The A.T.E.E.M. - A Hero Ain't Nuthin' But a Sandwich LP

Select (1992)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

The A.T.E.E.M. is another one of those 90s groups that I discovered from digging around on one of those ‘forgotten hip hop records’ type lists.  A Hero Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Sandwich came out in 1992, which I can make an argument for being the best overall year of the golden era.  While I wasn't familiar with The A.T.E.E.M. themselves, these guys were connected with Chubb Rock.  He makes a few guest appearances over the course of the album, including the title track, which is probably the strongest on here.

Production on this record was handled by The Trackmasters, who had done work for others during this era like the aforementioned Chubb Rock, Leaders of the New School, Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap (Ill Street Blues!).  The production is also the strongest part of A Hero Ain’t Nuthin’ But A Sandwich.  Lyrically, the 3 members of the group (Rob Swinga, F.M. and HOT DOG) are respectable MCs, but they never really take command of any of the tracks in a way that makes them feel like anything other than journeymen rappers.  Nothing on here is bad and I would contend that most of it is good, but it kind of plateaus at good and never hits great.

But the production is a treat, the Chubb Rock appearances are a lot of fun and the rest of the album is totally serviceable.  I do like this as it’s from a period of time where most hip hop sounded like I want it to sound like.  It’s completely of its era and while it might not be in the upper echelon of records from 1992, it still has that sound that makes me keep going back to it. 

The A.T.E.E.M. - A Hero Ain't Nuthin' But a Sandwich:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kC8Nz0GCqa-kc8LHB81UZCC-irlaaxbjY

Ween - The Pod 2xLP - Brown & Cream Vinyl

Chocodog (2023)

Back in 1994, a friend recommended Ween to me because he knew I was really getting into Beck and some of the other weirder strains of indie and punk rock.  I ended up picking up Pure Guava and Chocolate & Cheese first.  In particular, I became obsessed with Pure Guava.  At a subsequent trip into NYC to go record shopping, I picked up the CD of The Pod from Generation Records (amazingly, still open as of now).  The Pod never really connected with me the same way as the others and while I still have that CD, it wasn't one of the Ween records I gravitated towards when I was in the mood to listen to Ween.

As the years have gone by, that initial opinion I had is somewhat still accurate.  It's still not one of my favorite Ween records and really cannot hold a candle to Pure Guava, Chocolate & Cheese, The Mollusk or 12 Golden Country Greats, I do find that it's a pretty fun album when I want to be reminded of why I started listening to Ween in the first place.

Since I'm not as familiar intimately with The Pod as I am those others, it's still something of a surprise when I put it on and start listening.  I can still be taken back by the goofiness of a song about pork roll (I assume they mean Taylor Ham), egg and cheese or the oddness of an entire song being someone ordering Mexican food.  It's still a tough listen at times as many of the songs are noisy and weird, but when those gems pop up, it's still rewarding.

I've never had this on vinyl, so it's a nice addition to the Ween collection.  This pressing is on wacky colored and what sure feels like 180g vinyl.  It's not advertised as 180g, but these are some think, heavy slabs of wax.  I'm kind of glad I waited so long to get it as this is definitely the version I'd want to own.

Ween - The Pod:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m29LtZ9U0OkNhLDwXIzlFtgI8OmcSBnbU

3rd Bass - The Cactus Al/Bum 2xLP

Def Jam (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

For its 35th anniversary, Def Jam finally reissued The Cactus Al/Bum as a double LP on vinyl.  3rd Bass' debut album was in dire need of this treatment as the original version, and all reissues, of the record tried to cram 20 songs clocking in at just under an hour onto a single LP.  As you can imagine, it certainly didn't sound its best.  The hype sticker on this new reissue says it was remastered from the original analog tapes and whether it's that or just having less music per side and stretching this out onto two LPs, the record sound better than it ever has.

I'm really happy that this record is getting this sort of treatment.  I've always felt that 3rd Bass never really got sustained credit for how good they were.  They hardly ever come up when other golden era greats are discussed, but both of their records are great and hold up to most others released around the same time.  I mean, no, they're not Public Enemy, but both records are much better than I think most people remember.

In particular, the production on The Cactus Al/Bum is top notch for 1989.  I would put it up against just about anything that came out that year.  And as far as lyrics go, Serch has always been kind of a goofball, but an entertaining one and Pete Nice absolutely is among the most under appreciated of the early golden era to me.  Hopefully this reissue shines some much needed attention on what is in my opinion, a classic album.  I have it playing again while I'm writing this and I really does sound great.  Absolutely worth double dipping if you have any of the earlier single disc pressings.

3rd Bass - The Cactus Al/Bum:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nHAZh4VPksh1NjCgvM7FeaDVgf4jJc0T0

Surrender - Summer Never Comes CD

Waterslide (2024)

I am still trying to catch up on writing about 2024 albums and I'm trying to focus on the ones that ended up on my year end best of list.  It's not super common for me to put an EP on my year end album list, but the six songs that Surrender have served up on this EP are so great that it's impossible to listen to it and not proclaim it as one of the very best releases of last year.

Surrender comes to us with a pedigree that immediately catches my attention.  When you've got members of bands like the Hum Hums and CSS coming together to make a new band of punchy, punked-up power pop, it's probably unlikely that I'm not going to love it.  And boy oh boy, do I love this EP.

It's fast enough that you can hear the pop punk influences shining through, but they wrangle harmonies in a way that stands so much higher than most bands, giving it a timeless sound that you can just as easily trace to the Beach Boys as you can some of the more notable power pop bands of the 70s.  

I just love everything about this and the only way that I think it could be better is if it was a full length album.  Hopefully we'll get one of those sooner than later and in the mean time I have to try to get myself a copy of their first EP from 2015.  2015?  I sure hope we don't have to wait another nine years for more Surrender music.

Surrender - Summer Never Comes:
https://watersliderecords.bandcamp.com/album/summer-never-comes

The Ape-Ettes - No Matter What 7" - Red Vinyl (/400)

Snappy Little Numbers (2024) 

As a casual fan of Curling (let's face it, it's challenging to be more than that in America with the lack of televised coverage of this great sport), I was immediately taken in by the cover of this Ape-Ettes 7" and was determined to try to like it no matter what the music sounded like.  I was pre-judging the book by its cover, but luckily this 7" is great and I definitely don't need to force myself to enjoy it.

To me, The Ape-Ettes sound like another in the longstanding line of great bands that are sometimes classified under the 'cuddlecore' banner.  I'm not sure you could listen to this 7" in a vacuum and make that statement as the guitars are a little warmer and crunchier than the traditional cuddlecore band and there's a garage pop edge to these songs that make them all the more enjoyable to me.  

At the same time, it's hard for me to not be reminded of bands like Cub, Dressy Bessy and Go Sailor.  Are they one to one comparisons?  Not at all, but I think you'd be hard pressed to not like The Ape-Ettes if you're a fan of any of those bands.  We've got three songs on this record and all of them are great, making this a no brainer recommendation.  And I vote for more curling in the artwork for any future releases.

The Ape-Ettes - No Matter What 7":
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/no-matter-what

Yaggfu Front – Action Packed Adventure! 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I have written about this record before when I picked up a copy of the original pressing, but I felt it was important to say a little bit about this reissue from 90s Tapes that came out a few months ago.  90s Tapes is the absolute gold standard for hip hop reissues and the care that they've put into Action packed Adventure is right up there with the best releases in their catalog.  The original UK version was a single disc, so it was nice to have it expanded to a double LP so that the songs have a little more room to breathe.  Plus the extra LP and bonus 7" allows for six extra tracks that weren't on the original including remixes and an instrumental.

I said most of what I needed to say about the music itself the last time I wrote about this album.  I'll just mention again that this is classic Golden Era greatness from 1994.  The production is everything I want out of an album that came out in '94.  And while I wouldn't describe the MCing as elite for the time period, it gets the job done and makes for a super enjoyable album.

