Unauthorized Duplication is the Obvious Solution!

Before we dig into today's auditory buffet, I'd like to point out that commenter and all around stand-up guy, Javier, has done us a huge favor by uploading Logical Nonsense's rare "Deadtime" LP. This album is incredible, and may even be a little surprising (in the vocals department) for those of you familiar with LN's later work (Green Day meets Napalm Death... um, no). Thanks again for doing that Javier!

As foretold, the arrival of "Vinyl Retentive" on compressed digital files is here! This massive comp. is one of a handful that shaped my musical world during my late teens, for better or for worse (along with some of the early Lookout! collections and so forth). On a comp. of this magnitude (33 bands), you're bound to dislike or even hate some of the tracks, especially considering the diversity presented herein. One thing is for certain: this is a unique ride indeed, the peaks and valleys of which range from the bizarre as fuck (Pounded Clown), to the silly as fuck (Horny Mormons), the catchy as fuck (Nar), the twisted as fuck (Lizards), all the way to, of course, the awesome as fuck (Econochrist). Some other "big" names include Buzzoven, Logical Nonsense, Grimple, Pinhead Gunpowder, Gr'ups, and Schlong. The sides of each of the two LPs seem to be organized loosely around the featured bands' styles: sides A and D contain most of the melodic, poppy punk bands (with tons of variation within that genre), side B presents the groovy, progressive rock/metal bands, and side C delivers the angry, heaviosity! There's tons of fun to be had here, so grab your favorite mind altering substance (or don't), and crank it loud!

LP #1
LP#2

Note: I didn't realize just how many times I have spun this beast in years past. It really shows in the crackley background noise. I did what I could to counter this, but it still sounds... rustic. Sorry about that. Or maybe I'm not. This is "Vinyl Retentive" after all (emphasis on the vinyl); perhaps this is as it should be (Maybe I should've named this post Vinyl Expulsive). Each pop and crack is a memory of mine coming loose...

Back Cover & Tracklist

I Can't Seem to Get the Grimple Out of My Ass!

I must have been a Bay Area resident in a past life. Half the bands I love (from the US) are from somewhere in Nor-Cal. Since I don't believe in transmigration of the soul, I'll have to conclude and accept that there's just a ton of great bands up there, and not many down here (how I wish that weren't true!). Grimple were a great example of the Oakland punk greatness I love, exuding the infectiousness of Berkeley punk of the late eighties, and the ferocity of street-punk and hardcore. Their "Grimple Up Your Ass!" LP is a plasma-ball of energy, absolutely exploding with power, grit, and snot! Those tracks are readily available and recommended, as are the not-quite-as-easy to find tracks on their split with Logical Nonsense (East Bay Menace Records). These later tracks were, I believe, released on a discography CD which is out of print. By this point (1993), Grimple's approach changed a little (not for the better or for the worse necessarily... it just changed) adding a more serious, political, metallic, and, I daresay, crusty dimension. Part of this was probably just an internal musical evolution, but was also perhaps influenced by the bands they were playing shows with (and doing a split with!). These nine tracks are an essential part of their discography (there's a great Celtic Frost cover too!), so here are some high bit-rate rips for you (below)!

And we can't neglect Logical Nonsense, who on this disc offer seven earlier examples of their dark and menacing metal punk. Here the band displays a slightly closer kinship to crust punk than to the Neurosis-metal that would become the signature of their later full lengths. The gruff and pained vocals, as well as the jangly Bay Area bass lines are the big attraction for me, and are the main source of the power and lasting impression of these tracks. All you apocalyptic punk types are gonna love this stuff! There are five listed tracks on the CD, but as bonuses the band included a re-recorded version of "Pig's Blood Blues" (from the "Vinyl Retentive" Comp.) and an atmospheric spoken word piece.

Download here!