News

Whats up Sorry State readers, I hope everyone has had a nice week. It finally feels like spring has arrived here in NC, though we’ll see if we get hit with another cold blast. This past week I returned from my road trip across the South East which was a bunch of fun. I got to listen to a whole lot of bluegrass, see most of my family, and show my girlfriend around where I grew up. When we were in Memphis for a couple days, we decided to drive down to Oxford, MS for the day just to hang out in town and walk around. If you don’t know, Ole Miss is located right in Oxford and the town basically revolves around the school. This is pretty much the southern-preppy capital so it’s a little funny, but the town also has a long and interesting history on its own, including being the home of William Faulkner, a southern author whose stories often took place in the fictional Mississippi county Yoknapatawpha. You can even still visit his house and walk around the property and see where he’d sit and write and draw inspiration from. Like a true old southern town, the town square is the most central part of town where everything is: shops, restaurants, bars and a big ol court house right in the middle for good measure. Hidden in this bustling square though, right up some stairs to the side of a building, I came across a record store. End of All Music was the name of the shop and I was absolutely blown away by it. Right away you could tell this shop was run by people who really loved and cared about music. A vast collection of all genres of music, used and new, and organized very well so it was easy to find what you’re looking for. I was fully expecting a run of the mill record store located in this preppy college town’s square and was happily surprised. I could’ve stayed in there for hours flipping through everything but my mom and girlfriend didn’t come down to Oxford to watch me shop for records all day, so it was kept to a brief visit. When I’m in a situation like this, out of state in a great record store, I like to get something totally out of left field. Maybe I’ll like it, maybe I won’t, but I’ll always remember when and where I got it. I came across this record, Hypnotic Guitar of John Ondolo, released on Mississippi Records (very fitting). I like being hypnotized by a guitar and I knew I would never listen to this unless I just bought it, so I decided to go with that. John Ondolo was a guitarist, singer, songwriter and filmmaker from Tanzania, which is pretty impressive. The songs on here are nothing crazy, just rhythmic guitar with some vocals, a flute, and percussion. It’s not something I’d necessarily be dying to get, but I’m glad I bought it. Sometimes, especially I feel the longer you’ve been collecting, you can fall into certain buying patterns. You have a long list of stuff you wanna get by certain artists, and sometimes it can be hard to stray from that, but I think it’s important sometimes to pick something up that you’ve never seen or heard of in your life and say “this looks cool, I’m gonna get this.” You may not always hit a home run, but it’s important to expand your musical horizons and try a little bit of everything. And who knows you might just find your new favorite thing. If I didn’t get this record, I probably could’ve gone my whole life without hearing any music that came out of Tanzania, so I’m glad I decided to pick this up. It’s kinda sounding like I’m saying I don’t like this record, but I’m too stubborn to admit it, which is far from the truth. It’s just not a record I’m gonna be listening to everyday but there’s some songs on here I really enjoy like Haukutoka Mbinguni. However, I know one day I’ll have a musical itch in my head and wanna hear something and I’ll be flipping through my records going “no….no…..no….no” and then I’ll come across this record and throw it on and the memories will come flooding back in and l’ll smile.

Hi Sorry State fam! As I write this I am sick as a dog, so I hope you are doing better than I am! And no, Daniel doesn’t have me chained up to my computer against my will, demanding I get my staff pick done this week. I had this week’s pick just about done anyway so I insisted. Ok let’s get into it!

Four years since Public Acid dropped the Condemnation EP, the new LP was welcomed with open and super stoked arms. Im gonna piggyback (i.e. copy) what Daniel said about Public Acid being one of the greatest things going right now in hardcore punk. There is something that’s not that easy to articulate about their unique flair. But everyone seems to get it and maybe without even realizing it. Daniel brought up their Sorry State Fest performance and I have to do the same to drive this point home. When Public Acid took the stage there was an energy shift. It wasn’t that they brought energy to an otherwise energy-free room. Thats not it at all. The whole fest was fucking killer. But they brought something different that everyone seemed to feel and react to in a similar manner. Basically, everyone went nuts for it.

So you can imagine how exciting it was to learn a new album would be dropping. I slapped it on as soon as I could, and one word came to mind. Dynamic. It is out of this world dynamic. There is nothing predictable about it. When you think they’re gonna go left, they go right. When you think they’re gonna stop, they go faster. They have perfected the art of primitive, mean and nasty vocals and chaotic yet technically tight, creative, and savvy instrumentals. It’s full of razor sharp riffs upon riffs upon riffs. And no duds.

The manner in which they execute the dual guitar format is masterful. Just listen to the songs Ignorance and End of Pain for a frame of reference. When I said the album was dynamic, the first song that came to mind was Ignorance. It has an absolutely infectious metal intro that sets the tone for the rest of the song. It lets you rock out for a little bit and then grabs you by the throat for a chaotic tempo shift. It’s gotta be my favorite track on the album. It’s full of eyebrow raising moments in the best way.

Deadly Struggle is everything hardcore punk should be and more. The recipe for this album was pulled together flawlessly. It’s furious but focused. It’s arty and innovative, but it’s true to the foundation that inspired it. The tempo and style changes are thrilling and unpredictable. Just listen to the song Deadly Struggle and you will know what I mean. Another killer track.