This is the version to hunt down if you need a copy.  No one does reissues like 90s Tapes and with Yaggfu Front, they pay the appropriate respect to a lost classic of the Golden Era.

Yaggfu Front – Action Packed Adventure!:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/action-packed-adventure

The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet 2xLP

Matador (2024)

With all of the Pavement-mania the last few years as they were going on their reunion tour victory lap, it was difficult to avoid imagining the potential release of new music.  But I kept reminding myself that it probably wouldn't be that great.  None of the Steven Malkmus solo records are anywhere near as good as any of the Pavement records.  Even the last Pavement album, Terror Twilight, isn't all that exciting if we're all being honest with ourselves.  It has a few moments for sure, but it can't compare to what came before.

So to say I was skeptical of The Hard Quartet when they were announced would be an understatement.  Here's Malkmus again, this time playing with a new cast of characters with respected indie rock pedigrees, but none from bands I really listened to all that much (Chavez, The Dirty Three).  Still, I'm an obedient fan and I always give every Malkmus project a courtesy listen or two before lamenting that it isn't 1995 anymore.

Imagine my surprise when I found myself being kind of intrigued by the sounds I was hearing.  There was something here drawing me in, asking me to listen to it again.  And I found that the more I listened to the album, the more it grew on me.  I started picking up on little things that just made the songs.  There's something interesting going on here that combines the ramshackle nature of Pavement with the more polished work that Malkmus has been doing with The Jicks.  It sort of sits perfectly in between the two.

That's not to say I couldn't nit pick a little.  The songs that Malkmus doesn't sing are still good, but for me they always kind of feel like interludes that just make me want to hear the next song where Steve gets to stand in front of the microphone.  The album's also a bit too long.  It would probably be better if it was tightened up a little with maybe three or four less songs.  That said, this is the best album that Steve Malkmus has been involved in since the 90s.  It rewards repeated listens and and is engaging in a way that a lot of his solo work hasn't always been.  

The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet:
https://thehardquartet.bandcamp.com/album/the-hard-quartet

House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was LP + 7" - Yellow Vinyl

Tommy Boy (2024, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I had been looking for a decently priced copy of the second House of Pain album for a few years when it was finally announced a reissue was coming.  And a colored vinyl LP with a bonus 7" reissue to boot for the album's 30th anniversary.  This is one of those albums that has aged really well for me.  When I originally bought this on CD in 1994 I was kind of disappointed in it and really didn't listen to it very much.  I remember a high school buddy Scott who liked it more than I did.  The album was fine, but it didn't really keep me interested enough to warrant repeated listens.

But as the years have gone by, I've been able to really appreciate this record in a way that I wasn't able to initially.  Most of that is based around the production of the album, which is really stellar.  Same As It Ever Was is the last great Soul Assassins record.  The next year they would lose the plot for me with Cypress Hill's Temple of Boom and Brothas Doobie by Funkdoobiest.  Both of those sound like they were produced by completely different human beings than the ones responsible for five pretty classic albums from 1991 to 1994.  So this House of Pain album was their last stand, at least when it comes to hip hop production that I like.

And man are there some good beats on Same As It Ever Was.  The bass lines drive the album with the Soul Assassins trademark horn screeches wailing in to emphasize the point.  Sonically, it's just a joy to listen to and it really elevates Everlast's rhyming.  And let's be honest, Everlast is something of a cartoon character when he's rapping in House of Pain.  He's totally fine and I'm not in any way insinuating that he doesn't have skill, but the character he plays is silly at times.  Luckily the whole package makes it easier to overlook some of the inherent ridiculousness of rhymes like "I got skill kid and I'm gonna milk it."

I'm just glad I was finally able to add this record to the collection at a reasonable price.  This is an affordable version of the album to pick up if you don't already have it.  And if you haven't listened to it in a few decades, give it a whirl.  I think you'll be surprised how well it holds up.

House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n5SBoH3Ms3ti3LD5MFON23aa-LhARsF0Q

Short Straw Fate - Forgotten But Begotten CD

Self Release (2024)

Back in 2017, Short Straw Fate released For The Heroes In My Record Rack, and album that I have just loved ever since.  This year, we finally have a new release, Forgotten But Begotten.   At seven songs, it's a little long for an EP and a little short for a full album and it mostly makes me wish there were just a few more songs on it, but boy oh boy do I dig the songs that are here.

I think if you made a ranked list of people in America with extensive Japanese melodic punk rock releases in their collection, I'd have to think I would end up in the top twenty at least.  I bring this up because I absolutely adore the Japanese take on the sound that bands like Snuff and Leatherface brought to prominence.  They've never given up on that sound in Japan and over the years so many incredible albums have come out of this wonderful country.  Short Straw Fate do it as well as any of them, which is me trying to say this is pretty much the exact kind of music I want to listen to.

The songs have the energy and passion that is so difficult to replicate.  The songs are all upbeat, the vocals are delivered with passion and I'm just obsessed with the hooks.  The band named themselves after a Broccoli song, so chances are I'm going to like the music they put out (see also: Chestnut Road).  This was one of my favorite releases of last year and I can only hope that it's not another seven years before I get to hear more from them.

 

The Peawees - One Ride LP - White Vinyl (/500)

Wild Honey (2024)

I bought a Peawees album back in 2008 when It's Alive Records released Walking The Walk.  That was the first time I had come across The Peawees and I have a weirdly specific memory of listen to the MP3s that came with that album in a rental car while in a parking lot in Missouri, when I was there for the wedding of one of my wife's friends.

If I'm being honest, the band fell off my radar after that, until I got an email several weeks back alerting me that they were back with a new record.  I was then very generously sent a copy of that record, and here we are with One Ride.

I assumed I knew what to expect, since I had one of their other albums, but I was still kind of surprised by how much I liked this the first time I played the record through.  It's so catchy, the hooks always work and the choruses are tight that I kind of get annoyed that I don't know the words yet because I reflexively just want to sing along.  Sadly, I can only mutter vague melodies currently.

The Peawees are also one of a few number of bands that can work a decently long guitar solo into a song without completely annoying me.  That's typically a gigantic turnoff for me, but they have a way of making it work.  It never feels unnecessarily showy, it's just there to get you to the next part of the song.  It's utilitarian in a way and I like it when a band is grounded like that.  Just a really fun, solid record.

The Peawees - One Ride:
https://thepeawees.bandcamp.com/album/one-ride

Yall So Stupid - Van Full Of Pakistans 2xLP + 7"

90s Tapes (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Yall So Stupid isn't a group that I was on board with when they were originally out in the 1990s.  1993 in particular was one of those years where there was a classic being released about every three hours or so, and a lot of really great groups flew under the radar during that time period.  I discovered Yall So Stupid many years later, but quickly fell in love with that quintessential 90s sound that they brought to the table.  It took me a while to finally track down the original pressing of that LP and I wrote about it a couple of years ago.

I sometimes hem and haw about whether I need to write about a reissued album when I've so recently written about another pressing that I picked up.  Often I will skip it as I don't want to be repetitive, but sometimes the reissue is so great that I just have to go again.  Such is the case with Yall So Stupid, which was my favorite reissue of last year year.  But as always, I mismanaged time and didn't get to write about this one before the year ran out.  Makes only logical to be the first Ed Lover Dance Day write-up of 2025.

90s Tapes does an absolutely impeccable job with all of their reissues and there are times where I think they should be the only people allowed to press hip hop records that I want.  This pressing of Van Full Of Pakistans is no exception.  It sounds amazing, with rich, full bass that can withstand me turning the volume up on my stereo to wife-annoying levels of loudness.  Unlike the original pressing of the album, this version has every song from the CD on it (the original was missing four) plus an extra 7" with bonus remixes.

Expertly redone artwork in a gatefold sleeve just seals the deal.  This is such a well done package and quite honestly, I can't think of anything that could make the record itself better.  I mean a bundle with a shirt would make me even happier, but it's not like that would improve the record itself at all.

