August 25, 2023

20,000 vinyl LPs 333: Big Black ~ Songs About Fucking

 ~  
vinyl LP front cover 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


Last month was the birthday of musician & record producer (link below), Steve Albini of the group Big Black. Albini was born on July 22, 1962, in Pasadena, California.     


vinyl LP back cover 
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
Albini was introduced to the Ramones (link below) by a schoolmate when he was 14 or 15. He said it was the best music he had ever heard, bought every Ramones recording available, and credits his music career to hearing their first album.        
 
The group Sonic Youth described Albini as "a beacon of noise blaring from Chicago’s red-hot music scene — a cult-legend rocker and record producer who assaults with a deafening weapon."
 
 
vinyl LP record sleeve
photo by Styrous®
 
 
Melvin Belli (Santiago Durango) of the group Naked Raygun, one of Chicago's early punk rock bands, played guitar. AllMusic critic Mark Deming describes Santiago and Albini as a good pairing musically; "Durango's muscular guitar sound was the ideal match of Albini's jagged, metallic tone."         
 
 
 
 
vinyl LP record sleeve details below
photos by Styrous®
 


 
 
Phoebe Mogharei of Chicago Magazine wrote a great article about Albini, Steve Albini and the Life of the Iconoclast (link below), in April of 2019.      
 
 

vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
 
 
Track two is a cover of The Model, by the German New Wave group, Kraftwerk. It is a raucous interpretation by Kraftwerk standards and lots of fun!
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
   
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
    Happy Otter
A1     The Power Of Independent Trucking    
A2     The Model    
A3     Bad Penny    
A4     L Dopa    
A5     Precious Thing    
A6     Colombian Necktie
       
Side 2:
       
    Sad Otter
B1     Kitty Empire    
B2     Ergot    
B3     Kasimir S. Pulaski Day    
B4     Fish Fry    
B5     Pavement Saw    
B6     Tiny, King Of The Jews    
B7     Bombastic Intro
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Copyright (c) – Big Black
    Copyright (c) – Kling Klang Music
    Phonographic Copyright (p) – Touch And Go Records (2)
    Recorded At – Southern Studios
    Pressed By – Europadisk
       
Credits:
       
    Bass – David Michael Riley*
    Guitar [Grrr] – Melvin Belli (Santiago Durango)
    Guitar [Skinng] – Steve Albini
    Recorded By – John Loder (tracks: A1 to A6)
       
Notes:
       
Cat# on labels: T&G LP #24
Cat# on spine: T&G #24

Released with a 7.5"x7.5" insert with lyric excerpts, liner notes and credits.

Track A2 is a cover version of the Kraftwerk song.

Happy Otter side recorded at Southern Studios, Wood Green with the dapper John Loder. Sad Otter side recorded in Chicago, no shit.

David uses and endorses Alembic basses and Trace-Elliot amplifiers.
Melvin follows and endorses the Fibrelife meatloaf diet plan.
Steve uses and endorses heroin.

© 1987 Big Black. Track A2 © Kling Klang Music.
℗ 1987 Touch And Go Records. Jacket made in Canada.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
       
    Matrix / Runout (Side A label): T&G LP #24-A
    Matrix / Runout (Side B label): T&G LP #24-B
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runouts): MISFI SM7 T&G LP#24-A Europadisk DMM
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runouts): MISFI SM6 T&G LP#24-B Europadisk DMM
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runouts (Variant #1)): MISFI SM 3̶ 7 T&G-LP#24-A Europadisk DMM
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runouts (Variant #1)): T&G-LP#24 B Europadisk DMM
 
Big Black ‎– Songs About Fucking
Label: Touch And Go ‎– T&G LP #24, Touch And Go ‎– T&G #24
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Rock
Style: Post-Punk, Indie Rock
         
Viewfinder links:        
        
Steve Albini         
Bulldozer         
Santiago Durango          
Kraftwerk         
Naked Ray Gun           
The Ramones        
        
Net links:        
         
Chicago Magazine ~ Albini and the Life of the Iconoclast       
NPR ~ Albini built Chicago studio brick by brick        
Pitchfork ~ Albums, Songs & News         
          
        
        
        
        
         
        
        
YouTube links:         
 
Big Black ~     
      Bad Penny         
      Colombian Necktie         
      Kasimir S. Pulaski Day         
      L Dopa       
      The Model               
      The Power of Independent Trucking         
           
Kraftwerk ~ Das Model      
Kraftwerk ~ The Model            
     
      
     
     
     
     
"The ways by which [musicians] go about what they do 
and the reasons they have for doing it 
are every bit as important as what notes they play 
or what syllables come out of their mouths," 
                     ~ Steve Albini
     
     
     
     
Styrous® ~ Friday, August 25, 2023       
       
 
 


















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