Kim Salmon & The Surrealists - Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing (1997)

“It was very much a record about the way we put it together. It’s got the feeling of something that was recorded at someone’s house, which is a nice thing to have. It was done very ad hoc, but we didn’t let that stop us from throwing every idea at it that came our way into the equation. Stu was a big part of that – they’re mostly my ideas, but he had the musical ability that allowed him to score parts, with the occasional liberty.” Kim Salmon

Salmon fired Tony Pola from the Surrealists in 1993, replacing him with Greg Bainbridge. Brian Henry Hooper later left as well, after the "Kim Salmon and the Surrealists" album, and was replaced by Stu Thomas in 1995. This new trio put out Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing in 1997, touring Australia and Europe once more, and USA for the first time. A horn section was added to the band soon after.

Recorded in Kim's kitchen for a reputed $60, with the late Jim Dickinson (producer of Big Star, Tav Falco, Alex Chilton and Mudhoney among others) joining Mr Salmon at the controls, Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing signaled a change of direction for the Surrealists with brass featuring heavily.

From the original bio:

One time leader of the much revered swamped-out noise merchants The Scientists and former axegrinder/songwriter for the most brutal (and sometimes beautiful) Beasts Of Bourbon, Kim Salmon has also been doing his own thing since about 1985 with help from his mighty Surrealists. Having released a bunch of classic albums such as Hit Me With The Surreal Feel, Sin Factory, Just Because You Can't See It Doesn't Mean It Isn't There on the very cool Red Eye label, Kim Salmon & The Surrealists jumped aboard the 'Cow in 1997 to release what many consider to be their best album to date in Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing.

Oozing back porch charm and Vegas smarm, Ya Gotta Let Me Do My Thing features 60+ minutes of music was recorded in Kim's kitchen and then mixed by the great Jim Dickinson (Alex Chilton, Big Star, Ry Cooder) in Memphis.