That's a lot of words about how great the reissue is, but let's not forget that the music that Yall So Stupid put out is the very definition of a classic for me.  This is the soundtrack of my early teenage years, even if I wasn't able to hear this specific record at the time.  When I refer to my golden era of 1988 - 1994, this is the sound I'm taking about.  Killer production with killer lyrics.  Sign me up for more of that.  I just hope 90s Tapes can eventually get in on the second and third Maestro Fresh Wes albums at some point.  For me those are the grails that need a treatment like this.  Plus, I'm not about to pay $500 for an original pressing of Black Tie Affair...

Yall So Stupid - Van Full Of Pakistans:
https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/van-full-of-pakistans

Bad Year - Bad Year LP - Red w/ Black Splatter Vinyl

Snappy Little Numbers (2024)

Five Years after a 12" EP, Bad Year are back.  As I mentioned last time I wrote about them, if you're naming yourselves after one of my favorite Sicko songs, there's a better than average chance I'm going to be into what you're doing.  And I am into Bad Year.  While they don't really sound like Sicko, you can hear the influence as the band builds off of that.

I tend to think they sound more like something from the No Idea roster of the 2000s.  There's that fleeting base of a Leatherface sound, with gruff, but still melodic vocals.  Off With Their Heads a bit maybe, Dear Landlord is probably closer, but it's a sound that doesn't strike me as being too dissimilar from bands like that, but with those big Sicko influenced hooks.

The entire record is really strong all the way through, particularly in a year that hasn't been very giving with this kind of punk rock.  If I were to point to a single song to check out to get a vibe of what this band is all about, I'd recommend "Idle Hands."  It's got a great chorus and that catchy, but energetic sound that is a common thread in the punk rock that I tend to like the best.  This was an album that was on my top records of the year list for 2024, I just wasn't able to get this write up posted before that.  Regardless of when this is read, Snappy Little Numbers has a winner once again.

Bad Year - Bad Year:
https://snappylittlenumbers.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-sln-254

The Absolute Best Records and Reissues of 2024

As 2024 unfolded, that now familiar thought that there is less new music that interests me was in my head a lot.  And it's true, from a quantity standpoint, I probably bought fewer new releases than any other prior year.  That said, as far as quality goes, when I started to assemble this list I realized that my fears of new music drying up are unfounded.

Now I will say, this year was lacking that singular, blow away unbelievable number one record.  There were lots of excellent, excellent records, but there wasn't that one that I went back to on repeat non stop.  After a lot of consideration, I ended up putting the J. Robbins record at number one this year.  I’m not sure it would have been the number one record most prior years, but in 2024 the stars aligned.  And it really is a great record.  

I debated that number one spot for a while as Swami and the Bed of Nails, Gentlemen Rogues and Custody all put out albums that could be argued as being the best.  For the Swami record, I mostly just wish that it was longer.  It leaves me wanting more in a way that's almost unsatisfying sometimes.  It's right up there and it might be more accurate to call it 1B as opposed to 2.  

The Absolute Best New Records of 2024

01 - J. Robbins - Basilisk - Dischord

02 - Swami & The Bed of Nails - All Of This Awaits You... - Swami

03 - Gentlemen Rogues - Surface Noise - Double Helix / Shifting Sounds

04 - Custody - 3 -   Brassneck / My Ruin / Combat Rock Industry / Shield / Sell The Heart

05 - Fig Dish - Feels Like The Very First Two Times - Forge Again

06 - Stress Eater - Everybody Eats - Silver Age

07 - Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! - No Threes

08 - Short Straw Fate - Forgotten But Begotten - Self Released

09 - Pinhead Gunpowder - Unt - 1234 Go!

10 - The Hard Quartet - The Hard Quartet - Matador

11 - Cloud Nothings – Final Summer – Pure Noise 

12 - Four Lights - Four Lights - Bypolar / Double Dōs

13 - Bad Year - Bad Year - Snappy Little Numbers / Motorcycle Potluck

14 - Surrender - Summer Never Comes - Waterslide 

15 - Spells - Past Our Prime - Snappy Little Numbers / Big Neck / Rad Girlfriend / Keep It A Secret / Shield   

I don't normally list or rank reissues reissues at the end of the year, but it's become very apparent that the older I get, the more I'm drawn to the more formative music of my life.  I tend to play records from the 90s as much or more than new releases these days, so I figure it's probably worthwhile to point out some of the best as there were outstanding reissues this year.  

From the hip hop side of things, the label 90s Tapes had an insane year.  I put five of their records in my top fifteen reissues and they had others that didn't make the list that were also very good.  They also claimed the number one spot with their rerelease of the 1993 Yall So Stupid LP, which was a desperately needed reissue that they knocked out of the park.  It was also nice to finally get a double LP, full artwork version of one of my favorite hip hop records of all time, Casual's 1994 masterpiece Fear Itself.

For the punk, indie and rock records it's certainly hard to beat Sicko's reissues of all four of their full length albums.  Multiple colors of vinyl, remastered sound, new liner notes and bonus tracks all make these must haves.  I did rank all four together instead of splitting them up since they were released at the same time and I don't want to have to try to rank individual Sicko records against each other and the rest of the 90s.  It's too chaotic to try.  There are some on this list I haven't written about yet, so I want to also point out in particular the Ween reissue of Chocolate & Cheese.  It has essentially an entire album worth of bonus unreleased tracks.  I wish they'd do that for Pure Guava as well.

It's difficult to rank these as I'm sort of juggling how much I like the record and how good it sounds and how comprehensive it is along with the records being in different genres.  So while something like Boys Life probably has the best packaging of anything on the list, I can't ever say I like Boys Life more than Casual.  And while I like Casual more than Yall So Stupid, 90s Tapes had a much nicer overall release when you take into account sound quality, artwork and completeness than Get On Down.  Everything on this list is great and the differences between number one and number fifteen are kind of trivial at the end of the day. Not to mention we had reissues of Organized Konfusion, Shipyards and Unwound that are just outside of this top 15.

The Absolute Best Reissues of 2024

01 - Y'all So Stupid - Van Full Of Pakistans - 90s Tapes

02 - Sicko - All Four Albums - Top Drawer

03 - Casual - Fear Itself - Get On Down

04 - Jesse - Complete Discography -  Waterslide Records / Little Rocket / Sounds Of Subterrania /Rad Girlfriend Records

05 - Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words - Beihai Park

06 - Ween - Chocolate & Cheese - Rhino

07 - Yaggfu Front - Action Packed Adventure! - 90s Tapes

08 - China Drum - XXX - Mad Butcher Classics

09 - Boys Life - Home Is A Highway - Numero

10 - The Troubleneck Brothers - Love/Hate - 90s Tapes

11 - Boogie Down Productions - Edutainment - Get On Down

12 - Da Homlez - Abandoned In Da Streetz - 90s Tapes

13 - Ultimate Fakebook - This Will Be Laughing Week - Rocket Heart

14 - Saafir - Boxcar Sessions - Rare Breed

15 - Mystidious Misfitss - A Who Dat? - 90s Tapes

As usual I will likely be taking a break for a few weeks to start up the year and recharge my batteries a bit.  As I go into the fourteenth year of doing this stupid website, I do think a lot about wrapping it up at some point, or at least maybe changing up what I do on it a little bit.  I don't know what I'll end up doing, but I'm pretty sure that it will be business as usual in 2025 at least.  Merry New Year everyone.

Bad Idea - Breakout 12" - Red Vinyl

Self Released (2024)

I wrote about Bad Idea's full length, Sonic Hellride, last year.  This year, they followed it up with a five song, 12" EP.  I'll throw in my obligatory complaint that I really don't like EPs as I prefer a full length or a single if you want to get less than a full course meal out into the world.  It just always seems like a waste to press up an LP but not put an LPs worth of music on it.  But that's far from a complaint unique to Bad Idea, they're just the record in front of me right now.

