Bitch Magnet - Umber

Label: Communion

Year: 1989

It dawned on me that this record has not been posted on this blog, and for that over site, I truly apologize. I'm not sure how it slipped through the cracks, but hopefully it's "better late than never". I also hope that in your music-listening-appreciation career, you have had the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the pleasures of Bitch Magnet. Certainly, if you find yourself nodding awkwardly along to off-kilter math rock beats you have at least heard a band who owes a debt of gratitude to Bitch Magnet. If you've enjoyed the calming bliss of over driven waves of post hardcore guitar riffing, you have at least heard a band who owes a debt of gratitude to Bitch Magnet. Their fingerprints are all over modern guitar rock, from angular, mathy assaults, to epic, triumphant sheets of noise, to catchy, punked up indie rock, these guys were doing it well way back when. If you are a fan of anyone from Seaweed to Rodan to Slint to Rapeman to Codeine, you'll probably find something in these songs to raise your dander.

Members of Bitch Magnet went on to form Seam, Bastro, Walt Mink, Gastr del Sol, Vineland, Don Cabellero, Coptic Light, Ee, and I'm sure thousands more. The point being, these guys know their way around the music that you tend to like, so take that under advisement.

Also, this is the cd version of Umber which also includes their first lp Star Booty.

DL - part 1

DL - part 2

Bardo Pond - Amanita

Label: Matador

Year: 1996

A play about Bardo Pond:

Record Store Employee #1, "You asshole, you spilled Pavement all over the My Bloody Valentine records!"

Record Store Employee #2, "So what douche, you all Pink Floyd records in these Ash Ra Tempel sleeves!"

Record Store Employee #3, "Both you fags better quit goofing around and clean up this pile of records, all the Sonic Youth and Curve albums are getting mixed up."

And then, in a clarion moment, the three record store employees smile, shrug their shoulders, and have a good hearty laugh before going back to their business of arguing over who's turn it is on the stereo and generally just being virgins.

So there you go, Bardo Pond...well, that and drugs. Now, Bardo Pond, all that shit up there, and drugs. Good day.

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DL - part 2

this is what happens when you don't give your internet provider their garmonbozia

Daisy Cutter - Truck Fist

Label: Rockville 

Year: 1994

Seems like there was a lot of this kind of sludgy, Helmet-esque rock going around. Songs that started and stopped, riffs that churned up the pond scum, and the appropriation of redneck imagery. I'm sure your town had one these bands, it's members toiling away in the restaurants and bars of that burg, on the cusp of "making it", if only they could get Tom Hazylmyer to return their letters.

To my ears this band is basically Helmet and Crawlpappy with a dash of King Snake Roost, and the slightest hint of Ministry. It's very ugly, but essential if you are a fan of this genre. 

The band was started by the original vocalist of Monster Magnet, and features dudes who are associated with Solarized, Full Speed Ahead, Lord Sterling, Splitting Headache, and Blackout Shoppers, but don't be fooled, there is nary a stoner rock riff on this record. It's all straight ahead, choppy, pounding, thud rock. A great relic.

DL

Bluetip - Polymer

Label: Dischord

Year: 2000

Here's a case of a great band that gets overshadowed by their past accomplishments and is relegated to the, "Oh that dude from so-and-so's new band? Naw, never heard em. I love so-and-so though" file. And I'm just as guilty. For reasons not quite known, people went ape-shit for Swiz (after the fact of course) and held them aloft as some holy grail of harDCore. Yeah, they were a great band, and they had a certain mystique, but why they were elevated to such status is a little strange. What's even stranger though might be that when Swiz dissolved and the members went their separate ways (if you consider Sweetbelly Freakdown "separate") they pulled together some pretty sweet new bands. Bluetip being the best of them.

I had never given them a listen until I happened upon them opening a show for somebody at the Che Cafe in San Diego, and it was one of those all-to-rare moments when a band truly surprises you, blows you away even. Kind of a "holy shit, where have I been" moment. Certainly they weren't a hardcore band like Swiz, but Jason Farrell's vocals were perfectly fit over this straight rock approach. The songs were all earnest intensity and roaring guitars. I dug it. Still do.

Maybe Dischord was in a slump around the time Bluetip was most active, or maybe it's hard to come out of the shadows of a critically acclaimed band, but for myriad reasons, Bluetip never got their just desserts, and that's a shame. 

