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

Overwhelming Colorfast - S/T LP - Clear w/ Yellow & Red Splatter Vinyl (/1000)

Org Music (2022, Reissue)

Releases for Record Store Day have typically been getting less and less interesting as the years go by.  In particular, the Black Friday version of the even essentially never has anything that I'm interested in.  This past year was an anomaly as one of the releases was this reissue of the first Overwhelming Colorfast album.

I'm not sure exactly how this one ended up on their list.  I find it difficult to believe that there was a huge clamoring from the general public for this album.  But for folks like me, this is on e of the more exciting records to be part of RSD in ages.

I first got into Overwhelming Colorfast through the band fluf.  I had heard favorable comparisons and fluf even covered the Overwhelming Colorfast song "Song in D" on one of their 7"s.  This album, their self titled debut, wasn't my entry point.  I had picked up Two Words prior to that and honestly, my absolute favorite record on theirs is Moonlight & Castanets.  But I have had the CD of this album forever and it's chock full of noisy, big guitar pop.

fluf is definitely a solid comparison and if that doesn't work for you, I would think pretty much anyone that likes Sugar or the more recent Bob Mould solo records would be happy to add this record to their collection.  I have seen it teased that the band is currently working on getting Two Words pressed on vinyl for the first time.  I can't wait for that one and am just keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get to my favorite, Moonlight & Castanets after that.

Overwhelming Colorfast - S/T:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n6By9tU1yg2tp80FCtkkkGUkrDpMyaNpU

Overwhelming Colorfast / Stuntman - Split 7"

Dust Bowl (1996)

While I do not have the same sort of story time prose that I had for yesterday's Crocodile God 7", I have been searching and searching for this Overwhelming Colorfast/Stuntman 7" for an even longer time.  It's all because of the Overwhelming Colorfast album Moonlight & Castanets.  That album is another one of my all time favorite, but criminally overlooked and under-appreciated records of the 1990's.  

Overwhelming Colorfast is a band that employed those big powerful fluf-esque guitar riffs, coupled with Bob Reed's smooth vocals and a killer rhythm section.  I don't understand why they didn't end up significantly more famous than they did.  All three of their full lengths are well worth checking out, but Moonlights & Castanets has always been my top pick of the bunch.  

Funny enough the Overwhelming Colorfast song on this 7" is, I assume, an early version of a song that ended up appearing on Moonlights, "How It Should Be."  It doesn't really matter to me all that much that I don't have a new song after finally acquiring this 7".  Sometimes it's just the thrill of the hunt.  Keep in mind I have been actively looking for this record since 1996.  It came out in 1996 and even back then I couldn't find one anywhere.

The Stuntman side is really just a bonus.  Stuntman is a band that I never explored as fully as I probably should have.  They came to be after Treepeople finally called it quits and their sound isn't too dissimilar to what Treepeople were up to on their later era albums.  Their song "Chickens Don't Have Fingers" is a noisy, totally 90's, Archers of Loaf sounding indie rock song.  Definitely good enough to make me think I should probably go back and re-listen to their other records.

It's hard to remember a time when this 7" and yesterday's Crocodile God 7" were not on my records wants list.  It's an incredible feeling to finally have both in the collection.  But the number 1 record on my list is still out there.  If anyone can help me find the first, self titled Love As Laughter cassette my longest hunt would finally be over.