Every single time I talk to a member of the Habibi camp, I gently remind them that I’m still waiting for their self-titled debut to get re-released on vinyl. And I give them a good amount of space on this site, so those conversations have been pretty frequent. Well, their manager has hinted that this was in the works for the last few years without saying it. So, now that it’s true!!! Even better, it’s been taken off the roster of the now-defunct Burger Records label and picked up by the polar opposite label: KILL ROCK STARS! (My favorite record label.) Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: The Habibi Back Catalog”
Category: Vinyl Reissue Spotlight
Vinyl Re-Reissue Spotlight: Group Sex by Circle Jerks
So, this reissue’s first pressing sold out in like a day or so. BUT!!! They are doing ONE MORE PRESSING, and then it’s gone. And, for the next 48 hours, they will also be selling a nifty looking t-shirt from an old flyer. GO HERE TO RESERVE YOUR COPY OF BOTH!
2020 was going to be a great year. My concert calendar was pretty much full for the year by the end of February. One of the most exciting things for me was that Bikini Kill and Circle Jerks, two of bands from my most formative music experiencing years, were going to grace the world with full tours for the first time in decades. Circle Jerks were due to play their debut record, Group Sex, in it’s entirety on this tour. Sadly, I sold my CD of this long ago, back in my most broke days. So, to celebrate, I found myself using Spotify (I know…) to get amped for this tour, as well as introduce my 18-month-old kid to this music. Which did make for epic dance parties throughout the house during the early days of “Shelter In Place,” while awaiting for us to get our act together and stop transmission of the virus so we could enjoy our Summer.
Sadly, as the pandemic progressed, hopes were dimming for that tour to come to fruition. THEN- THE WORST THING HAPPENED!!! Group Sex abruptly disappeared from streaming services. Sure, there are other fine Circle Jerks records, and a live album from the 80’s that features many of these tracks, but it wasn’t the same. (Thank god we can still listen to their Debbie Gibson collaboration!) There was a giant, gaping hole in my child’s hardcore education. But, fear not- it’s coming back! ( Continue reading “Vinyl Re-Reissue Spotlight: Group Sex by Circle Jerks”
Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: The Return Of The Greatest Hits Album
There are a lot of things unexpected about 2020 that are less than enjoyable… You know, like the raging pandemic threatening to destroy civilization as we know it and ruining pretty much all joys in life. One surprisingly pleasant thing is the return of the “Greatest Hits” record. With the whole “spending 100% of my time at home” business that comes with life right now, I’m finding myself putting more music on my turntable and doing a lot less streaming and making playlists. The sound is warmer, and the ceremony of putting on a record continues to fill me with great joy. The “greatest hits” format also means you get the songs that have followed you around- the songs they played live, the tracks you’d hear out and about, back when going out and about was a thing you could do without risking your life and the lives of all your loved ones. It’s comforting to reminisce about the pre-pandemic life over the joy of a hits compilation.
I’m also an apartment dweller in the Bay Area, so shelf space is at a premium. Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: The Return Of The Greatest Hits Album”
Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Group Sex by Circle Jerks
2020 was going to be a great year. My concert calendar was pretty much full for the year by the end of February. One of the most exciting things for me was that Bikini Kill and Circle Jerks, two of bands from my most formative music experiencing years, were going to grace the world with full tours for the first time in decades. Circle Jerks were due to play their debut record, Group Sex, in it’s entirety on this tour. Sadly, I sold my CD of this long ago, back in my most broke days. So, to celebrate, I found myself using Spotify (I know…) to get amped for this tour, as well as introduce my 18 month old kid to this music. Which did make for epic dance parties throughout the house during the early days of “Shelter In Place,” while awaiting for us to get our act together and stop transmission of the virus so we could enjoy our Summer.