Members on this record were in or went on to be in: Damnation AD, Canyon, Son Volt. Swiz, Fury, Sweetbelly Freakdown, and Retisonic. This record was also produced by J. Robbins.

DL

Dove - Dove

Label: Self Released

Year: 2004

By request from the illustrious Phillip Fay Fock, here is the Dove album. I bet you know what it sounds like, but just in case, here's a quick math equation:

{[(Floor-feedback)/Fu Manchu]+Disfear(.5)}x overt metal references = Dove

Easy.

When Floor decided to go splitsky, Steve Brooks went on to form Torche and illicit the masturbatory praises of every music writer who had never given two shits about Floor. Weird. But Henry Wilson decided to delve deeper into metal and formed Dove. Guess who didn't give a shit? Not so weird. 

Henry played drums in both Floor and Cavity, but plays guitar in Dove. Also, Floor released an album called "Dove". Get it straight.

So in the continuum of heavy Florida bands, Dove fits in right after Scrog, but before Consular, maybe neck and neck with the o.g. Bloodlet. Floor being the best of all by the way.

Also, I posted the Dove demo over at Colostomy Grab-Bag back when that was a viable thing to do, but since you most likely missed it there, it's down below as well.

DL

DL-demo

Truman's Water -Fragments Of An Lucky Break

Label: Emperor Jones

Year: 1998

Changing tact just a bit, but sticking with a San Diego (cum Portland) based band (I'm referencing the Crash Worhip post by the by), let's experience the warped pop of Truman's Water shall we? Yes. If you're a fan of skewed indie rock along the lines of Polvo, Grifters, Thinking Fellers Union, Sebadoh, and maybe even old Beck, then I think you'll be into this band. They seldom play it straight, but somehow manage to coax something catchy out of the mess they create. Lots of the songs sound improvised, but from what has always been said about the band, they practiced all the time and left little to chance. Rarely do they get into a 4/4 beat, and rarely do the instruments sound tuned to the key of "E". Nah'mean?

As you may well know, I have a very low tolerance for jazz, or jazz-related sounds. Sorry, but I find it tedious, and I hate the sound of the trumpet and/or saxophone. Granted, it's not as bad a genre as reggae, which, to quote Morrissey, "is vile music", but you will be hard pressed to hear many brass instruments squawking from my record collection. I don't stand for baloney. So you will understand that I cringe when people say "that's influenced by Captain Beefheart", or whatever. Yes, I know, Captain Beefheart was not a jazz man per se, but he helped to unleash that free jazz approach within the confines of rock music, and for that I hate him. Again, sorry if that's your uncle or something, but a man has to have principles. Well, people say Truman's Water has elements of Captain Beefheart, but I don't hear it. They also toot a trumpet on occasion. Why mention it? Maybe to have the chance to talk a little shit about Beefheart, or call his fans super fucking nerds? I don't really know. Truman's Water is not silly like Beefheart, they are not toying with conventional song structure, but rather playing off-beat indie rock. That's why I don't get the comparison. 

One of the founding members of this group comes and goes to concentrate on Soul-Junk which is a weird christian based experimental hip-hop project I managed to catch a couple times in San Diego. You know my feelings on christian experimental hip hop right? It's right up there with Peter Tosh, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, and the like. Anyway, that's just a trivial sidebar.

Enjoy your morning.

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DL - part 2

Crust - The One On The Left Is Me

Label: Self Released

Year: 1988(?)

I really don't know much about this release other than it's the first Crust cassette demo. I don't know if that is actually an image from the cover up there. Who knows? I can't tell you the proper running order of the tracks either. Sorry.

I can tell you that it's some pretty sweet Crust though. The quality is slightly murky, but generally fits the mood of the music, so it's hard to tell how "lo-fi" the recording is versus how "lo-fi" the actual instrumentation was. If you like Crust, you should grab this, it's well worth your time. Strange, industrial-tinged, hallucinogen fueled, Texas styled freak rock. They would later go on to put out records on Trance Syndicate and Touch and Go, so you get the idea.

I need to run now, I'm meeting James Joyce for lunch. Yes, THE James Joyce!

DL

Crash Worship - This

Label: Alarma

Year: 1987

Originally released as a cassette, their second, before they moved on to the wonderful world of hi fidelity compact disc and vinyl. Whee!