Public Acid sees each and every song through from start to finish. No such thing as a lazy outro on this record. They just keep getting better and better. Mature but not buttoned up. It’s truly impressive. There is no denying how good everyone in the band is at their craft. But the hard part, and the part they have mastered, is the special energy they have as a band. If you’ve seen them play live, you know that the special energy is magnified ten-fold.

Do yourself a huge favor and pick up the new Public Acid record. No hardcore collection is complete without it. And once again, thanks for reading! Until next time.

-Angela

Hi and thanks for reading. My boy Merm was the only person to reply to anything I said in the last newsletter. Which is sick cos I love Merm, but really? No one else had shit to say about who first wrote a song called "ACAB?” Also, I understand the MALINHEADS shit is a bit obscure, but I really was hoping to get something on it. Oh well. Maybe it's cos I came off like too much of a poser with my lack of knowledge on German hardcore. Or maybe everyone is preoccupied by the complete shit state of the world. I find it hard to clear my head in general these days, so trying to clear my head and write about a record doesn't come so easily. I never thought I would live through a global pandemic, followed by a literal, blatant genocide. I never imagined after WWII that something like this could happen. I don't mean the ill-intentions of the State of Israel, of course imperialist nations always have bad intentions. What I mean is how not one single country has stepped in to stop this. In reality, all the other countries will look to places like the USA and UK, and for good reason. Well not really a good reason, but because we have pummeled the living shit out of every place on Earth and that is why we are a "super power" country or whatever the fuck politicians like to call it. You would think we would use our super power to stop Israel, or even just cut the funding of U.S. tax dollars to Israel, but I guess I am naive to expect anything less from the U.S. government. I'm sure everyone reading this is on the same page with me, and I feel so helpless most of the time. I don't want to take the time here to remind you of the current state of world though, so I will move onto records.

I can't remember if we had the new PUBLIC ACID record in stock when I was writing my staff pick last week, but I wanted to mention it this week. To me, it's obvious that everyone and their mother should buy this LP—and I am sure you all have. This is an excellent follow-up to their Condemnation EP, and the packaging is absolutely beautiful (as always). What really makes this LP special is it's the first record that Jeff appears on since he joined the band! Although I think he played on the Beat Sessions cassette that came out last year. I've been seeing this band (or a version of it) for about a decade now, so it's kind of easy for me to take them for granted. The band has evolved a ton since they first started. I talked about their evolution a bit when their Condemnation EP was released. I think I fuck up some details but it's like 95% accurate. And like I mentioned, the band has evolved past this when adding Jeff to the equation. Proud feels like a weird word to use, but I think that is how I feel about this band. This crew of people has been tirelessly putting all their effort forth for years with a number of great bands, and it feels like they are finally getting the recognition they deserve. I also wanted to mention this debut cassette from BLISTERING NOISE. This band is from Tokyo, and I knew nothing other than that and this tape was recorded at Noise Room. Naturally, I want to check out anything recorded at Noise Room, so I did. I had to listen to this physical cassette, cos there was no streaming online I could find. So I wanted to let anyone know who was on the fence about the cassette, it rips.

I had briefly mentioned this record last week, but I've finally had a chance to spend a good amount of time with the new NIGHTFEEDER 7". I find NIGHTFEEDER to be a particularly interesting band cos they always do something that tests my taste on each release, but their foundation is so damn solid that I am always eager to hear what's next. To be honest, I don't like it when bands challenge me as a listener. I know that's boring. However, I seriously appreciate it when a band challenges my ears, and then it grows on me, resulting in me looking forward to these parts I once questioned. I love that. I'm sure there are people who specifically seek this when checking out bands, but I just don't look for this experience when listening to music. So NIGHTFEEDER begins this EP with a "longer" mid-tempo song. The song itself is entitled Disgustor, like the EP. Over half of the song is slow and has a kinda droney sound or something. The last minute of the song they pick up the pace (just a bit), with some pulled-back DISCHARGE drumming accompanied by another dissonant, but slightly catchy riff. On the B-side you can find two certified rippers in true NIGHTFEEDER fashion that you want to play on repeat. I guess the A side of the record took me some time to digest. The riffs are not particularly memorable, and it's the only track featured on the A side. After talking with Daniel about the track, he explained his interpretation of the song. He said he didn't think the song was really about the riffs at all, but about the overall energy or atmosphere the band establishes. He explained how it all seemed to build into the chorus, where the lyrics are the real focus; "I am disgustor, hear my name." I probably didn't explain that very well, but after letting this soak in it really started to grow on me. It felt like the band was going for a more classic approach or something; 7" cut at 45rpm featuring one slower song on the A side that focuses on the chorus, followed by two bangers on the B side. The formula reminds me that of like a PARTISANS or DEMOB 7". NIGHTFEEDER really lays into the "horror" aspects of the band with this EP. While I think elements of horror can come off so cheesy, I think they still pull it off. I really like the artwork and packaging on this EP especially. They made a limited screen-printed version, but the artwork for the regular version is just as sick!! The spots of color and layout is excellent. It looks so cool that I would consider buying it without knowing who the band was. I think there are bands who are not very good, and rely on a gimmick of sorts to attract listeners. While NIGHTFEEDER has some artistic elements with their presentation, I don't think they rely on this to attract listeners cos their music actually rips. Alright then, I think that about sums it up for this week. Thanks for reading. Thank you to everyone for your support!

