Record Store Day Haul #6: The Monkees - Classic Album Collection 10 LP Box Set

Rhino (2016)

Amazingly, this is the one Record Store Day release I was actually able to buy at my local record store.  At least there was one I didn't have to mailorder.

When I was a kid they used to rerun the old Monkees TV show on Nickelodeon.  I loved watching that show and I really dug the music as well.  I had More of The Monkees and Then & Now: The Best of the Monkees on LP and I had their dreadful-in-retrospect 1987 comeback album Pool It on cassette.  I've always kept some version of a greatest hits album of theirs handy.  When it was announced that all of their 60's and 70's albums were being released on vinyl for Record Store Day, this was definitely one I wanted to pick up.  Given the amount of albums in this set (10 LPs), the price was surprisingly reasonable as far as these things go.

It's kind of impossible to write a succienct review of 10 Monkees records in the confines of this one review, so I'll try to summarize as best as I can.  The Monkees hits are still hits no matter how you slice it. Also, the first few albums are pretty strong top to bottom.  From Meet The Monkees through Pieces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones LTD these are just flat out good records.  The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees and Head both have their moments, but for me, this is where the cracks start showing as many of the deep album cuts aren't quite as strong as their prior work.

By the time we get to their 1969 album Instant Replay, we're starting to get into a real freefall as far as song quality goes.  Sure, the Michael Nesmith, country tinged ones stay consistently strong for the most part, but, in particular, the Davey Jones songs really start to tank.  They quickly become gaudy show tunes in the worst possible way.  The Monkees Present is saved from total irrelevance by the outstanding Michael Nesmith song "Listen To The Band," and by the time the album Changes hits, there's just nothing left in the Monkees soul.

Lastly, this set comes with a tenth bonus LP containing some singles and B sides that aren't on any of the other albums.  It's a strong little collection and ends up being a better album than many of the later era Monkees records that were released as full lengths.  The Record Store Day pressing of this box set is pretty great.  Each album is on a different color vinyl and the sound quality is nice and perfectly serviceable.  I probably would have preferred the mono versions of the early albums, but for a band like The Monkees, that's a minor gripe.

It is nice to have all of these classing albums in one place in my collection.  There are a ton of Monkees songs that I love, but I guess I wasn't as familiar with their entire catalog as I would have thought.  There's some pretty awful stuff mixed in here, but those hits will always be hits for me.

That actually wraps up my Record Store Day purchases for the year.  It was a pretty quiet year as far as releases that I was actually interested.  If not for the Swami releases, it would have been a real down year.  I hope that the Record Store Day folks get their head back in the game next year.  It's gone from a cool little event I looked forward to every year to a day filled with many releases that seem to only exist for me to mock.

Record Store Day Haul #5: V/A - Hardcore Matinee - Clear Vinyl

Swami (2016)

By now you're probably noticing a trend here, but I'll continue it again in case you haven't read any of the prior write ups I've done on my Record Store Day hauls.  My local store didn't carry the Hardcore Matinee compilation, so once again I was forced to look elsewhere and like with the other Swami RSD releases, I was able to nab this from Interpunk.  So, thanks for that Interpunk, you came through big time this year.

Hardcore Matinee is a throwback to the days of compilation albums that cram tons of bands and variety into a blender and serve it up to you, the listener.  Being of the appropriate age myself, I can't even tell you how many compilations I bought back in the 90s.  It was essentially one of the main ways I discovered new bands.  You find a comp that has a band or two on it you already like, and then you go through the rest looking for new sounds.  It's actually how I discovered Rocket From The Crypt oddly enough.  Swami John Reis has compiled a bunch of bands from his hometown of San Diego, CA and the results are pretty striking.

It starts off with a one-two punch of The Schizophonics and Octagrape, both are bands that I was familiar with, but hadn't really heard all that much by.  While neither song ends up being a true highlight on this stacked compilation, they are both good enough to warrant looking into both bands a little more closely in the future.  

There's some bands already familiar to me who expectedly knock it out of the park.  Pinback, The Heartaches and Mrs. Magician are all at the very top of the best songs on this record and by listening to each it is clear that they were not turning in leftovers for this compilation.  Every one of those songs could have easily ended up on an album or 7".