They were a legendary live band, one I never saw (so honestly, how "legendary" could they have been if they didn't grace my little backwater hometown?). But if rumors are to be believed, they created an all-encompassing debaucheries experience rife with nudity, fire, ritualistic behavior, and trance inducing psychedelic freak-outs. Sounds kinda fun, unless you consider the other Burning Man motherfuckers who you're going to be getting all nude and shit with. I picture lots of dreadlocks, and Beyond Thunderdome wardrobes...sexy.

Also, can I pose the question; how does San Diego continue to defy it's fantastic weather and killer shore breaks with this kind of blackened musical output? What gives?! The burritos at Pokez are great, but are hey laced with some sort of happiness-saltpeter? Yo no se. San Diego is a weird place.

Musically, Crash Worship are percussion based and fall within that "tribal/industrial/neo-folk/noise/drone" family of bands. Usually those bands end up being racist, and I can't vouch either way for Crash Worship, although one member went on to join Blood Axis, and well, they're pretty much racist, so... Other members went on to be in Pure, Minority Of One, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Motherhead Bug, Physics (who are fucking awesome), and oddly enough Quintron and Miss Pussycat.

Enjoy?

DL

Milkmine - Braille

Label: Choke Inc.

Year: 1994

Sentenced to obscurity by the untimely demise of their label Choke Inc. (also home to Craw, Morsel, and Jaks), Milkmine is a hidden gem of chaotic, noisy, Midwestern nastiness. They employed the 'ole two bassists, one drummer set-up, and if I had a nickel for every time I've seen that chestnut of a trick...I'd probably owe you a couple dollars somehow.

Not only are you in for a considerably auditory beat-down via this album, but you're also about to be blessed with the sweetest "boy comes out to his father" tale in the song "Split Tail". 

Sample lyrics:

Fag...split tail (don't dare tell my wife I'm a)

Fag...split tail (don't dare tell my wife you're a)

Fag...can't believe you looked at me with wanting eyes

Fag

I mean, it tears at the heartstrings does it not?

So go ahead and listen already, especially if you gravitate towards things that come unhinged easily, or Godheadsilo's "crazier" moments. This band should have been huge, but whatever, history is a cruel mistress.

DL 

 

Surgery - Nationwide

Label: Amphetamine Reptile

Year: 1991

By request, here is Surgery's Nationwide lp, a real humdinger of a record. I believe we've already covered what this band sounds like, so I can forgo the formalities of saying things like, "dirty", "bluesy", "noisy", or "gruff" right? Thanks. I needed a break.

I would tell you a story or something, but honestly, I'm not really feeling particularly funny or interesting, so we'll skip that stuff too.

Hmmm. Turns out when you don't talk about the music or yourself, this blogging shit is real easy. 

DL

U-Men - Freezebomb 7"

Label: Amphetamine Reptile

Year: 1988

The band that some say is responsible for breaking open the Seattle music scene. What do I know though, I've never even been to Seattle. I hear it's nice, kind of a mix between San Francisco and Vancouver, real hilly, nice people, good beer, wet weather, and hippies. 

U-Men may or may not have ever lived on a hill, I can't vouch for their pleasantries, they certainly sound like they enjoy a cool one here and there, I imagine they stay indoors during rainstorms, and they most definitely are not hippies. That I do know.

Like a lot of the old Amphetamine Reptile stuff, U-Men took their punk from out of the garage you know? Kind of wild-eyed, twangy, good time punk. The guitarist went on to play in Gas Huffer, and that's the style I was alluding to. They all went on to play in other bands, Crows, Love Battery, and Cat Butt as well. You know Tom Hazelmyer even spent some time in this band, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

DL

Steel Pole Bathtub - We Own Drrrills

Label: Self-released

Year: 1987

The first "proper" Steel Pole Bathtub record, this ep sets the groundwork for what would be the band's signature sound. A looping bass line that repeats ad infinitum, random movie/t.v. samples, guitar scraping and chugging in and out of the song, and noisy, messy drums banging out either in tribal cadence, or rolling all over the song. While mostly slicing a cacophonous gorge through the land, a closer listen reveals the pop music undertones, and the ubiquitous funk leanings of the late 80's. Minutemen + Big Black + Saccharine Trust = Steel Pole Bathtub.