What’s up Sorry Staters?

The month of March has begun. Kinda hard to believe. Even with our additional Leap Year day, February still felt too short. Pretty soon, it’s gonna start getting warmer, the flowers will be blooming, and a thick layer of pollen will obscure my windshield. I had kind of a weird weekend, honestly. Hopefully, in the next few days I’ll be able to avoid bullshit and soak up some vitamin D. Anyway, no more needless exposition as I tend to do. Let’s talk about records:

If there’s any record that captures the feeling of absorbing sunshine with a cloud of doom and gloom looming overhead, then it’s this Bloodstains LP. It feels kinda silly to write about this record for my staff pick. Only because there was so much anticipation surrounding its release, and Sorry State’s copies sold out so quickly. But whatever, I can’t help it. I really like this record and wanna give Bloodstains some attention, even if the allure of this record is a bit obvious.

I read one description of this record as, “Orange County punks playing Orange County punk the right way.” There is something about Bloodstains where it feels like nothing is beyond the pale. I know I’ve chatted with the singer Cesar about records on social media, and he seems to be an expert and historian on all things southern California punk. This record is almost like an exercise in synthesizing the elements of early 80s OC punk into its purest form. In a way, I respect that. Especially because I can’t really think of any other band in recent memory that has attempted to achieve this sound and totally nail it with authenticity. First impressions when dropping the needle, the opening instrumental “The Last Rites” kicks in and I just remember thinking how great the production sounded. Super clear, sharp, and punchy. Glassy, organic and bright guitar sounds. Once the intro track finishes, Bloodstains launch right into “Public Hanging,” and once the guitar player starts doing those octaves, it’s like okay… Agnew has entered the building. Maybe I’m projecting, but there is something about early punk from Los Angeles and Orange County that sounds more “produced” and glossy than other 80s punk and hardcore. Like something seems more musician-oriented and professional than the raw 4-track, shoot from the hip records that might have emerged out of the Midwest or East Coast.

I don’t know what it is about punk from California. Even though punks are right by sunny beaches and their brand of hardcore tends to be more melodic and song-based, there’s still an unexplainable veil of darkness. When I think of Agent Orange or The Adolescents, and of course the death rock stylings of TSOL… It doesn’t necessarily have to with the production, but there’s an intangible, hazy fog of moodiness that creeps its way into the sound. I will say that if Bloodstains nails anything with their love letter to SoCal punk, they absolutely capture this intangibly dark atmosphere. If there’s any song that is like Bloodstains giving us a TSOL moment, then it’s the intro to the first song on side B, “When Men Were Men” with its ominous, satanic ritual by candlelight style arpeggiated guitar. They revisit their song “Anti-Social”, which also appeared on their demo as well as the 7” single from last year. Hey, I mean if the band think it’s their hit, then I don’t blame ‘em for including it once again.

It’s funny though, I remember riding with Daniel up to Richmond for a gig that Scarecrow was playing. On that car ride, Daniel played the Bloodstains record off of his phone, and that was the first time I listened to the record all the way through. As we were listening to the first few songs, I remember saying to Daniel, “Man, the only thing this record is missing is some Adolescents-style ‘ah-ah’ backup vocals.” Funny enough, right at the end the last couple songs “Suburban Suicide” and “Stray Bullets” scratch that itch. “Stray Bullets” is the final cut off of the record, and probably favorite. The chanted refrain, “Stray bullets! Stray bullets!” followed by the lead vocal, “in the sky-eye-eeeeyyye…” is standout moment for me.

What can I say? The boys in Bloodstains made a record that’s close to home for them, but it’s also right up my alley. Enough with all treble noise cranked on your EQ pedal. I want more Agnew guitar influence in my punk. Hopefully Bloodstains will repress this LP since clearly people are hungry for it. Anyway, that’s all I’ve got.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff

Paul Drummond: 13th Floor Elevators: A Visual History book (Anthology Editions, 2020)

It’s been a while since I shared what I was reading, and this seemed like a good time as I spent the weekend plowing through this 2020 book on 60s Texas psych rockers the 13th Floor Elevators. Shout out to my mom who, when I failed to give her any gift ideas this year, plucked this from a years-old Christmas list I don’t even remember making.

The author of this book, Paul Drummond, also wrote the definitive biography of the 13th Floor Elevators, Eye Mind. I haven’t seen or read that book, but I’ve seen more than one person use the word “exhaustive” to describe it, so I assume it’s long and richly detailed. This book functions well as a biography on its own and there’s a good deal of text besides the pictures, telling the band’s and its members’ stories in a satisfying level of detail, but its main purpose is to document and share the group’s visual record in photographs, vintage show posters, ticket stubs, media coverage, advertisements for gigs and records, and any and every other place where the Elevators left their mark. As a piece of scholarship, it is a phenomenal achievement. There’s so much to see in this book, and it’s executed with the seriousness and attention to detail of an exhibition catalog from a world-class museum. Even familiar images from the Elevators’ records and their most famous gig posters come alive here, as they’re photographed like fine art rather than the flattened, amateurishly retouched versions you typically encounter on the internet. They certainly could have gotten away with less painstaking work, but I’m so glad they put in the extra effort, because this book really transports you into the Elevators’ world.