Of newer bands (or at least newer to me bands), Teenage Burritos and The Soaks really stand out.  In particular, The Soaks stake a real claim at possibly having the best song on the entire compilation.  I already have a demo tape by these guys, but I really hope to hear more from them very soon.  

Next we'll talk about the two John Reis bands on this record.  Chronologically, the first one is the first new Hot Snakes song since they started playing together again.  It's as fantastic as you would hope and instantly makes it obvious this is a band that has lost none of their fire over the years.  If anything it's interesting how much it seems to call on Rick's time with Obits.  Closing out the album is The Sultans.  Despite having been out of action for so long, they are the band battling with The Soaks for my favorite song on the record.  Their inclusion "Hardcore Matinee" is something of a theme song for the entire record.  It showcases all of the incredible chord changes, warm, jangly guitar and catchiness that The Sultans displayed on their last album.  I want new records by all of John's band, but part of me would like to hear some more from The Sultans the most.

There are a few bands that don't get to me quite as much.  The Gary Wilson song strikes me as being a little goofy and I'll never be into the kind of noisy hollering that bands like Death Eyes, Ghetto Blaster and WHA bring to the table.  But as a whole this is an incredibly enjoyable compilation packed with old favorites and new hit songs.  It brings me right back to the 90s, digging through compilation albums, looking for gold.

Octagrape - Rabalais:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAD9pP_QEPI

The Soaks - "Boyfriend":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFUzXxQWls8

The Sultans - "Hardcore Matinee":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hQzbGTGAqE

Record Store Day Haul #4: Superchunk - Tossing Seeds LP

Merge (2016, Reissue)

You may be noticing a trend here, but this is yet another album I was not able to procure from my local record store on Record Store Day.  While the prior three where not carried at all in any capacity, this one is on me.  As there were so few items on my list that my store was carrying, I didn't bother lining up during the wee hours of dawn.  I went later in the day, so I missed my shot of picking up this Superchunk reissue in person.

I was fine with that honestly.  The original pressings of this aren't really that much on Discogs, I've had the CD release of this for ages not to mention the fact that I have all of the 7"s that make up this compilation from when I decided to fill the gaps in me singles collection a few years ago.  On the Sunday after RSD, this popped up online in the leftover stock posted by 1-2-3-4-Go records.  At $20, it was pretty reasonably priced for a Record Store Day full length, so I decided to grab it.

I'm glad I did, it's been remastered and pressed on 180 gram vinyl, so it does sound about as good as I could imagine these twenty five plus year old songs could sound.  This record does have some of my favorite early Superchunk songs like "The Breadman," "Fishing" and the perennial hit "Slack Motherfucker."  It's always been a great little compilation of singles and I'm happy to have it in the collection, especially as it was priced fairly and required virtually no effort to pick up.

Superchunk - "Slack Motherfucker":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c_GX2CYkcQ

Superchunk - "The Breadman":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Ps7y40gDo

Record Store Day Haul #3: Metz & Swami John Reis - Let It Rust 7" - Green Vinyl

Swami (2016)

This was another 7" not carried by my record store for Record Store Day, but luckily Interpunk came through gain with this one.  As I'm sure you can imagine, this was a record very high on my priorities list because as soon as you add John Reis to anything, it becomes a mandatory addition to my record collection.

The funny thing is, when you add John Reis to anything it also becomes an amazing record.  I've tried to give Metz a chance in the past and while I wouldn't say they are bad, in general they're not my cup of tea.  I've always found them just a bit too noisy.  However, once you add John Reis to the mix, he can't help but bring a catchiness and a bit of a melodic undertone to whatever he is involved in.  His addition instantly makes this 7" something I could listen to every day.

The A side is "Let It Rust."  It's built off of a fast changing, repeating guitar riff that wouldn't be out of place on some of the noisier moments of Reis' back catalog.  But what really drives this song home is the back and forth vocals of the chorus that really bring together the chaos of the verse.  I'd also be remiss to not mention the breakdown towards the end of the song that cements this as a top notch hit.

