Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustlers Greatest Hits

Album review

Under a variety of different project names, solo musician Tim Jones spun a mystical brand of cosmic one-man-band funk. Utilizing a stockpile of synths and drum machines he rewired himself, Jones performed around the Bay area throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s while working as a technician for IBM during the day. Rudimentary electronics and MIDI experiments resulted in 1979's self-released LP The Age of Individualism (issued under the moniker T.J. Hustler/Metaphysical Synthesized Orchestra) and Jones continued recording philosophical and groove-friendly songs, releasing homemade CD-R albums as technology evolved. Universal Philosophy: Preacherman Plays T.J. Hustler's Greatest Hits collects some of Jones' best and wildest excursions into this insular world of his own making, culling tracks from various volumes of his home-recorded output. Though the album consists of only seven songs, the material is dense and sometimes sprawling. Even the strange-but-hooky mutant dance groove of "Feel It" includes a lengthy breakdown where Jones summons his alter ego T.J. Hustler for a gravelly-voiced sermon about universal wisdom that adds a few minutes to a song already full of warped drum machine freakouts and artificial brass sections. T.J. Hustler (who Jones sometimes embodied in live performance using a homemade ventriloquist doll) returns for similarly extensive monologues on "Up and Down" and "The Hard Way," both of which stretch past 15-minute running times as Jones' scattered electronics chug along in the background. The songs when Jones is in preaching mode are a deep dive into weirdness, but he's just as out there when aiming for pop accessibility. The more concise offerings here include the mysterious synth pop of "The Age of Individualism" reworks an older tune called "The Individual You," subtracting yet another lengthy spoken missive and focusing on warmly overbearing bassy synth sounds and flourishes of extraterrestrial percussion. Universal Philosophy meanders and rarely lands anywhere specific, but it's an enjoyable ride, however bumpy and ramshackle. Jones manages to address the universe at large from inside his solitary practice, but even in its relative oddity, the music never feels lonely or outsider. Communicating warmth, hope, and understanding are at the core of every song, as the Preacherman lovingly offers every misfiring drum pattern and every extended cosmic ramble.

© Fred Thomas /TiVo