"Gathering elements for their bizarre masterpiece, 'Frontier Psychiatrist', The Avalanches encountered difficulty laying down a track due to the necessity of eliminating horse sounds from their vast collection of samples"
In the world of innovative music, few tracks can match the quirky and surreal nature of "Frontier Psychiatrist" by The Avalanches. This iconic track, from their debut album "Since I Left You," was born out of an intricate process of sampling and manipulation.
The multitude of voices in "Frontier Psychiatrist" came from a diverse range of sources. Eccentric comedy skits, children's storybook LPs, sunny calypso music, and a raft of animal sounds all found their way into the track. The frenetic beat was taken from Harvey Mandel's Wade in the Water, while the delightful lilting guitar riff in the outro came from a George Barnes recording of the song Anna (El Negro Zumbón).
The track features a prominent Spaghetti Western-style melody, reminiscent of the genre Robbie Chater had been working with for a long time but couldn't initially find a use for. The Enoch Light Singers' My Way of Life (1968) provided the 'Spaghetti Western' orchestral/choral sample. An excerpt from an interview with the artist Laurie Anderson and quotes from stand-up comedian Flip Wilson were also woven into the fabric of the track.
DJ Dexter Fabay played a significant role in the performative turntable manipulation that added to the track's unique sound. The Avalanches primarily used Akai S2000 and Yamaha Promix 01 samplers alongside the early DAW Studio Vision to craft the track. The album was later mixed in Pro Tools.
"Frontier Psychiatrist" was assembled from elements carefully hand-picked for their peculiarity. It continued the theme of suspected insanity with a vocal motif of 'That boy needs therapy' and 'Lay down on the couch.' The female voice asking a child if she could think of 'anything that talks other than a person' and the resulting parrot imitation originated from children's storybook record 'Aunt Theresa, Please Tell Me a Story' (1966).
The high-camp conversation between a schoolteacher and the boy's mother in "Frontier Psychiatrist" was snipped from John Waters' 1981 film Polyester. The song's surreal madhouse is often what bursts into people's heads when they think of The Avalanches.
The creation of "Frontier Psychiatrist" was unplanned and occurred during the last six months of the process. The Avalanches' debut album, "Since I Left You," was built from an estimated 3,500 individual samples. Originally titled 'Pablo's Cruise,' the album was envisioned as an escapist travelogue. The version of The Avalanches who brought "Since I Left You" to life included Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi, Darren Seltmann, Dexter Fabay, and Gordon McQuilten.
The process of clearing samples for "Since I Left You" delayed the release of the album and single until the following year (2001) in the UK and the US. Robbie Chater had been experimenting with samples since he was 15 years old. The Avalanches started as a noise punk outfit but soon became fixated on sampling as their raison d'être.
In conclusion, "Frontier Psychiatrist" is a testament to The Avalanches' creative sampling and production techniques, which blended diverse elements to create a surreal and memorable piece. It wedged The Avalanches into the psyche of pop culture and solidified their reputation as innovators in the music industry. The Avalanches, a music group founded in Melbourne in the mid 1990s, continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in music today.
When crafting their debut album "Since I Left You," The Avalanches, a group renowned for their innovative music, also incorporated elements of various books, merging samples from children's storybook LPs and a comedic interview into the fabric of their hit track "Frontier Psychiatrist." This unique piece of entertainment, widely recognized for its quirky and surreal nature, was a testament to their unconventional production techniques.