A few things strike me about that world. The first is the contrast between the world the Elevators presented in their music and artwork and what is documented in the book’s many photographs. As one of the first rock groups (if not the first) to fully embrace psychedelia, they helped to define the imagery associated with that sound, with its bright, saturated colors and its swirling and organic, art nouveau-influenced illustration and lettering styles. But when you see the photographs of the band in their environs, it all looks so dusty, dingy, and earthy. They didn’t live in a psychedelic wonderland; they lived in Texas in the 1960s. In many photographs of the band (particularly in their later years as their hair and beards grew), it looks like they could be a country rock group, as their world looks more like the faux-pioneer aesthetic adopted by bands like the Eagles and the Band. The Elevators weren’t reflecting their world; they were building a utopian alternate reality, one they sought to access through their music and the drugs they used. The other thing that strikes me—and this is an insight I owe to Drummond—is is how crudely executed much of the Elevators’ imagery was, which is part of what gives it its charm, particularly for someone like me raised on DIY punk. One fanzine review reproduced in the book complains about the artwork for Psychedelic Sounds, noting its chintzy feel and that the colors look more Christmas-y than psychedelic. Later in the book, Drummond notes that Easter Everywhere looks like a self-produced album from a hippie cult. The Elevators’ amateurish, exploitative record label International Artists gets most of the blame for the shoddy execution, but it also seems like a function of how early the Elevators were to all this. There wasn’t a rulebook or a template; they were making their own.

If you don’t know the Elevators’ story, it’s conveyed with fascinating detail here. Based in Texas, the group didn’t have the benefit of San Francisco’s liberal multiculturalism. The police viewed the Elevators as leaders of an insurgent group trying to corrupt Texas’s youth, and they made it their mission to stamp out the Elevators before the movement could take hold. They were aided by draconian drug laws that could put you away for decades for possession of marijuana and a culture where police brutality and corruption were the norm. Thanks to a drug bust early in their career, the band couldn’t leave Texas without written permission from their parole officers. Members were incarcerated repeatedly, with guitarist Stacy Sutherland serving multiple stints in prison and vocalist Roky Erickson notoriously shuffled into Texas’s brutal asylum system, where electroshock therapy and primitive pharmacological treatments certainly helped to shatter a mind already fragile from years of daily LSD use. It’s a sad story, and it makes you wonder what the Elevators could have done if they didn’t face such an uphill climb.

But the struggles, the missed opportunities, and the shoddy execution are much of what made the 13th Floor Elevators the 13th Floor Elevators. Despite his devotion to studying and documenting the band, Drummond is clear-eyed about their shortcomings, particularly in terms of their recorded output. This only makes this book more valuable, as there is no succinct document of the Elevators at their peak (despite how obviously brilliant and influential their recordings were). Instead, we have to triangulate from the available data, imagining what it would have been like to experience one of those magical nights when the sound, the vibe, the high, the environment, the company, and everything else came together perfectly.

Cosey Mueller: Irrational Habits 12” (Static Age Musik) Originally presented as a self-released cassette, Static Age Music does the world a favor and commits this brilliant new full-length from Berlin’s Cosey Mueller to vinyl. Static Age has brought us a bunch of great contemporary German electronic music lately, and Irrational Habits fits that trend. The songs feel like dance music because they’re built around primitive boom-bap rhythms, crisp, powerful, and placed right at the front of the mix. On first listen, you might think the best thing about Irrational Habits is the seedy, Berlin night club vibe it lays down, but there’s more to it than that. It’s not pop music per se, but Cosey has a way with a hook. A lot of those hooks appear as guitar riffs, which stand out because they contrast so sharply with the rest of the music. The rhythms and synth textures are cold, dry, and mechanical, but the guitar lines are drenched in Jesus and Mary Chain-esque reverb and played junkie-cool, sagging way behind the beat like Thunders after a particularly potent dose. That move is executed most memorably on the highlight “Tu Mir Was,” but it’s all over the record. The vocals, while understated and often drenched in effects, also provide highlights, like in the aforementioned “Tu Mir Was,” but also in “Dog Salon,” which has a B-52’s-ish surreality I like. The propulsive EBM-ish foundation keeps me edging the volume knob ever higher when I listen to Irrational Habits, but the pop peaks really push it to the next level.

Hi Sorry State fam! How is everyone doing? Good, good. Things are pretty chill on my end. I’m just out for a walk on this gloomy, kind of chilly day. I’m stalling because I have a shit load of cleaning I need to do! But at least I have some new records to listen to! Such as my staff pick!