B side "Caught Up" seems like it could very easily fit on any Night Marchers record.  With its lighting quick guitar licks and abrupt changes in tempo, this song is dynamic to the point of almost being ridiculous.  Reis has always been one of my favorite guitar players in rock and roll.  I'll present this song as a definitive example of why.  It's just an incredible song.

I'm not sure what the future holds for the Metz and Swami John Reis working together, but I really hope they reconvene for a full length like John did with The Blind Shake.  At this point, I'm fine with you adding John to just about any band.  Whatever it takes to get me more records.

Metz & Sami John Reis - "Caught Up":

https://soundcloud.com/swamirecords/caught-up-metz-swami-john-reis-7

Record Store Day Haul #2: Mrs. Magician - Eyes All Over Town 7"

Swami (2016)

When this Mrs. Magician 7" was announced for Record Store Day, it instantly became the record I was most concerned about tracking down.  If you've been reading this website for any length of time, you're probably aware that Mrs. Magician put out just about my favorite record of the last ten years with Strange Heaven.  I couldn't even possibly count the number of times I've listened to that.  The fact that they are finally following it up with a new full length in a few weeks is such great news.  I preordered that one a while ago and now I'm just waiting.

In the mean time, Mrs' Magician released this 7" for Record Store Day.  This was another record that my local stores just weren't carrying for whatever reason.  Luckily, the website Interpunk was selling it online and had advertised it as a preorder a few weeks earlier.  I wasn't positive it would actually show up, but I decided to take a chance anyway and order this along with the other Swami Record Store Day items.  When I finally got that shipping notification I was very relieved that I wouldn't have to go crazy trying to track this thing down.

The A side "Eyes All Over Town" will be on the next full length.  I'm purposefully trying to avoid listening to any of the preview songs of the record until I can just sit down and listen to the whole thing.  I'll write this song up when I review the full length, though I've put a link to the song below if you want to check it out.  The B side "I'm Glad You're Dead" is exclusive to this 7".  It's another hit for Mrs. Magician.  The production of the guitars is slightly cleaner than on past releases, but it only heightens the greatness of their start stop riffs and breezy surf tinged rhythms.  The vocals have a nice little layer of fuzz on them and the band has not lost any of their dark wit and humor.

It's been way too long since the last Mrs. Magician album.  If this 7" is anything to go by, I'm probably going to be pretty happy with the next album.  It's only two weeks away.  I hope it goes quick.

Mrs. Magician - "Eyes All Over Town":

https://mrsmagician.bandcamp.com/track/eyes-all-over-town-2

Record Store Day Haul #1: The Thermals - Hey You 7"

Saddle Creek (2016)

Every year it seems like Record Store Day has fewer records to offer me.  It's gone from a neat little thing where there were a bunch of cool records to buy, to something that leans way to heavy on reissues for my own personal taste.  Sure, there were a few really cool records this year.  The number of cool records nearly doubled by the Swami releases that came out this year.  But as a whole, I can't think of a Record Store Day I had been less excited about.  Hopefully they right the ship next year.

This 7" that The Thermals have released wasn't one I was able to find at my local store, but my buddy Charles was nice enough to pick me up a copy.  I've been a big fan of The Thermals for quite some time, so I needed this record to keep my collection up to date.  In all honesty though, I'll probably never listen to it again.

The A Side is "Hey You." which is also on their most recent album.  It's a solid little song, but since it is on the full length, it's kind of unnecessary to listen to this side of the 7".  The real draw is supposed to be the exclusive B side.  The first ever cover song that The Thermals have released: "White Rabbit."

Maybe it's because I hate the original song.  Maybe it's because an old coworker thought this was her jam at karaoke.  Maybe it's because The Thermals don't take their cover anywhere interesting.  Whatever the reason, this side of the record may hold the dubious distinction of being the first Thermals song I actively dislike.  They have others in the past that maybe I didn't like as much as some of their hits, but this cover is flat out bad.  Unless you are like me and would feel a hole in your heart if there was a hole in your Thermals collection, this really isn't worth picking up.

The Thermals - "White Rabbit":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZjyDEtLgsY