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

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes – ¡Blow It…At Madison's Quinceañera! LP - Gold in Purple LP

Fat Wreck Chords (2024)

I have never owned a Me First and the Gimme Gimmes record before this one.  They have always just been one of those bands that existed, doing their cover band thing and frankly, by about 1998 or so, I was pretty content with the number of punked up cover songs out in the world.  I really didn't need a whole band that played nothing but them.  

What changed my mind?  Well, it was the fact the the Swami himself, John Reis, joined the band for touring over the last couple of years.  He's manning the guitar on this album which was recorded live at an actual quinceañera.  While this record is never going to be a gateway drug to launch me into the band's entire catalog, it's a fun enough listen and it being a live album helps quite a bit - despite me not being a fan of live albums in general.

There are songs like "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Dancing Queen," which are the sort of things I expect when I imagine what the Gimme Gimmes would be playing.  But an unexpected highlight are the five songs sung in Spanish.  Some have horns (with Jason (JC2000) Crane on trumpet) and a more dynamic approach to the songs.  I dig those, they're genuinely fine.  As a frontman, Spike has a really good, self deprecating/self aggrandizing schtick that makes for some fun banter.

Swami on guitar is fun.  I'm not used to hearing him in the Fat Wreck style, but he pulls it off effortlessly and you can hear his influence on the guitar sound in places.  But this band isn't really a showcase for John.  It's a showcase for Spike, a showcase for a band having fun and hopefully a showcase for Madison having a great quinceañera.

Me First And The Gimme Gimmes – ¡Blow It…At Madison's Quinceañera! :
https://gimmegimmes.bandcamp.com/album/blow-it-at-madisons-quincea-era

Nice & Smooth - Nice & Smooth 2xLP - Green & Yellow Split Vinyl

Priority Records (2017, 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 have told this story a bunch of times over the years, including on this website.  One day in 1991 I was at a Coconuts record store with my dad.  I'm not sure why I had money, but maybe it was saved up from mowing the lawn or something, but I had enough to buy three CDs.  The three I bought were Def Before Dishonor by The Hard Corps (Ended up not liking it at all, a purchase greatly influenced by my love for the PE/Anthrax version of "Bring The Noise"), Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest (Loved it to death and still do to this day) and Ain't A Damn Thing Changed by Nice & Smooth.

I didn't end up liking the Nice & Smooth record quite as much as I had hoped based on the strength of the videos they had on Yo! MTV Raps, but I did like it.  It was a totally solid record with a few high points that were pretty great.  I eventually got their follow up Jewel of the Nile a few years later, but wasn't really into that at all.  What I never did was work backwards and check out their first self titled record from 1989.  It wasn't until many years later that I finally gave that a listen.  I picked up this LP a few years ago, but it's been sitting in a pile of records to write about that has grown way too big.  I'm trying to get through those though.

So what to make of this record?  It's very good, certainly better than their 1994 album.  Is it as good as Ain't A Damn Thing Changed?  Not to me, but I also have 33 years of history with that record as opposed to maybe eight with this one?  But if I try to ignore emotional and nostalgic connections, it might be the actual better record.  Sure there's a few slow jam-y R&B tinged songs that are absolutely not my cup of tea, but for the most part the production is on point.  The beats have aged better than a lot of other albums that came out in 1989 with the highlights typically being the faster paced songs.

Greg Nice and Smooth B are always great on the mic.  They compliment each other perfectly, with B's slicker, laid bad flow being a balance point to Nice's high pitched, somewhat frantic delivery style.  On their own they're both good, but together there's a PB&J type chemistry going on that elevates both.  I'm not sure why Ain't A Damn Thing Changed never got a reissue, but this colored vinyl edition of their self titled album came out in 2017.  I'm a sucker for split color vinyl too, so that's a fun bonus.

Nice & Smooth - Nice & Smooth:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nBpWc5eL9OffVT9zwE9olWLCADOld0S7I

Autobahns - First LP

Feral Kid / Legless / Phantom / Magüt (2024)

I have a little pile of records people sent to me to review that's building up, so I'm trying to get through some of those.  Autobahns are from Germany and four labels went in on putting out this album.  Other than that I don't really know anything else about them other than the music that is on this LP.  I'm not sure I have that much to say about it.

It's fast punky rock with something of a Marked Men style guitar attack, if the Marked Men only recorded their albums in the sea and didn't have interesting chord progressions.  The guitar tone on this record is pretty silly and I can only describe it by saying that it wounds like a cartoon version of what a guitar being played underwater would sound like.

