"Self Mutilation vol. 3" is probably the comp that had me thinking for a lot of years that Vertigo were an Australian band, which only goes to show that I probably didn't read the sleeve to this record very well. Despite the obvious noise/grunge factor due to the times, this is actually a pretty decent compilation, and on violet-colored vinyl no less. Vertigo cover the redoubtable Flesheaters, and Nunbait cover one of my favorite songs of all time, the Bastards' "Shit For Brains" (tho it's a decidedly low-calorie version). Then on the flipside you've got the Stump Wizards, from Pennslyvania, with probably my favorite track on the whole comp-- a cover of "Fire" from Brian Wilson's "Smile".
The only band I'm leaving off is Seaweed, who were all poised to become the Kiss of the '90s until, you know, Kiss became the Kiss of the '90s. While their track (the only non-cover on the comp) doesn't completely suck, there's some noticeable wobbles in the source tape, meaning the decision was already made for me.
Vertigo -
"Shallow Water"
Nunbait -
"Shit For Brains"
Stump Wizards -
"Fire"
(all of these files are now listen-only)
10 comments:
I was a huge fan of that Seaweed "Weak" EP at the time--they were the first band I saw when I got to college in '93 so they were sentimental faves of mine. The album that followed didn't And that comp was clearly tryin' to cash in by saying they were from "Seattle" when they were really from Tacoma.
But it's funny, I've seen Kiss twice since. Though neither time was in the 90s.
You saw Kiss, really? I don't think I could take that-- not because of the band, because of the people. It seems like it would be like Christmas shopping at Wal Mart the day after Thanksgiving while the worst music in the world gets played over the loudspeakers, only 100 times worse.
The people are the funniest part. I saw them at Mohegan Sun last year, and the way it's set up is that the entrance to the arena is right there on the casino floor. So you're witnessing two of the most ridiculous types of people mingling together, the old smoker ladies and the 35-years after-the-fact Kiss crowd. It's quite a spectacle.
What I want to know is, why does the guy who comes dressed in a complete Gene get-up have people taking a pic with him, getting his autograph, etc.? They can't really think it's him, though some people appeared fooled. If I go to Fenway with a Josh Beckett jersey and baseball pants and cleats, nobody's gonna ask for a picture with me!
I keep waiting for everyone else to come in with their Seaweed/Kiss rememberances, but I guess it's not happenin'
I have no Seaweed/Kiss remembrances, but I can bring up the Nervous Eaters' 'Shit for Brains'. Just for fun!
The Nervous Eaters, I think that's an album I need to hear...
The mp3 files on this post are now listen-only (non-downloadable) files. Tough beans, Zippo! No, actually, for those of you who missed the boat, I will do my best to respond to any e-mailed requests for the original files.
The Nervous Eaters' version of 'Shit for Brains' is on their '86 LP Hot Steel & Acid. It's good, but not as great as their earlier stuff like "Loretta" & "Just Head" (which can be found on the Eaterville #1 comp).
Anyway, definitely worth a listen!
I compiled this release, thanks for posting it
F'n A!! Cool.
I think I've even got an issue of some old zine that has an ad for this comp in it. I should've scanned it, if I could find it.
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