It’s Pura Manía’s new EP called Extraños Casos de La Vida Real. That’s a mouthful. Right when I slapped this on the turntable it kicked my ass and woke me right up! “Oh I’m gonna like this”, I said to myself. To be honest I probably said it out loud. I talk to myself a lot. Probably an abnormal amount. Anyway, I’ve packed several orders with this record so it seems to be popular!

These guys have been silent for a while after putting out their last LP in 2017 (Cerebros Punk). The band has members from Canada and Mexico, which likely presents some challenges, but that’s just a wild guess. What matters is this EP right here. A symbol of global punk unity, this is a three way split release by Japan’s Discos Peligrosos, NYC’s Roachleg Records, and Mexico’s CV Recs.

In a word, this record is electric. It’s the equivalent to the “boom” emoji. You know the one. The orange pointy cartoonish symbol in comic books with words like boom! bang! zing! zang! Don’t mind me, I drank a Celsius a minute ago. Shout out to the limited edition flavor, Mandarin Marshmellow. It’s my favorite.

Back to the record. It’s four songs, hovering around 13 minutes or so. A lotta bang for your buck! It’s a really catchy, high-energy, sing-a-long type of record. You’ll get the point about 10 seconds in with the opener, El Viaje al Interior del Cuerpo. That song is about as anthemic as it gets. I love me some woah-oh-oh moments as I find them to be really unifying and positive. With that said, I don’t speak Spanish, so for all I know they’re singing about kicking babies, and here I am calling it feel good music. But regardless, I feel good when I hear it.

Seriously though, the band has fearlessly mastered a more musical style of oi! punk on this EP, with some really standout guitar and bass parts. The guitar parts make me think of Blitz. Particularly on their cover of the Screamers song, 122 Hours of Fear (i.e 100 Horas de Miedo). Admittedly, I’ve never heard the original, but the cover is a ripper! I think the band has a late 70’s California punk sound, combining elements of different sub-genres of punk. It’s eclectic but it feels fresh and exciting.

This is a really likable record so I’m confident that anyone who likes high-energy anthemic punk will dig it. Thanks for reading and until next time!

-Angela

Hi and thanks for reading. It's been a minute since I wrote. I was out sick for a bit, and then Daniel got sick too. I'm not writing about any new releases this week unfortunately, cos I haven't spent much time with any of them yet. I have been really looking forward to the DEEF reissue on General Speech, and also the new NIGHTFEEDER 7" that we got in stock recently. I've only had time to spin those just once each, so today I am writing about MALIN HEADS. At the risk of sounding like a poser, I will be writing unashamedly. I don't really know much German hardcore/punk. I can name maybe like a dozen bands. I'm pretty sure MALIN HEADS was my introduction. I discovered them while on tour with my old band with Jeff. We were at Arrow's Aim in Gainesville, and that's where I picked up a copy of their first EP Probegepogt Aus Spandau. As I was flipping through a 7" bin, I passed over it cos I had no idea what it was. As I passed it, Jeff asked If knew it and also informed me it ripped. Obviously, I bought it. I will pick up almost anything a friend suggests to me in that context. I never really thought about it until now, but this type of thing happens often when I got to record shops with friends, where someone is flipping and another is kinda looking over their shoulder and there is conversation about what dank shit is floating around in the bins, know what I'm talking about? Haha. Anyway, from there I checked out the other bands on Pogar (the label who originally released that MALIN HEADS EP). Somewhere in there I heard more shit like VORKRIEGSPHASE, UPRIGHT CITIZENS, SLIME, and THE BUTTOCKS. I know SLIME and BUTTOCKS are pretty early bands. A close friend of mine living in Germany told me about SLIME after we toured Europe a few years ago. It's funny, I was just talking to some friends the other day about "ACAB." I know this acronym is wildly popular now… and it's possible some young punks don't know what band my friends and I associate this slogan with. I mean obviously ACAB was not invented by a band, but I always thought 4 SKINS was the first band to do a song called ACAB. I'm pretty sure that came out in 1982, right? Well fuckin' hell, SLIME released a track called ACAB in 1981! I had no idea. If someone knows anything earlier please let me know. Or maybe I am wildly mistaken, and 4 SKINS had been playing it live before SLIME.

Getting back to MALINHEADS, their first EP is such a banger. Their second EP entitled Medical Fame followed a few years later in 1986 and I think its also an excellent record. The sound is noticeably different though. They have another release the followed that, but to be honest I don't even remember what it sounds like. Their first EP was reissued, and I am not sure why Medical Fame was not. For many years that reissue I held me over until one day I was able to land an original copy of Probegepogt Aus Spandau. I guess when I say original, I mean an 80s pressing. The cover of the record I had gotten was not the first press according to Discogs. And as of late, some pretentious asshole added a new version that he has, and of course he states THIS is the first press, haha. I knew there was a different cover for the "first press," but I have always wondered if there was actually two different pressings or just some different versions of the cover. I was actually chatting with a German friend, and he sent me a photo of his copy that he got in the 80's. It's yet another different version than what is listed on Discogs.