The vocals are ultra distorted to the point of being incomprehensible and they're pretty much screamed on top of being fuzzed out.  Is this better than your run of the mill hardcore band?  Yes, absolutely.  But it's not really good either.

Autobahns - First LP:
https://feral-kid-records.bandcamp.com/album/first-lp

MF911 - Idol, The Bloodsport LP

Next Plateau (1993)

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.

MF911 is another one of those groups that eluded me when they originally were active.  I have no memory of seeing anything about these guys in The Source or on Yo! MTV Raps back in '93.  Had I known about them, I'm sure I would have picked up the record, particularly due to a hip hop luminary being a big part of this album.

Who is that luminary?  Ced Gee of Ultramagnetic MC's.  From what I've read, he brought the group to Next Plateau.  But even if that story isn't accurate, he was very involved in the creation of this album, even handling the production for about half the album.  And if you know me, 1993 era Ultramagnetic is one of the high points of that time for me.

You can absolutely hear that in the production.  Even though MF911 are from Detroit, the production screams early 90s New York boom bap.  There are those jazzy loops and hard hitting drums that would not be at all out of place on The Four Horsemen.  Top to bottom, the production on this album is great, with the tracks that weren't produced directly by Ced Gee still having a similar sound leading to a cohesive album.

Lyrically, the folks in MF911 are flowing in a much more straightforward manner than the Ultramagnetic boys do.  And that's not a shot at them.  I don't think the world needs too many groups rapping like lunatics.  That works for Ultra, but doesn't often work for others.  MF911 has MCs that have vocal similarities to Ced deep voice, but they're staying on beat and spinning stories that are more narrative in structure.  The lyrics complement the beats nicely and the total package is an album that has been slept on (including by me) for far too long.  Hopefully some label will release this lost gem one day to get more attention on a record that deserves it.

MF911 - Idol, The Bloodsport:
https://mf911.bandcamp.com/album/idol-the-bloodsport

Teen Cobra - Buzzkill LP - Yellow Vinyl

 

Big Neck (2024)

There's lo fi and then there's no fi.  Teen Cobra fall in the latter category and that just makes this album even more fun.  Buzzkill is an LP full of loud, fuzzy garage stompers.  As far as production goes, the album is certainly rough and ready.  The vocals are fuzzed out and constantly in the red, the guitar is also ultra-distorted, but still manages to maintain an element of jangle to it and those components are fueled by a primitive, primal drum beat.  It's a lot of noise out of two people.

I think the thing that I like the most about this album is how it feels like a sister record to something that Doo Rag or The Black-Eyed Snakes would have released decades ago.  A lot of that is the percussion and the way the deceptively simple sounding drums add an energy and propulsion to every song.

It also helps that the vocals aren’t the standard garage snarl posturing.  I mean, there's a little of that, but you've never heard an album trying to cram in so many vocal harmonies while keeping the vocals so intentionally blown out.  It's really unique and makes Teen Cobra stand out from the pack.  I dig this.

Teen Cobra - Buzzkill:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/buzzkill

Brokin English Klik – Brokin English Klik LP

Wild Pitch (1993)

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 look at some of the labels releasing music during the golden era of hip hop, you'd be hard pressed to find a label with more of a murderer's row of great albums than Wild Pitch.  At various points they had Gang Starr, Ultramagnetic MC's, O.C., The Coup, The U.M.C.'s and Main Source among others.Another group they had maybe wasn't as renowned then or remembered now was Brokin English Klik.

I certainly wasn't aware of these guys when they were originally out and releasing records.  But having discovered them later, I can't really understand why they didn't break through more.  I'm positive I would have loved it back then and this probably would have been one of those records that I had on repeat pretty non stop.  The album was produced by one of the members, Da Mad Scientist Phase.  

Digging around, I can't see that he ever worked on any other albums, but his production on this album is just tremendous.  It's rugged with tons of low end bass.  From song to song, the bpms change, with some tracks being fast and others slowing things down.  It has all of the hallmarks of my favorite albums of that era and shows just how much hip hop can be elevated when a song's production is more robust than one beat just repeated ad nausea with someone rapping with no chorus or hook.  The beats ebb and flow, dynamically changing within a track to further highlight the lyrics.  It feels like a lost art to me and it's why I tend to find most hip hop production boring these days (that and so much of it today is just so slow).

As far as how the microphones are handled, I'd put this up against most records records that came out in 1993 and I think it holds up just fine.  Is it lyrically among the most elite of that year?  No, but it's good and is enhanced by how great the beats are.  Sadly, the only vinyl of this album that was released was the bare bones Wild pitch generic sleeve with a sticker gimmick.  I'm glad to have it period, but if there's an album that is looking for a delux 90s Tapes style treatment, I would definitely nominate Brokin English Klik.

