Tuesday, May 27, 2008

"What Are You Pointing At?"

Here's the first in a pair of compilations I'll be posting this week put out by Very Small Records in the late eighties/early nineties. I'll always remember Very Small for its/his eclectic punk output, and snide/silly sense of humor (see cover design to the left). The 10" you see here was released in '89 and then repressed in '94 (on Too Many Records... really it's the same label). "What Are You Pointing At?" is a classic, featuring early work from Econochrist and Screeching Weasel, as well as four good, slightly more obscure bands. Yes, the Econochrist tracks have already been compiled on their essential discography CD (Ebullition Records). These two are among the band's earliest recordings, and display punkier, more melodic songwriting than on the later, more discordant and angry material for which they would become legendary. I'm not sure about the availability of the other bands' material. Screeching Weasel drop two catchy, fast pop-punk jams, one of which, "I Wanna Be a Homosexual," may be their catchiest and funniest of all time. The rest of the troop, Vapor Lock, Schizoid, Dissent, and Bazooka Joe, come from different parts of the country and each play their own style of '80's hardcore and/or punk with energy and panache! I think you'll like this one... and if you have any info about the last four bands, definitely don't hesitate to help out and leave a comment!


Back Cover & Track List

7 comments:

javier said...

woa... i feel vynil retentive coming soon... you rule man. very small record (discos poquitos/too many/etc) was a great label run by a punk visionary: david hayes.
tooth ache, by econochrist, featured on this comp. is one of my fave econochrist songs, allthough it doesn't really sound like the typical econochrist...
thanks again... i'll be forever grateful...

Batguano said...

All right!! Thanks, Javier, for uploading that LN album. You've made me and a few others very happy! If you don't mind, I'll put that link in the next post for better visibility.

I agree about "Tooth Itch." That song destroys and kind of betrays Econochrist's Arkansas roots (it has that southern rockish feel).

VR comp is coming up soon...

javier said...

how could i mind...??? if more people hear "deadtime" i feel like i've acomplished something good in this life...

cover in here:
http://verysmall.punkhosting.com/discography/vsr.49.php

"skewed" is econochrist at its best...

later
javier

Anonymous said...

Great nostalgia here - any chance of getting the "Make The Collector Nerd Sweat" compilation too?

Batguano said...

Hey Cliff,
I wish I had that comp! I'll keep looking around for it or at least for those mp3s. Does anyone out there have 'Collector Nerd' in uploadable form?

said...

batguano,

Just got turned on to this post by Mark from Down Underground. I was looking for some Bazooka Joe. Thanks for the comp.

First time on your site, looks great & I'll be back. Do you know of any other Bazooka Joe? I used to see them all the time & had a tape & I think a single??? (too many fried brain cells), but can find neither anymore (too many moves & couch surfs).

Thanks again for this.

Batguano said...

Nathan,
Thanks and it's good to have you aboard. Unfortunately, I have only bad news about BJ (uh, Bazooka Joe, that is). I have NOTHING else by them. Because of your tip, though, I'll be on the lookout for their ep, etc, and will post whatever I do find.

I noticed you have a blog. It looks great! I'll link you up tomorrow if you don't mind.

Bye for now,
Marc