AMG Review of Worst of Blowfly

Stewart Mason
All Music Guide

The Worst of Blowfly is an aptly titled collection only if one thinks of the word "worst" in the sense of (to use one of the man's favorite words) "nastiest." This 1996 compilation, with tracks that stretch back over a quarter century to some of Clarence Reid's earliest recordings under his foulmouthed Blowfly persona, is for those who find Doug Clark & Hot Nuts too prim: these 20 songs are pure Southern gutbucket funk with absolutely filthy -- and usually hilarious -- lyrics. Titles like "Spearmy Night in Georgia" and "She Sucks on My Dick" say it all, yet there's a playfulness and good humor to these songs that keep them from being merely crude. Reid doesn't have a hateful bone in his body, and so there's no anger or spite in Blowfly's songs, just a schoolboy's glee in naughtiness for its own sake. It also helps that thanks to Reid's other career as a straight R&B singer, producer, and arranger, he has always been able to get ace musicians for his Blowfly sessions, with the result that songs like "Funky Party" work just as well as groove thangs.