In my opinion the band got better and peaked towards the middle of their career, but this first ep is still a nice little time capsule of what music sounded like in this era. It's oddly catchy, but scratchy enough to keep you satisfied.

DL

Firewater - Get Off The Cross...We Need The Wood For Fire

Label: Jetset

Year: 1996

Here's the first post-Cop Shoot Cop release from Tod A., and while it still sounds like Tod A., it don't sound like Cop Shoot Cop too much. He described the band as, "a wedding band gone wrong", but I'm not so sure that's the steez I'm picking up. Your marriage would be off to a rocky start at best if this was the soundtrack to your reception...I smell a murder-suicide pact in your future.

The similarities to Cop Shoot Cop show up from time to time as the start/stop song structures, but beyond that the instrumentation is wildly different, there are lots of strings, horns, and piano...not a double bass assault in site. You get a folksier, gentler approach to the dark world of Tod A. Maybe some klezmer? Sure, why not. Interested in a raga? Don't mind if you do. Have you thought of adding some Middle Eastern nomadic gypsy nuances? As a matter of fact, yes.

The first incarnation of this band had Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard, Pigface, Tomahawk, Cargo Cult, USSA), Hahn Roew (Foetus), Jim Kimball (Denison Kimball Trio, Jesus Lizard, Laughing Hyenas, US Maple, Mule), and a dude from Soul Coughing (is that a good thing?), so it was pretty stacked, and it might give you a feel of the depth of influence.

DL

Johnboy - Pistolswing

Label: Trance Syndicate

Year: 1993

Earlier I posted Johnboy's second (and final) album, but before I forget I wanted to get their first album up here as well. 

How this band flew under the radar is a mystery to me. I only heard about them after the fact, long after they had broken up, and I feel like I'm sorta cool you know? Like, I should at least be aware of the right? My kids think I'm cool...and they're pretty hip themselves, so that should prove my point. Open and shut case your honor, I am cool.

Oh, you were here for the music? Sorry about that last bit.

Johnboy could hold their own with any of the Touch and Go/Amphetamine Reptile/Skin Graft/Homestead bands of that era. They new when to play slow and heavy, and when to get a little mathy. They kept the vocals in he background, and let the music propel the songs along at a quick clip. This record is slightly more unpolished than the second lp, but no less exciting or rewarding. It's got elements of Shellac, Fiddlehead, Bastro, and Glazed Baby all up in this piece. 

Like I said, it's weird that Johnboy has not been canonized like so many of their brethren of that early 90s scene, because they are easily as good. Don't sleep on this one, I know you'll like it.

DL

Lubricated Goat - Plays The Devil's Music

Label: Black Eye / Amphetamine Reptile

Year: 1987

"Even the birds in the trees seemed to whisper, 'get fucked'" Oh, Lubricated Goat...you are diabolical! 

Keeping with the Australian theme of late, here's the best satanic carnival music you're most likely to hear all day. Assuming you like that kind of thing. I'm betting you do.

From the same scene that brought us Thug and Beasts Of Bourbon comes Lubricated Goat, who's aim seems to be in redefining the rock band structure whilst still adhering to her basic tenets. Understand? No? Alright, I mean that they have guitar, bass, drums, and dude singing. That's easy. But then they fuck around with odd instrumentation (balloons, beer bottles, etc,) and manipulate and distort the "regular" instruments into submission. The result isn't some far-out noise freakazoid, but rather a real trashy take on o.g. punk rock. Like Stooges style punk, but given some hillbilly trucker speed injections. The closest band I can think of that sounds anything like this band might be The Crows who were on Amphetamine Reptile as well.

Whatever the process, the music lends itself to a good time, and while it's mean and aggressive, and sometimes a bit morose, it still manages to sound fun somehow. I don't exactly know how, but then again...I'm not Australian. Also, to the best of my knowledge, Lubricated Goat shared no members with Men At Work or INXS. Just f.y.i.

DL 

Unwound - Live in Toulouse - 01-06-99

Label: Bootleg

Year: 1999

I figured I'd end the evening with another live recording provided by one of our commenter's. Three posts in one day, all live. If I was smarter I could think of a play on words there, but alas, I am but a buffoon. A sad and confused man-monkey...randomly banging my paws on the keyboard, ceasing only to eat termites and hurl my own feces against the monitor in front of my bewildered eyes. 

