Behind the Magnolia Curtain

Behind the Magnolia Curtain
Studio album by
Tav Falco's Panther Burns
ReleasedOctober 1981
StudioArdent
LengthRockabilly revival, blues rock
LabelFrenzi/Rough Trade
Tav Falco's Panther Burns chronology
She's the One to Blame
(1980)		 Behind the Magnolia Curtain
(1981)		 Blow Your Top
(1982)

Behind the Magnolia Curtain is the debut album by the American band Tav Falco's Panther Burns, released in October 1981.[1][2] It was rereleased by Fat Possum Records in 2012.[3]

Production

The album was recorded at Ardent Studios, in Memphis, in six hours over two days.[4] Most of the tracks were captured in one take, without overdubbing and with minimal mixing.[4] Alex Chilton, as L X Chilton, played guitar; a drum group that included Othar Turner contributed to some tracks.[4][5] "Snake Drive" is a cover of the R. L. Burnside song.[6] "Bourgeois Blues" is a version of the Leadbelly song.[7] "St. Louis Blues" was written by W. C. Handy.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarStar[8]
The Boston PhoenixStar[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[10]
The Great Indie Discography5/10[11]
Houston ChronicleStar[12]
Omaha World-HeraldStarStarStar[13]
Pitchfork8.7/10[14]

The Lansing State Journal opined that the album "sounds like it was recorded in a Transylvania sewer with a $1.58 microphone."[15] The Omaha World-Herald noted that, like the band's live show, the album "occasionally hit[s] the raw rockabilly feel."[13] The Widnes Weekly News likened it to "the Stray Cats with more grease, guts and gusto."[16] Likewise, the Swindon Advertiser said that "the Cramps seems positively polished in comparison."[17]

The Detroit Free Press called Behind the Magnolia Curtain "a sensuously hideous masterpiece similar to the psychedelic blues-rock of the 1960s."[18] Dave Marsh labeled it "the most eccentric rockabilly revival item of the year."[19] The Houston Chronicle considered it "the sloppiest, laziest, more slovenly recording to come down the trail since the advent of multi-tracking."[12]

AllMusic called Behind the Magnolia Curtain "one of the great recordings to emerge from the post-punk era and remains the essential Panther Burns document."[8] In 2026, Pitchfork noted that "Panther Burns weaponized their amateurism, but never condescended to the source material".[14]

Track listing

Side A

  1. "Come On Little Mama"
  2. "She's the One That Got It"
  3. "Hey High School Baby"
  4. "Brazil"
  5. "You're Undecided"
  6. "OoooEE Baby"
  7. "St. Louis Blues"

Side B

  1. "Snake Drive"
  2. "Blind Man"
  3. "Where the Rio de Rosa Flows"
  4. "Snatch It Back"
  5. "Bourgeois Blues"
  6. "On Down the Line"

References

  1. ↑ Gimarc, George (1997). Post Punk Diary 1980-1982. St. Martin's Press. p. 211.
  2. ↑ Palmer, Robert (January 15, 1982). "Beat Generation Lives in a Night of Rock and Poetry". The New York Times. p. C6.
  3. ↑ Mehr, Bob (October 12, 2012). "Film gets caught up with 30 years of indie underground". The Commercial Appeal. p. G8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Dawson, Walter (October 25, 1981). "Album captures the untamed fire of Panther Burns". Fanfare. The Commercial Appeal. p. 11.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Bill (June 26, 1998). "Rub punk, blues together and Memphis flame flares". The Commercial Appeal. p. E27.
  6. ↑ Orr, Jay (December 5, 1996). "Music City: Spencer has a touch of the Delta in his Big Apple blues". Nashville Banner. p. C3.
  7. ↑ Coley, Byron (August 1988). "Underground". Spin. Vol. 4, no. 5. p. 85.
  8. 1 2 "Behind the Magnolia Curtain Review by Thom Jurek". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  9. ↑ Miles, Milo (February 16, 1982). "Off the record...". The Boston Phoenix. p. 32.
  10. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. III. MUZE. p. 1834.
  11. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography (2nd ed.). Canongate. p. 325.
  12. 1 2 Racine, Marty (May 9, 1982). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 11.
  13. 1 2 Catlin, Roger (December 1, 1981). "New Sounds". Omaha World-Herald. p. 19.
  14. 1 2 Deusner, Stephen M. (February 8, 2026). "Behind the Magnolia Curtain". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  15. ↑ Winkelstern, David (November 28, 1981). "Don't despair: you're lucky you missed it". Lansing State Journal. p. 4S.
  16. ↑ "The Panther Burns tonight". Widnes Weekly News. February 12, 1982. p. 12.
  17. ↑ "And Heard". Swindon Advertiser. February 26, 1982. p. 6.
  18. ↑ Britt, Bruce (March 7, 1982). "Reality rock? You're talking lusty, vicious". Detroit Free Press. p. 4C.
  19. ↑ Marsh, Dave (April 10, 1982). "Record reviews". St. Cloud Times. Rolling Stone. p. 14D.
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