Like their album from last year, this EP has songs very much in the straight up punk rock space, occasionally leaning towards a more hardcore sound and sometimes having a garage-y sort of vibe.  In general this sort of thing is fine for me, but it's also not the kind of music that typically fits neatly into my wheelhouse.  I'm usually into a poppier sound...

Which the band is obviously capable of after one listen to the best song on here "Too Good To Die."  Does that main chord progression sound kind of familiar, of course, but they band still gets milage out of it by putting their own spin on things.  And as I mentioned last time I wrote about the band, they have a really great singer which helps them stand head and shoulders above other bands with similar sounds, who always seem to have uniquely shitty singers.

I think folks that are into meat and potatoes punk rock more than I am will get more milage out of this EP than I do.  It wouldn't surprise me for someone to listen to this and have the exact opposite opinion as me and think "Too Good To Die" stands out in a less than positive way from the others.  But I think we'd all agree that Bad Idea is very good at whatever they are doing.

Bad Idea - Breakout 12":
https://badideampls.bandcamp.com/album/breakout

Stress Eater - Everybody Eats LP - Red Vinyl

Silver Age (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

If you know me, you know I love early 90s hip hop.  If you know me, you also know that I really struggle to find hip hop that came out after 1994 that I can connect with.  I'll occasionally find something from the later 90s or early 2000s that scratches a similar itch, but as far as new records being release right now, it's exceedingly rare that anything makes sense to me.  The one exception to that is Czarface.  You may be able to tell from the artwork that Stress Eater is a new group from that same 'Czarface Universe.'

Where Czarface is 7L, Esoteric and Inspectah Deck, Stress Eater is 7L, Esoteric and Kool Keith.  So, we get the really nice production that is what always draws me into Czarface and then we swap out one of the guys from Wu Tang for one of the guys from Ultramagnetic MCs.  Not sure how this is a record that could possibly miss for me.  And it does not.  I mean is has a song called "Mecha and the Sole Brother" and that is one of the best song names I've seen in a long, long time.

The thing about Czarface (and now Stress Eater) that really sets it apart from most hip hop these days is the production.  It's full, it's varied, it has loud drums, it's everything I like about the sound of 90s hip hop without actually sounding like it's from the 90s.  I mean, there are echos, for sure, but it sounds like a modern evolution of that sound - not a carbon copy of an older sound.  

Lyrically, Esoteric is coming out with his usual rapid fire, pop culture heavy lyrical flow.  Dropping references that I chuckle about and also making some deep cut comic references that go completely over my head, his raps always hit for me and make me pay attention to what he's saying.  Speaking of paying attention to lyrics, Kool Keith is one of those MCs that always benefitted from repeated listens.  

For me, this is the best Keith has sounded since the 90s, and a lot of that is because he finally has top tier production that really take advantage of his unique delivery.  I feel like you'll always get the best results from Kool Keith if you give him a beat that has a steady, consistent pace.  He's at his best when you let him go off beat if he needs to, rather than forcing him to adapt to some bizarre, nutty production.

It's nice that it seems like we can count on a Czarface project most years.  I'm hopeful that means we can also start to count on future Stress Eater records in the future.  I dig this every bit as much as any of the Czarface records I have.

Stress Eater - Everybody Eats:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l9VsBx05p_mg8SmPSSMJOeFOuoGyCh3DM

Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! LP - Clear Red Vinyl

No Threes (2024)

I will never pretend I am the world's foremost authority on the Fastbacks' discography.  I was a latecomer to the party and wasn't paying attention like I should have when the band was in their 90s heyday.  I've been doing my best to make up for lost time, picking up a record here and there as I see them available for the nice price™.  I can't say that I was expecting a new album from them in 2024, 25 years after their 1999 full length The Day That Didn't Exist.

And to my untrained, novice ears, it sure sounds like this is an album that could easily slide in next to one of their 90s records.  Everything that I'm looking for in a Fastbacks record.  The band as a whole is tight as hell with bouncy upbeat songs driven by an impeccable rhythm section.  Lulu & Kim's harmonies are as slick as they've ever been, complimenting each other and elevating each song.  Lulu and Kurt's guitar antics also are perfectly in sync with Kurt's extra riffing as top notch as you'd expect.

I know many people who evangelize Fastbacks as one of the great rock bands of our era.  It makes me annoyed that I missed out when they were active in the 90s.  While I really dig their records quite a bit, I don't think I'll ever have the same emotional attachment as people who have 30+ years history with them.  But I can say they are a great band and this is absolutely one of the best records to come out this year.

Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason!:
https://fastbacks.bandcamp.com/album/for-what-reason

Sicko – You Are Not The Boss Of Me - Blue Vinyl (/250) & Blue With White Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue) 

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD. These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes). In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks. I still obsess over all three to this day.

Here we are at the fourth and final Sicko reissue, 1997's You Are Not The Boss Of Me.  I don't know how it was everywhere, but when this album came out it felt like there wasn't as much fanfare as there was for Chef Boy-R-U-Dum, at least in our little world in NJ.  It's not that anyone had ever expressed disappointment in it or anything like that, but it felt like had gone from Sicko being kings of the world to folks being like, 'Oh yeah, I like Sicko.  They have a new album?  That's cool.'  While my fandom was no less fervent when the album was released, it didn't feel like that was the case for everyone. 

Maybe it's because Sicko wouldn't make it back out this way to play any more shows.  Maybe the writing was on the wall that the band was reaching the end of their lifespan.  Maybe because things were moving so fast musically back then that in the two years between albums tastes had started to change.  It could have been any of those things, but what it doesn't change is that looking back on this record all these years later, I still think it's pretty stellar.

The album starts with "Window of Opportunity."  An incredible album opener from a band that sure knows how to open albums.  And it's just full of great songs like "Hipster Boyfriend," "High Hopes" and my favorite Ean song, "Indie Rock Daydream."  If there was ever a song that should be twice as long as it is, that's the one that would get my vote.

While I wouldn't say that "A Song About A Rabbit," "My Sister Is A Werewolf Tonight" or the "Wrathchild" cover would rank as my favorite Sicko moments, they do flesh out the album with a more varied sound.  Though I think back then probably I just wanted more pop punk.  I've also never really liked any kind of metal, so an Iron Maiden cover would always probably lose me no matter the band or the time.

Like all of the reissues, this one sounds great.  We've got two bonus tracks as well, both covers.  The first is the Misfits' "Astro Zombies."  I probably wouldn't care too much about Misfits covers most times, but they do a good job with it, playing it at warp speed.  The second is a cover of "8.6" by Husking Bee, who were another band that I really loved around this time.  This version is sped up a bit, but it fits right into the Sicko canon.

And that's going to wrap up all of the Sicko reissues.  At least until a grand, all encompassing, demos, singles and compilation songs collection is released (which I encourage).  It's great to see these albums out and being talked about again.  They truly mean so much to me and sure I have the original pressings, but you could spend your money a lot worse than having three copies of each Sicko record (well, four if I also count the CDs).  

They'll also be playing a few shows here and there, and while I don't think I'm going to be able to get out to Seattle next year, I'm still happy it's happening and hope it continues to happen every now and again.  Even though those are the days that I will remember, these songs are all too important to just leave in the past.

Sicko – You Are Not The Boss Of Me:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-not-the-boss-of-me-remastered

Todd 1 Featuring Doctor Dre And Ed Lover – Down Wit' MTV 12"

Tommy Boy (1991) 

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

This record is something that I've been hunting for ages, but I just never saw it come up on Discogs or eBay for whatever reason.  If you looks at Discogs sales history, it has popped up a few times over the last couple of years, but I just never saw it I guess.  But, a few months ago one popped up for $25 and I just went for it as I really have wanted it in the collection for a while.