So anyway.

You know who Unwound is. You understand that they tended to play their songs in front of a paying audience. Occasionally that audience was in Toulouse France at a place called the Dollar Pub. Beknownst, or unbeknownst to the members of Unwound, some people would take it upon themselves to document the performance they (assumed) had paid to see in the form of a audio archive. 

Just so happens, we got one right here. What are the odds?

Unwound are the best at what they do. Done. Did. I know it's queer to "have a favorite band" or whatever, and no, I'm not still in second grade, but I dare say, around the time of "New Plastic Ideas", Unwound were pretty much the best thing going. So the thought of having a really great sounding bootleg of a show that hits a lot of the high points from that album? Well, I might just scribble their logo on the front of my Trapper Keeper.

DL

V/A - Live At Emo's

Label: Rise

Year: 1994

You can thank the fantastic plebeians who frequent this very blog for thine pleasures bestowed before thee. The clarion call rang out from on high for Live At Emo's and two people delivered the goods, so I offer my sincerest gratitude to you. 

I didn't realize how awesome this record is. It couldn't just sit there languishing in the comments section of an Ed Hall post, nay, it needed to shine. Spread your wings and fly baby bird...fly! This isn't just your ordinary everyday run of the mill live cuts compilation. No-sirree-Bob. Negative. What you got here, is a collection of some of the best bands of the era, killing it live, and captured in pristine audio clarity. These recordings manage to capture the energy of the live show without sacrificing the chest compressing "thud" you expect. Excellent. 

Also, on an historical note, Rise Records was the predecessor of Man's Ruin Records, which was the predecessor of Frank Kozik being hunted down by every creditor in the known universe. Nice right?

The bands are:

Didjits

Fuckemos

Gut

Ed Hall

Cows

Cherubs

Noodle

Seaweed

Glorium

Sockeye

Chaindrive

American Psycho Band

DL 

ZZ Top - Live Rockpalast 04-20-80

Label: Bootleg

Year: 1980

I am aware that this record may not be your normal fare hear at Shiny Grey Monotone, but rest assured; a) it fucking smokes, b) 9/10ths of the bands we regularly post owe a debt of service to "that little ol' band from Texas". I mean this without one hint of irony, ZZ Top rules. Flat out. They destroy. And round about 1980 when this concert was recorded, they were at the top of their game. They'd just released Deguello, and hadn't fallen prey yet to the 1980's hit machine that would water down their corrosive blues with corny synths and slick production. This set is a full on blues assault captured in pristine sound by the cameras and engineers of Germany's Rockpalast, so you get the goods, and you get them as good as can be. I think some of these versions are better than the album cuts, they are a little faster, a little meaner, and little more off the cuff.

And did I mention that Billy Gibbons fucking rips? I might have forgotten to mention that, so let me reiterate...Billy Gibbons fucking rips. I once heard that he was Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitar player. Maybe that's true, maybe not...but you understand the ramifications of that statement right?

So the impetus of me posting this was staying up the other night and watching a newer ZZ Top concert on VH1 Classic (hey, it's the VH1 that speaks to me), and thinking that in the pantheon of rock and roll, there are only a handful of bands that can even hold ZZ Top's jockstraps. Seriously. Try and name more than 10. I'll be here. Listen to this live version of "Just Got Paid" and let me know how many other bands can even relate to that shit.

DL - part 1

DL - part 2 

 

Surgery - Shimmer

Label: Atlantic

Year: 1994

Ah yes, the "sellout" album. Like every card carrying member of the Church Of Tim Yohannon, I too was not willing to allow my heroes a chance at financial stability. So when Surgery decided to jump from Amphetamine Reptile to Atlantic Records...well, that just wouldn't do. It was an outrageous, treasonous act that surely marked the coming Apocalypse, and could not be tolerated. I called for an all-out boycott.

Until a copy of the album showed up at the radio station I was working in...

It wouldn't hurt to take it home and give it a covert listen under the cover of dark right? I mean, Steve Albini couldn't be everywhere at once could he? No one would be the wiser. And hey, it's not like I supported the corporate death machine by purchasing the record now did I (and no, the irony of it being posted here is not lost on me)?