Brokin English Klik – Brokin English Klik:
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCEd3MBPzpj3e7DXr04ocErg

Reduced - Reduced 7" - Yellow Vinyl (/265)

Brassneck (2024)

I've written more than a few old man screeds on this site over the years.  The older I get, the less in vogue the sort of things I like to listen to tend to be.  I'd like to think it's less me being a cranky old guy that is falling out of touch and more about how bands just flat out sound different these days.  They have different touchstones and inspirations than I do.  I don't begrudge any of them, it just feels like I'm not the target for what they are doing, and that's fine.

Luckily my desire for music is satiated by reissues, lost recordings, new discoveries of old bands I missed the first time around and old folks that are still making music.  Much more rare is a new band that I'm not familiar with coming out of nowhere and hitting that sweet spot of upbeat and energetic punk with hooks and vocals that don't sound like a band started by a former Decepticon.  Enter Reduced.

This is a UK punk band that is probably a little more aggressive than the Choppers, Broccolis and Hooton 3 Cars of the world, but I still hear a kinship to that scene which is something I don't get to hear anywhere near as often as I'd like.  The music drives forward, but is still catchy.  But it's not as straightforward as you might think as I find the chord progressions veer off into unexpected places not unlike something you'd expect from Red Dons or maybe the first Estranged album.

And unlike so many No Idea/Hot Water Music growly vocal folks that seem to inhabit the bands that I would probably listen to if not for the vocals, the singer from Reduced sounds like someone singing.  There's a slight raspiness to his voice that I'm pointing out as a compliment because if it was too slick, I wouldn't like that either.  It threads the needle perfectly, meshing with the rest of the band and carrying the hooks.  This is a band that is playing loud, fast music that is catchy, has hooks and generally is the sort of music I want to listen to.  I hope they're working on a full length.

Reduced - Reduced 7":
https://brassneckrecords.bandcamp.com/album/reduced

Mad Flava - From the Ground Unda 2xLP

Profile (1994)

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.

In my never ending quest to try to listen to every forgotten band of the golden era, I came across this 1994 album by Mad Flava.  I had never even heard of these guys before stumbling across their name within the last few years.  They were absolutely not on my radar back in 94, which is the year my interest in hip hop was starting to wane.  I'm pretty confident that I would have dug this had I heard it back then.

The main reason I would have, and do like this album is the production.  From start to finish, this album has the sort of rugged jazzy beats that I tend to like the most.  Though they are a west coast band, they have more in common with their east coast peers than any G funk style nonsense.  The production was handled by the group along with Erich 'Hype Dawg' Krause.  The only other thing I know him from is the JCD And The Dawg LB LP that I gave a few listens to and decided I didn't need.  The beats on Mad Flava are much better.

Lyrically, you'd be hard pressed to hear these raps and not think that there are certainly some similarities to House of Pain.  Lucky, it's not as over the top or goofy as HOP can get, but you're not going to listen to this and be bowled over by lyrical prowess.  Everyone who touches a microphone gets the job done, and nothing is ever bad - for me, it's just a means to an end showcasing an album full of beats that I really like.  I'm never not amazed at how much stuff came out in the early 90s that got lost in the shuffle.  There was so much insanely great music being released that something like Mad Flava, which is very good, just sort of fades into the past with little fanfare.  Worth checking out.

Mad Flava - From the Ground Unda:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mR6eJ1vH4sCbgPUgladYPRUMlstq2-OQg

Trenchkoat - Apocalypse Hits LP

Big Neck / No Front Teeth (2024)

If we're going to venture into judging a book by its cover land, I had an inkling while looking at this album by Tenchkoat that it might not be up my alley.  But with the minimalist design and the straight lines, I figured, who knows - maybe there's a chance it's gloomy but not super evil.  I was wrong, Apocalypse Hits is, in fact, super evil.

I feel bad when I write about records like this, because I'm never quite sure what to say about a band that sits so far outside of the scope of what I tend to listen to.  I can say that from a music standpoint, the band is certainly tight, it's not a sloppy hardcore crew.  The guitar work has some interesting riff and lead work and the drummer is absolutely pounding the hell out of the kit.  If you are looking for aggressive, dark music, this could be for you.