That said, the record is kind of dumb.  Good dumb, but still dumb.  It's a parody of "O.P.P." by Naughty By Nature except now we're "Down Wit MTV."  I vividly remember when they used to play this video on Yo! MTV Raps.  Even then I recognized it as something kind of silly that just took time away from the other videos I wanted to see.  But as the years have gone by, I look back on it with warmer feelings than I had back then.

Todd 1 and Ed Lover are totally fine delivering their goofy lyrics about why MTV is fun and cool and what not.  Neither excel, but they don't embarrass themselves either.  the beat is essentially just lifted from "O.P.P.," but it's an iconic beat so I find it difficult to not get caught up in the silliness.  is this record the sort of thing I'll even play once a year?  Not a chance, but there's a comfort knowing it's on my record shelf and I *could* play it if I had that insatiable urge to hear the song again.

Todd 1 Featuring Doctor Dre And Ed Lover – Down Wit' MTV:
https://youtu.be/eTpiZwO8mgQ?si=PZ3vkUeEw_lYftss

Superchunk / Quivers - Split 7"

Merge (2024)

I love me a good split 7" and I also do enjoy it when bands have exclusive merch when they tour.  But when that exclusive merch becomes impossible to obtain unless you happened to go to a show at a very specific time in an extremely specific geographic region, I'm not as into that.  That's where this split 7" comes in. Sold only on the briefest run of tour dates in the center of America, had it not been for the tremendous kindness of my buddy Danny, I would have been shit out of luck.  Nary a copy has shown up anywhere on the internet since this tour happened, not even on eBay or Discogs.  Again, I like cool merch, but some of us have been collecting Superchunk records for 30+ years.  I would have been most distraut to miss this.

Anyway, the Superchunk song is a fun little cover of Dead Moon's "Fire in the Western World."  I can't say that I'm familiar with the original, but Superchunk have turned it into one of their standard, upper-mid tempo numbers.  I  really enjoy it and for me it's miles better than a lot of the mopey songs they've been slinging the past couple of years.  Give me more Superchunk like this!

I had not heard of Quivers prior to the announcement of this 7" and I don't know the Yo La Tengo song they are covering, "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind." This one is slower, dreamier and for me kind of fades into the background a little bit.  It's good, but it's nothing that grabs me and makes me think that I must track down more music by this band.

I'm very grateful to have this record and again send many thanks to Danny.  I had a complete Superchunk 7" collection prior to this release (including a longtime omission that's sitting in a stash of records another friend is hording for me in the UK) and I thought that once I had this 7", I was set again.  Then Discogs alerted me to another regional exclusive.  But that's a story for another day.

Superchunk / Quivers - Split 7":
https://superchunk.bandcamp.com/album/fire-in-the-western-world-pass-the-hatchet-i-think-im-goodkind

Sicko – Chef Boy-R-U-Dum - Blue Vinyl (/250) & Yellow With Red Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD.  These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes).  In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks.  I still obsess over all three to this day.

The release of Chef Boy-R-U-Dum was when Sicko-mania really peaked, at least in the little record store that I spent an inordinate amount of my time in back then.  I would stop there multiple times a week, hanging out for many hours at a time, soaking up as much music as I could.  The legend of Sicko really was growing after Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy made its way around town and anticipation for the next record was pretty high.  Flipside is the store pictured in the liner notes of this reissue that made the window display of mock Chef Boy-R-U-Dum cans and when that record finally came out, it felt like nearly everyone owned a copy.

This is also the time when Sicko finally made it out east.  They played at Coney Island High in NYC and The Pipeline in Newark.  I will never, ever figure our why I was not able to go to the NYC show.  There was some sort of conflict that I guess was important at the time, be it work, school or some other nonsense, but I don't know how important it could have actually been since I don't remember what it was at all but sure do remember missing the show.  I did, however, get to see them play at The Pipeline and it was just a joy.  I also interviewed Denny and Ean for my college paper and asked them many stupid questions that were all the rage in interviews back then. Boba Fett and Wedge were their favorite Star Wars characters at the time, if you're curious.

But let us not overlook the record itself.  While I mentioned last week that Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy will probably always be my favorite for sentimental reasons, it really could be argued that Chef Boy-R-U-Dum was their crowning achievement.  Especially in hindsight, it's really impressive to look back on this and see how strong and cohesive it is top to bottom.  This is a record crammed full of songs under two minutes, yet they've been lodged in my brain for nearly three decades.  They don't feel short, they just sort of feel perfect.

Among the many, many highlights are "Half the Battle." "Believe," "Escalator" (which had a music video!) and maybe the song that galvanized our little crew of dorks more than any other: "The Dateless Losers Club."  Despite the fact that the bulk of us had significant others at the time, it felt very much like a song speaking to us as it often felt like we were all just seconds away from being dateless losers again at any moment.  I so vividly remember the moment they played it at The Pipeline and everyone in the room throwing up the 'L' with their hands when the "stuck to my forehead" line came.

Like the other reissues, this one sounds great.  The best Chef Boy-R-U-Dum has ever sounded.  And on this version, the song is listed as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as opposed to "Donit Ask, Donit Tell" like the LP I had from Spain!  We've got one bonus track, which is "Escape Velocity" from the More Bounce To The Ounce compilation album, but I must ask - where is "The Rainy Day" song from the Japanese version of the CD?  See, this is what happens when an obsessive record collector starts writing about records like this.  I ask the tough questions, man.  But that aside, it is most difficult to really articulate how much I love this record and how it's stuck with me for all of these years.  It can't be recommended more highly from me and it's great to see it back in print and on vinyl in America for the very first time.

Sicko - Chef Boy-R-U-Dum:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/chef-boy-r-u-dum-remastered

The Troubleneck Brothers - Love/Hate 2xLP

90s Tapes (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

90s Tapes is one of the best record labels going these days, as far as consistency of releases, there are few that are at their level.  In addition to rereleasing some incredible classics of the golden era, they constantly surprise me with indie rereleases of groups I was unfamiliar with.  Now, I had heard of Troubleneck Brothers prior to this release, but honestly only by a couple of months.  And then here's 90s Tapes swooping in with a double LP of early 90s hip hop greatness.

From what I have been able to surmise from various internet writings, Troubleneck Brothers were primarily active as far as releasing music from 1992 to 1994.  Those that bother to read my writing about hip hop know that's my sweet spot where so much wonderful and innovative hip hop was being created.  Love/Hate is a compilation of various material Troubleneck Brothers released as demo tapes and singles.  They were signed to Step Sun for a time, which was a subsidiary of Tommy Boy.  No clue why they weren't just on Tommy proper, I have a feeling more people would have probably heard them if they had been.

Troubleneck is a seven person crew, so I'll be the first to admit that I don't really know who is rapping when, but what I can say is every one of them has skills and shine when it's their time.  And the best part is they're are all rapping over exactly the type of beats I'm looking for with lots of upbeat bass lines, hard hitting kick and snare drums and cuts in the hooks.  It's absolutely a product of its era and I mean that as a huge compliment.  Had I heard this back in my Source reading, Yo! MTV Raps! watching, I likely would have been obsessed.

I'm always grateful when 90s Tapes steps up and rereleases a classic, I'm especially thankful that they saved these tracks and gave them the classy treatment they deserve.

The Troubleneck Brothers - Love/Hate:

https://90stapes.bandcamp.com/album/love-hate

Fig Dish - Feels Like The Very First Two Times LP & Flexi 7" - Green In Clear Swirl Vinyl

Forge Again (2024)

I've had this Fig Dish LP for a while and for some reason I have struggled trying to figure out what to write about it.  First thing first, it's great.  That's not the issue.  But I feel like there's some sort of story that I should be telling about my relationship to Fig Dish over the years.  The only problem is that it's not a particularly deep or profound relationship.  They have always been a band that I really liked and never understood why their CDs were always in the used/cutout bins next to The Figgs and Flop.  Writing that sounds like I'm taking a shot at those bands, but all three put out records in the mid 90s that I think are just outstanding.  If anything, the story of Fig Dish to me is that of a band that for whatever reason never got their due at the time.