So the bottom line...it sounded like Surgery 75% of the time, and sounded like 90's alternative rock the other 25%. I shelved it, and did not check back in on "Shimmer" for many years to come.

I am retarded.

This is a good record. Not great, but still really good. Surgery is a great band who had a knack for catchy songs that were heavy and dirty. This record is mostly that sound, in fact there's even a version of their classic jam "D-Nice" on here. I will say there are a couple songs that aren't too hot, but mostly, this is well worth your time. Especially if you ever liked Surgery in the first place. 

So at the risk of losing your entry to the Maximum Rocknroll Old Folks Home, give this one a shot.

DL

Thug - Everything Is Beautiful In Its Own Way

Label: Grudge

Year: 2001

First off, let's preface this by saying, this "Thug" is an Australian noise/rock band from the mid to late 80s, not the "Thug" that was associated with Bovine Records in the early 90s. Clear? Nice.

Also, I can't pretend to know much at all about this band, I had only heard of them in the context of Beasts Of Bourbon, as they share a member in Tex Perkins, who then (apparently) went on to minor fame in Australia as a member of The Cruel Sea. I happened upon a couple Thug releases and thought they might be of interest to you folks as well, this one being a compilation, that was put out on a Universal imprint no less, of their recorded output, which consisted of the Fuck Your Dad 7", Mechanical Ape/Proud Idiots Parade lp, and Electric Wooly Mammoth lp. Supposedly. I'm trusting the internet on this one (the internet doesn't lie).
Musically, it's within the realm of Boredoms, the Residents, Whitehouse, Chrome...maybe Captain Beefheart...maybe some Butthole Surfers. Noise basically. Fucked up, weird, seemingly cut and paste, noise. Sometimes that's more exciting than others, and this record has some hits and some misses, but ultimately it's an interesting listen to say the least. 

Like I said, I'm no authority on this band, nor am I an authority on this style, but I listened to it, and I liked it, so there's a good chance you will too. There's even some fart sounds that occasionally made me laugh. You like farts right?

DL 

V/A - Skate Rock vol. 2 - Blazing Wheels and Barking Trucks

Label: High Speed Productions

Year: 1984

Well, fuck, how was I gonna leave you hanging with just one dose of Skate Rock? I can't do that friends, I'm not that kind of guy. I am, how you say, a giver.

So this volume is probably more "skate rock" than the last one I posted, meaning, it's less shredding hardcore and more shredding punk. So like, while Volume three would be appropriate to rip on the boombox during an especially heated jump ramp session, Volume 2 is going to be more likely to amp us the session when you're killing some parking block slappys. I would also allow this to be played at the Joe Lopes Memorial Bar-B-Que mini-ramp session without penalty. Hell, this one would also work for a sikk ditch schralp (yeah, that's right..."schralp"...fucking spellcheck that one). 

Also, this volume tends to feature those bands that haunted the back pages of Thrasher, the one who you might catch a glimpse of in Puszone, or a photo of some Thrasher party at Mabuhay Gardens pr something. The bands that trolled the Future Primitive soundtrack (not literally though...that would actually have been Los Pukes and Rad Boyz...but rest assured they'd have been right at home here). So lace up your Vans, break out the old Santa Cruz, the one with Indys and OJII's, and go lay down a bert in your driveway for heaven's sake. Surely your wife will bow her head in embarrassment when you have trouble righting yourself, and your neighbors will definitely lose whatever modicum of respect they may have had for you...but goddamn it, Rob "The Barn" Roskopp did not die in vain! (Rob Roskopp is actually alive and well, fatter, balder, and running Santa Cruz Bikes[?!], stalling his lard ass in a mean tail block right now no doubt)  

To Thrasher's credit most of these songs are either previously unreleased or different versions of released material.

