ^ The title is a reference to John Lennon's 1966 remark that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus
  2. ^ Drewett, Michael (27 February 2012). "Freemuse: South Africa in 1989: CD album banned for offending Christians". Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  3. ^ Jones, Andrew (1995). Plunderphonics, 'Pataphysics & Pop Mechanics: An Introduction to Musique Actuelle. SAF Publishing Ltd. p. 232. ISBN 0946719152.
  4. ^ De Waal, Shaun. "You cannot judge an album by its cover". Weekly Mail (1–7 December 1989).
  5. ^ Nel, Michelle (4 June 1990). Personality. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Legends of Music: The Kalahari Surfers". Muse Online. 2011. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2013.

External links[edit]