Uña de Gato...

Spring cleaning and some recent landscaping endeavors have rekindled a tight bond I once held with compilations. Cuing a few of them up while knocking out some grueling task just seems to work: fade in when the winners come on-- fade out during the duds. And so we arrive at another compilation week, but one that I hope will rejuvenate interest in a format tarnished by saturation and mediocrity. I can try at least. The best way to start is with "Uña de Gato- Cuerno de Vaca," a rare 2X7" of heavy bands Tee Pee Records put out 15 years ago. There are many reasons to start here, one is that a nice commenter requested it, but you may be more interested in reasons like El Dopa, Corrupted, Logical Nonsense, and Cattle Press. Some of the other bands are interesting too, but with a line up like this, they become an after-thought.

"Uña de Gato..."

On a side note, the same commenter who was looking for this was looking for other Cattle Press and IaborHer rarities. Justin at Mustard Relics tracked down a couple.

Javier is The Man! & Logical Nonsense Rules!

We have The Man, Javier O., to thank for both Logical Nonsense related records posted here. Javier was good enough to upload some rips of the rare "Deadtime" LP a while back. Then after informing me about LN's split with 23 More Minutes, he uploaded those tracks too! I usually like to post records I actually own, but these two are so remarkable and rare, I've got to do a post anyway (actually, I just found a test press of the 23 More Minutes split for dirt cheap on a certain auction site...). I'm sure Javier is cool with it, since as he mentioned before, the more people who hear this stuff, the better!

First up is Logical Nonsense's "Deadtime" LP, of which only 835 copies were ever pressed (in 1993, Very Small Records). On this debut full length, LN begins to work out their dark, vicious hardore that would evolve some on their split with Grimple, and further on their two Alternative Tentacles albums. Much of the material on this one is in line with the sound on the Grimple split, but with melodically sung (!) vocals off and on. I've grown to really love this slab....

Going further back, the 23 More Minutes/Logical Nonsense split was released in a single pressing of 1136 (in 1991, Very Small Records). Prior to hearing these rips, I only knew 23 More Min. from their ode to debonaire, humanitarian game show host, Bob Barker, on the "Vinyl Retentive" Comp. On the split here, they offer seven tracks of their quirky punk/hard rock. If you like Samiam, Rites of Spring, etc, you may (or may not) like these guys. Now, as far as Logical Nonsense's tracks go, the band is surprisingly "upbeat" and melodic. Maybe it's just surprising to me because I have been listening to all their other material for so long. The twelve LN songs are good, but I mainly love them for their historical value, as sort of embryonic artifacts of the Logical Nonsense discography.

D/L Logical Nonsense's "Deadtime" LP Here

D/L The 23 More Minutes/Logical Nonsense Split LP

Here

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!