The bands:

McRad

TSOL

Big Boys

Anvil Chorus

The Faction

Kingpins

Los Olvidados

Borscht

Free Beer

JFA

Tales Of Terror

Ancestors: Gods Of Sound

Drunk Injuns

DL

V/A - Skate Rock vol. 3 - Wild Riders Of Boards

Label: High Speed Productions

Year: 1985

Is it racist to say that hip hop ruined skateboarding? I mean, honestly, wasn't skating a whole lot more fun when it was all about punk rock and Ted Nugent? I think so. Shit, somewhere in the early 90s this new guard of street skating with it's big ass rave pants, mustard colors, tiny wheels, flips, and....yes...hip hop was ushered in, and skating got all hard and shit. No longer could I boneless my way down to the jump ramp session in my Jimmy'z pants and painter's cap. Oh no, now I had to cut my high tops down and duct tape the shit out of them, invest in the most denim possible to hang off my lower half, cut my mcsqueeb and get a crewcut, and trade in my Skull Skates for an H-Street. Dude! Those new tricks were fucking hard, and let's not even mention the thought of hurling myself down all those flights of stairs. What the fuck is going on here?! What, wall rides aren't cool anymore? Are people seriously ollieing over picnic tables?! Fuck this, I'm out. No longer could I pretend to progress at skateboarding. Done. I have cryogenically frozen my skateboard prowess somewhere in August of 1990, never to be advanced or challenged again. 

Thanks a lot hip hop, you asshole, you ruined skateboarding for me, and I can only assume for the rest of the known universe (that apparently exists beyond the realm of my ego) as well. I hope you're happy (please shake your fists at the heavens while reading this last line).

John Lucero...you're my only hope! 

The bands:

Slam

Boneless Ones

Christ On Parade

Septic Death

No Rules

Beyond Possession

Corrosion Of Conformity

Accused

Gang Green

DL

Ed Hall - Gloryhole

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

V/A - The Polyp Explodes

Label: Butterylicious

Year: 1988

Aw fuck it. Might as well go ahead and post the whole damn compilation huh? I mean, if you're gonna go through the trouble of pulling the Ed Hall songs off here, I might as well give you the opportunity to get the Crust songs too.

So on a historical note, this compilation was released by the band Crust (who was then called Mud Honey) in a run of 400 cassettes to "promote ourselves on the coattails of other local bands". Turns out, this is the first time the world will hear recorded evidence of both Crust and Ed Hall, so for that alone, it's worth something. Musically, it's noisy as shit psychedelic demento-rock baked to a drug addled brown. Not easy listening to say the least.

The bands are:

Crust

Miracle Room

ST37

Seeman

Ed Hall

Thanatopsis Throne

DL

Ed Hall - Rarities

Label: Butterylicious, Trance Syndicate

Year: 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995

Well the call for more Ed Hall has been deafening, and of course by that I mean, more than one person asked for more...so my ears are pretty sensitive I guess. 

Now, the "Glory Hole" album has been requested, and I gotta go dig through cds to find it, so please be patient, but I will get it posted here eventually, it's definitely worth it. In the meantime though, please direct your attention to this little compilation of rarities I threw together real quick to satiate the masses. What you get here are some compilation tracks and the elusive Ed Hall 7", so even though it's a quick 26 minute listen, and not the complete collection of all non-album tracks, it packs quite a wallop.

What you do get:

The Polyp Explodes comp. - 1988

Deth 7" - 1991

Love and Napalm vol. 3 comp. - 1993

Cinco Anos comp. - 1995

What you don't get:

Charlie Manson Street comp. - 1988

Love and Napalm vol. 1 comp. - 1990

Love and Napalm vol. 2 comp - 1991

Live At Emos comp - 1994

Sorry, I just don't have any of the above stuff. If you have any of the above stuff, I'd love to get any of the above stuff, especially the Live At Emos compilation.

DL

Cherubs - Icing

Label: Trance Syndicate

Year: 1992

I shouldn't have to say much about this one, because it seems that, even though Cherubs toiled in obscurity during their lifespan they have become widely popular among noise rock fans posthumously. Their records turn up on the internet to unanimous praise, so apparently, folks are into Cherubs these days. For good reason, they are one of the best at what they do. And they "do" relentless, rolling, thick noise rock with some of the more memorable vocals of that canon. Think of Helmet on cough syrup after a full night listening to Flipper. Are you thinking? Well, so like I said, their albums show up from time to time on these kinds of blogs, but I don't usually see this one, so, since I was listening to it myself, I thought I'd get it up (the record, not my dong mind you). 

They were from Austin, Texas (which I believe we have discussed it's magical early 90s qualities here already) and featured the talents of the bands Ed Hall, Butthole Surfers, Sugar Shack, Fuckemos, and Drain. If perchance you have not had the pleasure of acquainting yourself with this particular band, please remedy that situation post haste. Please.

DL