There was a record shop called Vinyl Boogie in West Germany, and they seemed to have distributed all the Pogar stuff. I was actually just poking around Discogs, and it seems the owner of Vinyl Boogie was also the same person who operated Pogar Records. Interesting. I wish I knew more. I'm not sure how true this is, but one guy told me he was there at Vinyl Boogie when the MALINHEADS records arrived, and they quickly threw together the covers of the "first press" cos they didn't have anything prepared. I'm not sure if he meant only those very early copies (which seem to be few, and printed on colored paper,) or if he meant they made an entire run of covers with the same design printed on regular white paper. According to Discogs, the was a repress the same year as the original. On this sleeve, they took the back cover photo from the first press, and that became the front cover of the repress. I just wonder if there really were two pressings, and/or how many copies exist of each cover. That leads me to why I really decided to write about this today, haha. I've shared this cover from my staff photo on Instagram before, but I didn't get any info on it. I've searched the internet to the best of my ability, and never came up with shit. I did see an old Ebay listing where a copy sold with this same cover, but a part of me wonders if this was by chance the same copy that eventually ended up in my hands? I bought this copy just a few years ago from a German record shop. What this is, is the repress sleeve, but for some reason MALINHEADS is not printed across the front. What the fuck? I have endless questions, and I am out of time, haha. Sorry my write-up this week seems directionless and really in the end I am just hoping someone will reply and let me know some info on this record! Haha. Cheers and thanks for reading.

Hi Sorry Staters. How are things? Mustn’t grumble right? We all could run down a shopping list of woes most weeks, but nobody wants to hear that, so we’ll just assume and pretend that the world is doing great despite the evidence to the contrary and keep calm and carry on.

This past week was both Mardi Gras and Saint Valentine’s Day. I didn’t celebrate the latter but had fun spinning some funk and soul records from New Orleans to mark Fat Tuesday on the radio show I do. Here at the store, there has been plenty to keep my mind occupied and stimulated music wise. We’ve been getting lots of cool records across a wide spectrum of genres. Personally, I listen to and enjoy all sorts of stuff and can easily switch from punk to bluegrass to funk to hip-hop to disco to jazz to prog to psych and back again. Depending on my mood of course. But variety is the spice of life as they say.

This week Daniel and I bought a bunch of 70s, 80s and 90s soul, funk, disco and pop records from a nice lady whose husband had been a DJ. We managed to find a few interesting and fun things. A lot of Prince. Some Madonna rarities. A lot of picture sleeve 12” singles and a few cool electro boogie singles from the early 80s. I have been particularly digging that latter genre recently. I’m finding more and more great tracks on singles and albums from that period that I either wasn’t aware of or had overlooked. Particularly pleasing for my point of view is that for the most part these records aren’t too expensive or out of reach. Sure, there are plenty of electro and disco records that command top dollar, and rightfully so, because they are brilliant and/or rare, but most records made during this era were pressed in the thousands, tens of thousands, millions even. Meaning that they are out there and findable. These days it seems a lot of music lovers and record collectors are putting too much concentration on the holy grails and ignoring the low hanging fruit. They could be feasting but choose to go hungry. Ha.

However, I get how the appeal of a 12” single isn’t shared by all. Just like a 7” single, especially without a picture sleeve, some folks just find them too much work to appreciate and when digging for records too daunting and overwhelming. It’s true, you do have to put more effort into playing singles and in that respect it’s why 12” singles ultimately ended as they began, as a DJ tool. It’s in that original concept of creation that you find the magic. Much better sound (usually), extended mixes, remixes, dub mixes, instrumentals, acapella versions and maybe an exclusive track. For Deejays they’re obviously perfect, but for fans and collectors just as desirable and essential in my opinion.

As I write this piece it is Sunday and minutes to deadline, so I had better get on with it. We had a great Friday and Saturday at the shop whilst I was working and honestly, I got rocked on Saturday. I counted over thirty people at once in the store a few times and it was busy almost the entire time, although with little lulls. Anyone who works retail knows what I mean. One minute the place is packed and then it’s like a bell goes off and everyone checks out at once and the place empties. Quiet for a moment and then off we go again. I love that we were able to make so many people happy with their purchases. Records aren’t just groceries or pharmacy items; they are life itself and represent the most important things in our existence. Seeing the pleasure in people’s eyes when they are getting a cool record and talking to them about it is absolutely the best feeling for me and why I do this.

There were so many stories like that this week. It’s so cool and why record stores are to be loved and cherished. To coin the title from the book on Bomp! which succinctly puts it “saving the world one record at a time”. Greg Shaw is an American hero just like Billy Miller at Norton and music lovers owe so much to them both. They’re certainly my heroes. Both backed it should be noted by amazing women partners. There might be something in that old saying. Ha! Looks like it works well for people I know and I sure as hell do not know how to look after myself, but that’s another story. Going back to the 12” singles, a lot of those did make our shoppers happy and so I feel good about that, and it backs up my feelings on the subject. If you are reading this and are local, there are still lots more goodies to be found and I still have a small batch left to process that will hit the floor next week.