Sadly, as the pandemic progressed, hopes were dimming for that tour to come to fruition. THEN- THE WORST THING HAPPENED!!! Group Sex abruptly disappeared from streaming services. Sure, there are other fine Circle Jerks records, and a live album from the 80’s that features many of these tracks, but it wasn’t the same. (Thank god we can still listen to their Debbie Gibson collaboration!) There was a giant, gaping hole in my child’s hardcore education. But, fear not- it’s coming back! (Also, the band WILL BE TOURING IN 2021! US Dates, including, hopefully, a proper rescheduling of their Oakland show will be coming) Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Group Sex by Circle Jerks”
Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes. by John Lennon
Terminology in recorded music can get really confusing sometimes. There is the “remix,” which is generally a dramatic alteration of a song, with new elements added, and some elements removed. The “mix” is only a small element of the change. When I opened up the press release for Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes, I was skeptical to say the least… I was expecting a full album of Diplo-fied John Lennon songs, and expected it to be pure pain. By the grace of either God or respect for one of rock’s most important songwriters ahead of his 80th birthday, this release is NOT that. Instead, it’s a compilation of many of John Lennon’s greatest tracks, only going back to the original master tapes and giving a few subtle adjustments to the actual levels of different elements. Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Gimme Some Truth. The Ultimate Mixes. by John Lennon”
Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Pylon Box by Pylon
When Corin Tucker, of Sleater-Kinney fame, first brought her solo band to SF to play a show at Great American Music Hall, I had the pleasure of speaking to her after the show. My giddy fan boy heart was aflutter, and all I could think of to ask her was “What should I be listening to?” She had one word for me: Pylon.
Pylon were an early dance punk band out of Athens, GA. The same scene that gave us REM and The B-52’s. I went to investigate, and was saddened to learn that nothing was in print by this band, so I didn’t get to have the shopping spree that I had hoped for. I did get to dance in my apartment to videos I found on YouTube, however. Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Pylon Box by Pylon”
Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Rilo Kiley by Rilo Kiley
I went to a show in college at Cafe du Nord in the early 2000’s. Specifically, it was October 10th, 2002. I recall it vividly, because for some reason I had a lot of cash on me at the show, and a woman I had a crush on was there. A little band called Rilo Kiley were headlining, and I had already fallen hard for this band based on a prior appearance at this venue opening for The Mountain Goats. Anyways, the girl I had a crush on was their for a support band… Someone called Arlo. She asked me about Rilo Kiley, and I described them as “guitar-heavy indie rock with a subtle hint of twang.” This was enough to convince her to stay for the headliner. (YES!) She fell for the band much like I had. At the end of the night, I went to the merch table and bought double of everything they’ve released thus far: their self titled debut EP (which on some pressings was referred to as The Initial Friend EP, but not this one), Take-Offs and Landings, and The Execution Of All Things. I gave her one copy of everything, and I kept the other copy. I also gave her my scarf, because it was cold and she lost her’s. Sadly, I never officially asked this woman out on a date. Also, sadly, about two years later, I fell on hard times financially about a year or so later, and sold a lot of CDs. By this time Rilo Kiley had signed to a major and were getting big, and that first EP had fallen out of print, so I sold it, because it had value to it. Also, if I had known lead singer Jenny Lewis would become massive one day, I would’ve held onto it a little longer.
I’ve regretted both not selling that CD and not asking that woman out for years. Luckily, I married a different, wonderful woman, and we had the Rio Kiley song “More Adventurous” play as we walked down the aisle at our wedding. Also lucky for me, that record that I so sadly miss from many years ago is FINALLY seeing the light of day again! It is coming out on Little Record Company on October 2nd, and can be preordered here as a colored, gatefold vinyl release, or, if you dislike having “things,” you can also get it digitally! And, just for fun, our writer Joel Edelman got to interview Rilo Kiley in 2002 for Agouti Music! You can enjoy him musing with the band over the joy of El Farolito and a commitment to Converse shoes here!
In the meantime, here’s a couple of videos from the bands’ first release to tide you over til October: Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Rilo Kiley by Rilo Kiley”
A Reflection on PJ Harvey’s Dry
Twenty eight years ago PJ Harvey released her debut album. Dry is a vital part of the collective howl of early 90s feminist punk, a subgenre defined by women with loud guitars who demanded a seat at the musical table. Bands like Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, Hole, Babes in Toyland, Sleater-Kinney and L7 pushed against the erasure of women in punk and changed the landscape of popular music forever. Continue reading “A Reflection on PJ Harvey’s Dry“
Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Spend The Night and Gold Medal by The Donnas
The Donnas have been on hiatus since 2012. As quickly as they disbanded, their catalog seemed to disappear nearly entirely. Their CDs and records had all quietly fallen out of print, and their Lookout Records-era catalog, which amounted to the bulk of the band’s output, never made it to streaming. Interviews with band members have shown that they really don’t have any interest in looking back on this project, so I started to think this Palo Alto-based hard rock powerhouse was going to remain a memory for the folks that got to experience them during their tenure. Continue reading “Vinyl Reissue Spotlight: Spend The Night and Gold Medal by The Donnas”