That said, I absolutely cannot understand the appeal of vocals like this.  They are so shredding, and cartoonishly dark.  It sounds like an orc from Lord of the Rings in the midst of some sort of incantation.  Lots of yelling, lots of reverb.  It just sounds kind of insane to my ears, but I'll say again - I am definitely not the target demographic for this sort of thing.  

I dig a lot of what Big Neck sends my way.  Even the stuff that's not always in my wheelhouse is usually interesting or at least a top notch example of the band's given genre.  This is one of those rare bands that just completely puzzles me.  I'm sure it makes sense to someone, but it's not for me.

Trenchkoat - Apocalypse Hits:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/apocalypse-hits

Digital Underground - The "Body-Hat" Syndrome LP - 2 Versions

1992 (Tommy Boy)

2023 (Tommy Boy, RSD Black Friday 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.

The "Body-Hat" Syndrome is the third Digital Underground album and it originally came out back in 1993.  I'm pretty sure I bought it back then, but it didn't survive one of my CD purges over the year.  The reason I'm pretty confident I owned it is because both of the LPs I'm about to talk about are missing a track I remember vividly where DU called out a bunch of other artists that lifted or repurposed the beat of "The Humpty Dance" over the years.  

I didn't listen to this album for many years, but decided to revisit it a few years ago.  And like the Digital Underground records that came before it, I enjoy it - for the most part.  Every DU album is too long.  That's kind of the gimmick, really.  A long, diverse album with some grand slams and a few misses along the way.  

The albums single, "The Return of the Crazy One" is the main Humpty song on the album, and for my money it's actually the best Humpty song in their entire catalog.  It has such an ear worm of a beat behind it and it inevitably gets stuck in my head for days every time I listen to it.  While writing this right now the album is playing in the background.  I actually skipped "Return of the Crazy One" so it's not stuck in my head all day, but its piano riff is still managing to penetrate my brain.

The other thing that I like about the album is that it marks one of, if not the earliest appearance of Saafir on record.  He pops up with his off kilter cadence and in my opinion elevates every song he touches.  I wish he had been part of the group on their first two records as well.

So, I have two versions here.  The single LP version is the original pressing from 1993 that only came out in Italy.  It's missing a few songs, and it's a whole lot of music crammed onto a single LP, but it was the only thing out there for 30 years.  Thanks to my buddy Scott, for grabbing it for me to ship over to the US.

So naturally, within months of me finally pulling the trigger and buying a copy, a deluxe double LP version was announced for 2023's Record Store Day Black Friday.  This version is infinitely superior, but it is missing the "Humpty Awards" track from the CD I mentioned earlier.  Still, it has all of the real songs, sounds great and can still be found super cheap on Discogs.  Worth it just to get "Crazy One" stuck in your head for a month.

Digital Underground - The "Body-Hat" Syndrome:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l-giHafleaouUvM364aeD6CL6R7eXFdtI

Rough House Survivers - Straight from the Soul LP

Relativity (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 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.

As far as the golden era of hip hop goes, I think that 1992 is a year that really gets overlooked in the best year in hip hop discussions.  Maybe it doesn't have the line up of stand out classics like 91, 93 or 94 do.  There's no Tribe album that came out this year, The Hieroglyphics records didn't come out in full force until 93 (til infinity).  Yeah, the Chronic came out in November or so, but that's not an album I rank as a classic in my world, plus it got way more play in 93 than it did in 92.

But when it comes to consistency, 92 was just full of great records with production that really hits the sweet spot for what I'm looking for in hip hop.  Even those records that completely fell through the cracks are pretty elite.  Case in point is this Rough House Survivers album.  Even with guest appearances from CL Smooth, Sadat X from Brand Nubian and Grand Puba, it didn't really make much noise.  I don't remember it from back then, though there were certainly quite a few ads for it in The Source that I've seen rereading those.  Straight From The Soul didn't register then, but it sure stands out to me now.

The production is pretty flawless here.  With jazzy loops, low end bass and big hooks.  Perhaps the thing I miss most about older hip hop is the use of hooks which seems to have all but vanished, even from the folks from back then that are still putting out records.  Give me a hook!  Lyrically, I can't say anyone in this crew is top level elite, but everyone that touches a microphone is really good and wouldn't be out of place rhyming next to anyone.  They all hold their own next to the guest appearances, who are among the top tier of the era.

It's a record that really shouldn't be forgotten.  Anyone that likes golden era hip hop would probably really dig this.  Particularly the disciples of 1992, perhaps the hidden best year of hip hop.

Rough House Survivers - Straight from the Soul:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nu-P0iHFdiBhPRqlciuz6O-Gvz2vb0QXo