Feels Like The Very First Two Times contains songs that were recorded for a planned third Fig Dish LP that was meant to come out in 1998 or 1999 I would assume.  That never happened, though when I listen to these songs, it takes me right back to everything I loved about Fig Dish.  The big, crunchy guitars driving through monster hooks with wry lyrics.  These songs are every bit as good as anything on their second or third albums (Thanks to Alan for reminding me about their first album that I always forget about).  Part of my brain then wonders why material this strong never came out at the time, but then the other part wonders if this album would have been received any different than the others?  I don't really know the answer and that's frustrating in some ways, but the fact that it did finally come out is really the thing I should be focused on.  And the fact that it's out on vinyl is even better.

This is easily one of the best records I've heard this year.  Sure, technically these songs aren't 'new' songs in 2024, but they've never been officially released before, so I'm definitely counting it as a top record of 2024.  I just hope this is the first of at least three Fig Dish records being released on vinyl as mentioned in the excellent liner notes.  I need those first two albums!

Fig Dish - Feels Like The Very First Two Times:

https://forgeagainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/feels-like-the-very-first-two-times

D-Nice – To Tha Rescue LP

Jive (1991)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I have been after a copy of this on vinyl for quite a few years.  It took a while to find one in as good condition as I needed, while not also being prohibitively expensive.  This copy found that sweet spot and as I am pretty doubtful that To Tha Rescue by D-Nice is very high on any label's reissue list, it was time to grab it.

When I was a much younger man than I am today, I was pretty obsessed with the first D-Nice album, Call Me D-Nice.  In particular the title track was (and still is, if I'm being honest) on of my favorite hip hop tracks.  As 1991 hit, I was really starting to get obsessed with hip hop and was either buying or Columbia House/BMG scamming as many CDs and cassingles as I could get my hands on.  I was really excited that D-Nice had a new album out and I'm pretty sure I got my copy from a BMG six CDs for a penny or something like that.

When I got it, I listened to it a few times, but was kind of disappointed in it.  I think hip hop was just moving so fast at that time that it kind of passed D-Nice by.  I moved on to other things and at some point, sold my CD copy during a purge.  However, many years later I went back and revisited.  With hindsight and not being as concerned about the newest, freshest thing, I was able to appreciate this album a lot more than I did when I first got it.

There are a handful of truly great songs on here.  "25 Ta Life" is excellent, "And There U Have it" has a rugged, aggressive feel to it and "Time To Flow," with an appearance from Treach of Naughty By Nature is probably the album's highlight.  Why there is a second version of "Time to Flow" that doesn't have Treach on it is something of a mystery for an album that only has 12 songs on it.

That said, there are some moments that aren't as great.  "Straight From the Bronx" is excellent for most of song, but there is a wacky keyboard-synth-horn-solo thing at the end that isn't really needed.  "Get In Touch With Me" is the worst of that R&B tinged crossover style that ruined the flow of a lot of records of that era.  And "Check Yourself" has Too Short on it and sounds like a Too Short song.  I don't like Too Short, so I'm not super into D-Nice rapping over beats that sound like that.

At the end, there is more good than bad on this record for sure and it's an album that I really didn't give a chance to when it came out in 1991.  While I still prefer D-Nice's debut, I'm glad to have this one on the shelf next to it.

D-Nice – To Tha Rescue:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lwfFA3Gd_PWhY0G_UFACAJ3vpJ2EIbybo

Four Lights - Four Lights LP

Bypolar / Double Dōs (2024)

Four Lights is the new record from Four Lights and they've done that thing where the self titled record isn't their debut.  In this case it's their third album and for whatever reason my brain finds that confusing.  Naming an album is an opportunity to put something new and chaotic into the world.  Call it 'One Ton Human Hamster Wheel' or 'Bison Bisquick' or 'The Iron Man 3.'  But self titled?  C'mon, we can do better than that.  Especially when you've already thought of an album title two times before.

But my stupid ideas for album naming conventions aside, this is a really fun album to listen to.  Like their previous album, Kobayashi Maru, this new album is chock full of really catchy guitar pop songs full of hooks, harmonies and a good time.  There's definitely a little Weezer worship going on here, but the band is able to channel that as an influence to their sound rather than coming off like a fifth rate copy like Ozma or something like that.  Four Lights is more in line with a band like Gentlemen Rogues. where you can hear the inspiration, but it's not beating you over the head like the band has no ideas for their own.

I dare you to pop on "Clap Clap," "Lie to Me" or "Just Tonight" and not end up tapping your toe or nodding your head along.  The songs are well crafted and they mostly hit that sweet spot I'm always looking for of having energy, melody and not sounding too over produced.  Now, could I live without "Ska Song" hanging out in the middle of the A side?  Absolutely.  It sounds out of place and while I have nostalgia for lots and lots and lots of things, late 90s ska is not one of the those things for me.

That one detour aside, this is a very strong record top to bottom.  There aren't any songs on here reinventing the wheel, but I'm not sure I want much wheel reinvention at this stage in my life.  In a year that kind of bummed me out when it comes to new music in general, Four Lights is one of the bright spots.  It's definitely worth checking out as you start to make up your end of the year lists for 2024.

Four Lights - Four Lights:
https://fourlightsrock.bandcamp.com/album/four-lights

Sicko - Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy - Green Vinyl (/250) & Green w/ Black and Yellow Splatter Vinyl (/250)

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD. These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next few Fridays I'm going to be writing about each of them (Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes). In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands that also included The Mr. T Experience and Zoinks.  I still obsess over all three to this day.

Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy was Sicko's second album, but it is the one that was their current release when I started listening to them.  I have this oddly vivid memory of the exact moment it happened at Flipside records.  The conversation had turned to The Mr. T Experience and I was asked if I had heard Sicko.  When I said no, Alan pulled the CD out from the little mini section of new release CDs that was sort of built into the cash register area.  You had to look down at this box to see the spines.  He laid the CD on tope of the others and the cover art struck a chord in me.  After a few songs were played on the record store stereo, I went home with that CD.

That was the beginning of Sicko becoming one of my very favorite bands.  To this day, I could argue that Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy is my favorite Sicko album.  If I look at things analytically, is it their best one?  I'm not sure as you can make an awfully strong argument for either Chef or Boss as being the technically most proficient with a higher concentration of great songs per square inch.  But what those albums don't have for me is the enormous emotional pull that seems to link me to the first album that gets me into a band.  It's happened with almost every band I love, and for Sicko, this is kind of the one.

It sure doesn't hurt that the album has "Wave Motion Gun," "Mom," "Snowcone" and "Bad Year" on it, which would be tough for me to make a list of the best Sicko songs without including.  It also has a song about OJ Simpson on it, which does look a little different 29 years later, but at the time I thought was pretty amusing.

Like You Can Feel the Love in this Room, this reissue has been remastered and everything sounds better because of it.  Once again, the vocals shine on this version and makes it the definitive vinyl version to have.  It also has a bonus track, "80 Dollars."  This was originally on the split 7" with The Mr. T Experience and is another one of those songs I'd put on the Sicko Mount Rushmore.  

It's funny that for the last reissue I said it was jarring that "Pain In The Ass" was put in the middle of the record.  For this one, I actually would have preferred it if "80 Dollars" had been put on before "Weasel Of Doom/Lady '95" as it feels a little tacked on after what is an obvious album closer.  Once again we have plain colored vinyl and a splatter variant, each limited to 250 copies.  I think the plain green vinyl color is the winner again, even if maybe it doesn't pop as much in the picture.

It's hard for me to say enough good things about this album.  Not only is it a great album on its own, but it was a hugely influential one for me that opened my eyes to a band that would mean the world to me for decades after the fact.  I've always felt that you can't put a price on memories like that, but apparently if you go to the Top Drawer website now, the price appears to be $25.  A bargain.