As for me, I too had a record moment over the weekend. I’m literally about to be buried in records and certainly not short of anything to listen to at home or at the store, but did finally cross a long time want off the list. One of our friends brought in a small but interesting and varied collection of records to sell and both Jeff and I found something we had coveted for years amongst them. This particular dude always brings us good shit. As do many of our cool friends. We thank you all and are glad that we can provide a place where your treasures can be passed on to others to enjoy and help us keep the lights on and put a few bucks in your pocket at the same time. You may hear from Jeff or Daniel about the record that they both wanted, but the one that made my eyes light up was the soundtrack to the 1970 film Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. Released by 20th Century Fox, directed by Russ Meyer and written by Roger Ebert.

This cult movie has been well documented over the years in articles and podcasts and deserves a deep dive if you are unfamiliar. The story behind it all is quite fascinating. I would highly recommend you watch the movie first and foremost if you haven’t already. Not to give away too may spoilers, it’s a terrific kitschy spoof follow up to the 1967 hit film Valley Of The Dolls that tells a similar tale of three young women coming to Hollywood in search of fame, this time as musicians in a groovy rock band. Given free reign by the studio, who only demanded it be made as cheaply as possible and that it pushed the R rating to an X, director Russ Meyer, he of Vixen, Mudhoney, Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and many more cult classics, along with Chicago Sun-Times film critic turned screenplay writer Roger Ebert, put everything plus the kitchen sink into the picture. It’s got it all: sex, drugs, music, violence, satire, all in glorious 1970 color with everyone dressed mod and groovy. The violence aspect and the brutal climatic ending of the film baring clear and intentional reference to the Manson murders the previous year that had shocked Hollywood and the world. Sharon Tate was one of the three stars in the original Valley Of The Dolls, of course.

The soundtrack is cool and features songs that the fictitious band called the Carrie Nations perform in the movie. Also featured in the movie are real-life band Strawberry Alarm Clock, who play themselves and have a couple of songs on the soundtrack album. The dreamy theme to the film is performed by soft-pop group The Sandpipers. Production and song writing comes from noted composer Stu Phillips, who had scored the music to Ride The Wild Surf in 1964 and had founded Colpix Records, which had hits from everyone from Nina Simone to The Monkees. He also made a series of easy listening records during the 1960s for Capitol Records credited to the Hollywood Stings Orchestra that cover The Beatles and The Beach Boys. In the 70s, his credits would include The Six Million Dollar Man and Battlestar Galactica, so he was no slouch.

The best songs on the soundtrack are the songs that the girls sing in the band. Here is where it gets interesting. The songs were lip-synched by the actors in the movie, but were really sung by Lynn Carey and Barbara Robison. Lynn Carey from Los Angeles began her career as a model and actress and developed into a good blue-eyed soul singer who made some decent records with Canadian Neil Merryweather in the early 70s. Their first is under their own names, but the next two came out as Mama Lion. The die-cut cover to the one called Preserve Wildlife is pretty great and must have influenced Tori Amos and Belle And Sebastian in their choices of album artwork. Go Google it and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Barbara “Sandi” Robison was born in Las Vegas and began singing on the Los Angeles folk scene and later became the singer with pop-psych group The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, who had regional hits but never really got big outside of California.

However, when it came time to releasing the soundtrack album, there were legal disputes over royalties which resulted in Lynn Carey not being able to appear on the record. Her vocal parts were then hastily re-recorded by another singer named Ami Rushes, who apparently now renounces her pop star past and is a Christian Gospel minister and singer. So, in the movie you hear Lynn Carey with Barbara Robison, but on the record it’s Barbara with Ami. There is a promo 45 that came out with two tracks from the movie and the label lists Ami Rushes as the artist. I’ve never seen a copy of this in the wild, but would love to find one. Some people have suggested that the album versions are not just the same backing tracks with new vocals, but new recordings all together. Certainly, the consensus is that the movie versions with Lynn Carey singing are the better takes, but the soundtrack versions don’t completely suck in comparison.

In the early 2000s, Harkit Records put out a version of the soundtrack that had those movie versions along with other songs and cues that were in the film but not on the soundtrack. Finally, fans were able to hear what they had heard in the film. I’m glad I picked up a copy of that release when it came out, and although I have some complaints about the sound quality, it did complete the missing elements and came with a nice poster.

On playing back the copy of the original, it seems that I might have to deal with sound quality issues with this too. It sounds great, but I did notice a couple of moments of distortion and in a couple of spots (luckily between tracks) a weird sound is heard for a split second. I assume this is a manufacturing issue and I will need to find another copy now to compare. Also, another deciding factor in me buying this copy is that the previous seller had plastered three different stickers on it stuck down with super glue. On trying to remove them I slightly damaged the artwork. Luckily, I was able to fill it in with black marker as it was over an all-black area of the jacket and at a glance you would never tell. LoL. Little tricks you can use. Regardless, I felt more than compelled to take this copy after that.

Of the tunes, the two that stand out are the rockers, Find It and Sweet Talking Candyman, along with the hippy Come With The Gentle People. These links are taken from the movie and if you watch them, they’ll tell you more about the music and the film than I ever could.

Thanks for reading and hopefully we’ve steered at least one of you to something you’ll enjoy. Cheers and see you next time -Dom

What’s up Sorry Staters?

