Tanner - (Germo)Phobic LP - Green Vinyl (#107 /202)

 
Beihai Park (2026)

(Germo)Phobic is Tanner's 2nd album and was originally released on CD back in 1997, but never on vinyl.  Beihai Park stepped up and finally brought this album to vinyl for the first time and I couldn't be happier to have this record in my hands.

I'm not one of the cool kids that was aware of what Tanner was doing in real time as it happened.  I knew the name of the band and even had the split 7" they put out with No Knife, but I didn't really dig any deeper in the 90s.  It wasn't until Hot Snakes broke onto the scene that I backtracked and checked out Gar Wood's prior band.  To say that I was impressed would have been a gigantic understatement.  The way this band is able to blend complex guitar dynamics with a driving drum beat and high register, melodic vocals is nothing short of amazing.

I've always been torn between this album and Tanner's debut, Ill Gotten Gains.  I've definitely spent more time with the debut as that's been on vinyl for a while.  But there's something about the energy and freshness of (Germo)Phobia that knocks me over every time I listen to it.  Maybe it's because I'm a little less familiar with it so it's still able to surprise me in a way that Ill Gotten Gains doesn't anymore, but whatever it is I couldn't help but be impressed as I spun this vinyl version for the first time.

A lot of that is because of how great it sounds.  It's not like the CD didn't also sound great, but Beihai Park has done an incredible job with this release and it's a perfect record to put on the turntable and play slightly louder than appropriate.  

Tanner - (Germo)Phobic:

https://beihaiparkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/germo-phobic

Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words 2xLP - Purple Vinyl & Green Vinyl

Beihai Park (2024, Reissue)

While it's still not quite at the level I would like it to be at, the fact that we're starting to see a lot of 90s era CD only releases finally coming out on vinyl is one of the best trends of the last few years.  There are still so many I would like to see that aren't out yet, but when something as wonderful as this Overwhelming Colorfast album gets released, it gives me hope that other favorites may be in the future as well.

Two Words was the second Overwhelming Colorfast album and it originally came out in 1994 on Relativity records (also home to the mighty Alligator Gun).  Even though the first, self titled Overwhelming Colorfast album was truly great, they stepped things up big time on Two Words.  The production is gigantic, with huge, warm guitar sounds and perfectly mixed vocals.  It also pulls off the incredible trick of sounding slick, without losing the energy and 'rough-around-the-edges' feel that I love so much from albums of that era.  You can still feel the punk energy, but in a way where you can hear everything that's going on with a clarity that you might not get on other albums.

Additionally, this LP contains the four songs from the promo only Bender EP that haven't been released previously.  I remember trying to find a copy of that elusive CD and it was Davey Tiltwheel that ended up giving me his copy for my collection in the late 90s.  These songs fit in perfectly with the ones from Two Words and having everything in a double LP package is the best.

I could not be happier with this stellar release from Beihai Park, who are really stepping up and helping to get vinyl versions of some incredible albums into the world.  I've already preordered their Tanner reissue they've got going right now and can only hope that the third, and my favorite, Overwhelming Colorfast album, Moonlight & Castenets, ends up on their release schedule one of these days.

Overwhelming Colorfast - Two Words
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nMRJwy7MgTL4A3P0b64qHavGAVbTY8stc