Sicko - Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/album/laugh-while-you-can-monkey-boy-remastered

Saafir - Boxcar Sessions 2xLP

Rarebreed (2024, Reissue) 

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I had this in my pile of records to review, but I wasn't planning on writing about it this year, let alone today.  But yesterday it came out that Saafir passed away, so I wanted to listen to this album again and write a little bit about the reissue of his debut LP, which came out on Rarebreed this year.

Technically, the first album that I owned that had Saafir on it was the Digital Underground album The Body-Hat Syndrome.  Even though I owned and listened to it, I wasn't really aware of his contributions at the time.  I was mostly there for Shock G/Humpty antics.  Looking back at that album over the years, after having a better idea of who Saafir was, I actually feel like his verses are one of that album's highlights.

My real introduction to Saafir came via his guest appearance on the track "That Bullshit" on the Casual album Fear Itself.  It's a really unique guest shot, as Casual isn't on the track at all.  It's basically just a short song that Saafir gets to own.  When I got that album in 94, that track really stood out, and one of the lines that Saafir threw out - "The 'D' stands for 'Diesel'" - became a weird sort of slang phrase that got shared with a group of high school friends.  That was the last I heard of Saafir for many years as 1994 was the year I started drifting away from hip hop.

What I didn't know at the time was that in 1994 Saafir released an album of his own, Boxcar Sessions.  That was a great discovery many years later and and it's been an album in pretty frequent rotation ever since.  A few years ago I did a very lackluster write up of the original promo double LP that came out in 94.  I was just kind of rushing through it and didn't write about anything particularly interesting.  For several decades that promo 2xLP was all that was available on vinyl, but this year, the album was finally rereleased with a picture sleeve.  Was the picture sleeve a blown up CD graphic?  Probably.  Is there a bigger UPC barcode in the history of recorded music?  Doubtful.  Is it of the best resolution you've ever seen?  Probably not.  But It still beats having no artwork at all every day of the week.

There have been online missives that the sound quality of this reissue isn't up to the high standards that some other reissue labels have been doing.  Maybe that's true, but I can't can't really hear a big difference between this and the original pressing that I have.  It's not a super high fidelity recording to begin with, fitting in with the gritty aesthetic of the time. 

The album itself is both a snapshot of golden era hip hop and a major outlier all at the same time.  The brew of jazzy beats concocted for this album is exactly what I look for in hip hop production.  Innovative and chock full of low end.  Saafir's vocals are from another planet.  And remember, this was the era when you had the Dels and Kool Keiths of the world experimenting pretty hard with unique flows and cadences, but neither of them were as 'out there' as Saafir was in 1994.

He rhymes in an meandering, syncopated manner, but always finds his groove in the pocket of the beat when it's needed.  As Del famously said ,"If you go off beat and it's on purpose, you've got to come back on beat or the effort is worthless."  Saafir always comes back on beat, no matter how far off the beaten path he strays.  It's this lyrical dexterity that makes him stand out from the pack.  His flow may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for those that like to immerse themselves in lyrics and flows, he's top shelf.

Saafir was a unique and remarkable talent.  Whether it's showing up in Menace II Society or battle rapping Casual on west coast radio (one of the more famous battles in hip hop history, and well worth checking out if you've never heard it) he made an impact.   I can't do anything but recommend picking this album up.  It's one of the most unique of the golden era and one that I feel slipped through the cracks for a lot of people over the years.  Hopefully more people have the chance to listen to this album now that it's been reissued, I knew I had to spin it today.

Saafir - Boxcar Sessions:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nF_92fKa1mZnO-YO4kHnbOg0UeA8AZFGo

Pinhead Gunpowder - Unt LP - Yellow w/ Red and Teal Splatter Vinyl (/1000)

1-2-3-4 Go! (2024)

I certainly wasn't expecting a new Pinhead Gunpowder album as 2024 started wrapping up, but here we are with Unt.  Yes, Unt.  I've read more than a few 'hot takes' on this album in the last few weeks since it has been released and there are definitely people with opinions.  Shocking for the internet, but true.  I do realize that by writing this I am adding to it, but I'm not sure my take is as hot as most others.

What it boils down to is that I like this record.  It's fun to listen to and it has good songs on it, for the most part.  Is every song on it a smash hit?  No, but there's much more to like about this album than to dislike about it, I think.  It starts off particularly strong with "Unt," "Difficult But Not Impossible" and "Scum of the Earth" being particularly strong.  Maybe I don't like songs like "Oh My" or "Green" quite as much.  And while I can understand the sentiment behind "Hola Canada," it's a pretty goofy song.

I lot of what I've seen is from people saying that this album isn't as punk or aggressive or angsty as their albums from 20-20 years ago.  That's true.  But I'm also not as punk or aggressive as I was 30 years ago either.  It feels like a record aimed at someone a little older, like me.  And for that reasons I can relate to it more as a new album that's being release now as opposed to something being released purely to try to drum up feelings of nostalgia.  I have plenty of records from that era that make me feel nostalgic, I'm perfectly happy with a new record that's just fun to listen to with 2024 ears.

Pinhead Gunpowder - Unt:
https://pinheadgunpowder.bandcamp.com/album/unt

Sicko - You Can Feel The Love In This Room - Red Vinyl (/250) & Red w/ Black and White Splatter Vinyl (/250)

 

Top Drawer (2024, Reissue)

In the 90s, Sicko was part of my holy trinity of pop punk bands.  The Mr. T Experience, Zoinks and Sicko were always the ones that I was constantly obsessing over.  I spent so much time in a pre-Discogs world hunting down records by them.  The fact that so many are now available with the simple click of a mouse is as exciting as it is unfair.

30 years after their first full length was released, Sicko is reissuing all of their albums on vinyl and CD.  These boys have put out some really important records to me and over the next four Fridays (fingers crossed that I can stay on schedule) I'm going to be writing about each of them.  Maybe not on Black Friday, but we'll see how that goes.

First up is the first Sicko full length.  You Can Feel The Love In This Room was originally released in 1994 and I was completely unaware that it came out.  My entry point to Sicko was their next album Laugh While You Can Monkey Boy, but we'll talk more about that next week.  I had to backtrack and pick up You Can Feel The Love In This Room a year after the fact.  I think for that reason I honestly never really bonded with it as strongly as the others, which always felt more 'current' to me.  It's kind of absurd to say that about a record that came out 30 years ago vs. the next one that came out 29 years ago, but again, during the time it felt different to me than the other three.

That's certainly not to say I don't thoroughly enjoy this record and I've listed to it more times than I can count.  Just not quite as many times as the others.  It is jam packed full of hits and it's really hard to argue how great songs like "The Sprinkler" or "Wisdom Tooth Weekend" are.   The times I've seen Sicko live, these songs sound just as great as the ones off of other albums that I have a bit more nostalgic feelings for.  

Before I talk a little bit about this specific reissue, I do need to call out how absolutely, completely fucking insane it is that all four albums were rereleased AT THE SAME TIME.  That is madness and while as a fan it's sure nice to get them all without having to wait, just thinking about the logistics of making that happen makes my head hurt.

You Can Feel The Love In This Room was remastered for this rerelease and you can tell the difference.  I played the first few songs off of my original LP that came out on eMpTy before putting this new version on and it's a big improvement.  First off, everything is a little bit louder and a little bit fuller sounding, but where this reissue really shines for me is how much better the vocals sound.  They're a little more forward and it sounds great.  

There are also two bonus tracks on here, "Pain in the Ass" from their first demo and "Kathy's Dance" from the Count Me Out 7".  Where are the other songs from those releases?  Who knows.  Maybe we're going to get a fancy pants reissue of A Brief History... one day.  Rather than have both songs at the end, "Pain In The Ass" is at the end of side A of the record, which is a little jarring as I'm not used to that song being their when I've listened to the record for the past 29 years.  