I’ve had a couple of wild weekends since the last newsletter. Daniel was cooped up in bed sweating bullets, and obviously was way too damn sick to get a newsletter together last Monday. Honestly, that worked out in my favor because my brain space was plenty occupied without having to think about writing a staff pick last week. Now we’re back baby!

Since last time around, Public Acid’s new record Deadly Struggle has finally been released out into the world! That record had been slow cookin’ in the oven since Spring of 2022, so we were all stoked to finally get it out there. We had a “soft launch” party in Richmond, which was a total blast. All the Virginia homies repped hard for us dummies. Then the next day, we packed way too many people into a van and made the drive up to DC, which was also a killer gig. I’ve been really stoked to receive all this friendly and positive feedback from homies and strangers about the record. And for those of you Sorry State readers have snagged a copy from us thus far, thanks so much!

Just a few days ago, I was in Richmond yet again. Scarecrow went up to play with Physique, Destruct, and a local band Fried Reality, who I’m pretty sure I hadn’t seen before. I gotta say, I thought Fried Reality totally ripped. Hope to see them at more RVA gigs in the future. Destruct crushed, as always, and Physique was insane. Scarecrow brought a few of our freshly repressed red vinyl copies of our first EP Revenge along with us. Stoked we’ve got that record available again. Hopefully soon Sorry State will have some copies!

Alright, now on to talking about records I’ve been listening to. Sorry State recently stocked a bunch of reissues of punk classics from Radiation, Puke N Vomit, and maybe even another distributor that we haven’t carried stuff from in a long time. It’s gotta be at least 100 fresh titles. Funny enough, one of the records I was most excited to see come into the store was The Mating Sounds of South American Frogs by Peter and The Test Tube Babies. Maybe I’m wrong, but I get the sense that a lot of folks out there, even those who are fans of Peter and The Test Tube Babies, usually don’t reference this record as one of the better moments in their catalog. Maybe people don’t even like this record? I dunno. But personally, I just love it.

Elements of the gruff, Oi!-inflected, street savvy sound of the band’s early material still work their way onto this record. Still some funny lyrics that are a bit cheeky, you might say. But even as Mating Sounds is their 2nd full-length record, I think it’s the band’s first proper studio album seeing as Pissed And Proud was basically a live album. Perhaps this is a strange comparison, but in many ways it feels like this is Peter’s Machine Gun Etiquette moment of sonic development. They exchange the beer-sloggin’ lads chant-along stylings of “Banned From the Pubs” to a much more decidedly melodic, ambitious approach to songwriting. That said, the vibe is also a little rough around the edges, not unlike their No Future label mates The Blood. The record feels more “produced,” I guess I would say. Lots of clarity in the production, super tight musicianship, big reverby drum sounds. It feels like the boys went into the studio and threw caution to the wind. Even the album artwork might make a London punker scratch their head a little bit: “Fack off, mate… South American frogs? What are these wankers thinking?”

The immediate distinction between Mating Sounds and the band’s earlier No Future stuff is noticeable right off the bat. The haunting intro of the first track, “September Part 1”, enters with the atmospheric chirping (which I assume are “mating ritual” sounds?) of frogs and slowly fades into this propulsive drum beat and bass. But when it launches into this frenetic guitar melody, it straight up gives me chills. In almost concept album fashion, they reprise this intro on the very last track on the record with “September Part 2”, with an added intensity and more layers of the harmonized choral vocal refrain repeating, “I can’t waaaait until September.” It sounds like they have some female vocal accompaniment adding density to the Test Tube Babies’ gang vocal. It’s fucking rad.

Most importantly for me, the guitar playing on this album is absolutely incredible. I wish I was more familiar with the guitarist, who is credited as “Greenback” on this record. I think his actual name is Derek Greening? I think he played guitar in the band from the beginning -- and no disrespect to the early singles haha – don’t get me wrong, I love “Run Like Hell” as much as the next guy, but it’s clear Green was holding Back. See what I did there? Hehe. This record is not just scratchy, fizzy guitar power chord riffs and Chuck Berry leads. It’s so obvious he’s a great player and his abilities are under-utilized on the early material. The guitars are super loud in the mix and have this beautiful, lush tone. Moments of these incredibly catchy leads soar over subtle layers of arpeggiated acoustic twelve-string underneath in tracks like “No Invitation.” He manages to create these melodic hooks that practically take center stage instead of the lead vocal. I find myself walking away from listening to this record finding the guitar melodies are more important, memorable and foundational to the songs than the vocals or lyrics. From memory, I might even have trouble providing the title of any particular song on this album, but I could easily hum you the guitar part. Glorifying the guitar in this way might make it sound like I’m totally diminishing Peter’s vocals, but of course there are still great sing-alongs on this record. Probably my favorite track on the record “Blown Out Again” is the perfect blend of a signature guitar hook announcing itself as a focal point, but then also squeezing in a big, attention-grabbing vocal hook. Even some subtle layered synth textures? Wild stuff.

I could talk all day about the multitudes contained within the brilliant Mating Sounds of South American Frogs. Strange and unexpected for a staff pick? Perhaps. But, while often I hate to overuse the moniker of “underrated”, maybe I’ll say this record just deserves more love.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. As always, thanks for reading.

‘Til next week,

-Jeff