This is the best that this record has ever sounded and even though I already had the original LP and CD, of course I needed to have both versions of the new vinyl.  Here they are, in all of their glory.  I may be in the minority (as I do understand that the splatter is probably more impressive looking), but I think the solid color is the winner here, it just looks the business to me.  

Sicko - You Can Feel The Love In This Room:
https://sicko.bandcamp.com/music (I have been assured that the remastered versions are coming to Bandcamp imminently)

Souls Of Mischief – 93 'Til Infinity (The Remixes) 2xLP

Jive (2024)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

I actually picked this up on Record Store Day Black Friday last year, but didn't get around to writing about it until now.  93 'Til Infinity is one of my top five hip hop albums of all time, and most days I'd probably say it's in my top three.  I've been obsessed with it since the very moment I saw the title track on Yo! MTV Raps when it first came out.  

This album is meant as a companion piece, with remixes and a B side from the 12" singles that came out around the album's release.It's great to have these songs in one place, but it also feels like something of a missed opportunity to me.  While there was only one official B side on those early singles, "Good Feeling," this really was the time to finally get a version "Cab Fare" on to a proper release.  I know, I know - sample clearance.  But this was the time to try.  I also think that "Get The Girl, Grab The Money & Run" from the Low Down Dirty Shame soundtrack should have been added.  Two more new songs would have gone a long way.

As far as the remixes go, they are all stellar, but there's not that many.  Only four remixes are here, which is fine, because that's all that was made.  They're definitely worth checking out if you haven't heard them before, giving a completely new flavor to tracks like "Make Your Mind Up," "Never No More," "That's When You Lost" and of course the remix to the song "93 'Til Infinity." 

Let's do some math here.  One B side.  Four Remixes.  Why is this a double LP?  It's because the rest of the album is full of instrumentals.  Five instrumentals and an acapella version of the title track.  I'm not a DJ, so I really don't need these very much.  Are they cool to listen to?  Absolutely.  But it's kind of scattershot with instrumentals of three LP versions and two of the remixes.  If this was a whole album of the LP instrumentals, yeah - sign me up.  But this kind of feels like an unnecessary double LP.  I'm probably more sensitive to it than usual because of the RSD tax making this a pretty pricey record.  I would have been perfectly happy with a single LP that doesn't have any of the instrumentals.  And add in "Cab Fare!"

Souls Of Mischief – 93 'Til Infinity (The Remixes):

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mCSBGVk3AseBaG81kdOUmmLA79TPQAlWg

Lync / Pedro The Lion - Split 7" - Blue Vinyl (/300)

Suicide Squeeze (2024)

This is an odd little release.  It's a split 7" with Lync and Pedro The Lion on each side playing the Lync song "b."  This version is on blue vinyl and was limited to 300 copies.  There's also a purple vinyl version, but I haven't seen that for sale online anywhere, though admittedly, I haven't really looked all that hard as I'm not sure I need another copy of this.  Though the Lync collector in my head often disagrees.

The original Lync version of this is from 1994's These Are Not Fall Colors album.  It's probably my favorite by Lync, which is saying something considering how much I love pretty much all of their songs.  It's the one that grabbed me by the ears in 1994 and never let go, fully establishing that Lync wasn't 'a band with those guys on the Beck album.'  Which was, of course, how I stumbled across them in '94.  I can't ever say enough good things about this song, this album and this band.  Sam Jayne forever.

On the flip is a newly recorded version of this song by Pedro The Lion.  I've never really been a fan, their records have always been a little too slow and sleepy for me.  Their take on "b" doesn't really do anything to change my opinion.  It's a solo acoustic take that is so slow and has such low, deep vocals that I thought I was playing it on the wrong speed.  To call it a melancholy take would be doing a disservice to melancholy things as it's just borderline depressing.  If this means that more folks get to hear the Lync version of the song, then this 7" is a worthwhile endeavor.  But for me, I don't really need a slower, sadder version of one of the great indie rock songs of all time.

Lync / Pedro The Lion - Split 7":
https://lync1994.bandcamp.com/album/b-2

Master Ace – Take A Look Around 4xLP

Traffic (2007, Reissue) 

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

Though he's known as Master Ace on this album, his 1990 debut, I know him as Masta Ace.  I first heard Masta Ace from his "Jeep Ass N***h" single from the 1993 album Slaughtahouse.  That whole album is great, but when it came out, I didn't really know that the Masta had another album that came out three years earlier.  Later on, I did dig into Masta Ace's other albums.  I was really disappointed by 1995's Sittin' On Chrome.  The production is just not what I want to listen to, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised as the sound of hip hop in 1995 had drastically changed from what I was interested in.

But, going backwards to Take A Look Around shows a younger Master Ace, who was just as adept on the microphone then.  The production isn't at all like Slaughtahouse, but 1990 Marly Marl was making some pretty incredible beats and the album is full of them.  Is it as lush and dynamic as things would get over the next couple of years?  It isn't, but it doesn't sound dated the way a lot of pre-1991 albums sometimes can.  The production is excellent top to bottom with head nodding bass lines providing a canvas for Masta Ace to rhyme over.

This version of the LP that I found is a quadruple LP version from 2007.  In addition to the original album, there's two extra LPs of remixes, bonus tracks and instrumentals.  I can't really say any of it is essential, but for me, I like to have the most comprehensive version of a record that's out there.  Most folks would be totally set with the main album, which more than stands on its own.  

Master Ace – Take A Look Around:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvULvhZ5CXk&ab_

EPMD - Business Never Personal 2xLP

Def Jam (2005, Reissue)

Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.

It's kind of funny to me that I've never written about EPMD's fourth album before.  It's mostly because the original single LP version has been in my record collection for a really, really long time and it's just now that I have a new version to write about.  I can't even tell you how much I love this record.  I have been listening to it kind of nonstop since it originally came out back in 1992.  It was the video for the song "Crossover" on Yo! MTV Raps! that first hooked me.  With its robot funk hook, hard beat and lyrics about not selling out and crossing over, it was tailor made for what I wanted to hear as a 15 year old.  I think some people forgot or just weren't around to see just how crazy the anti-sellout thing was in both rap and rock back then.  But it struck a chord with a lot of people and I was definitely one of them when it came to hip hop.

And as much as I was drawn in by "Crossover," a truly stellar song, I'm not even sure I would rank that one in the top half of great songs on this record.  It's one of those records that is flawless from start to finish.  The production on this thing is so amazing.  It's rugged, with big bass lines and a fullness that is tough to compare anything else to.  I don't know of too many records that sound like this, and if I'm missing something, please let me know.  In some ways I've spent the last 32 years trying to chase down another record like this one.

Lyrically, I think Erick and Parrish shine brighter than they ever did on Business Never Personal.  You'll never hear me say a bad word about the first three EPMD records.  They are all wonderful in their own way.  For me, this album is their peak.  Their vocals pack more punch than anything they'd done previously and the way they flow over the beats is just a joy to hear.  

The only possible criticism I could ever levy at this album is that an uncensored version doesn't exist.  They only ever released a version with the bad words scratched out in the wake of the Parental Advisory nonsense in the early 90s.  I still hold out hope that some day we'll get the ultimate reissue that finally uncorks the full, unedited album.  For now, this double LP reissue from 2005 will have to do.  It was a UK only release and tends to be tough to find and sell for more than I'd like to pay most of the time.  Luckily I was finally able to find a deal.

Having this as a double LP makes the songs sound the best they ever had on vinyl.  That makes it worth it for me as the art isn't anything special.  Especially irritating is the hype 'splotch' that they dumped on the cover art.  Give me a remastered double LP pressing (with the "Brothers from L.I." B-side as a bonus track), uncensored in a gatefold cover and I'll be the happiest person going.  Until then, this is the best version that there is.

EPMD - Business Never Personal:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lFTq20kYiq_JyLVJrG8qsHl5gV5HEN6Iw