Reviews

American Leather

Abusements Grievance Beerwater Reprisal LP

There’s a surprising amount of depth to this record. Grievance Beerwater Reprisal kicks off with a string of songs that can be best described as bar punk. You know what I’m talking about—the kind of band you’d love to come across while hopping between your favorite watering holes. But halfway through, things shift gears as they launch into their single “Mind,” which sounds much more like the KINKS than anything else on the slab. There’s a Brit-pop/Southern rock tinge that makes an appearance throughout, but the majority of the record has a sinister RAMONES vibe more akin to ANTISEEN, but less gritty. This is a very polished and produced punk album and is essentially a love/hate letter to ABUSEMENTS’ home state of Alabama. Or maybe it’s a cautionary tale. Regardless, fun stuff here.

Poison Idea Pig’s Last Stand 2xLP

“Ladies and gentlemen! Would you please welcome, for the very last time, ever, the world’s fattest junkies, POISON IDEA!” And so it begins, the last show from the undefeated kings of punk, the mighty POISON IDEA, recorded live at La Luna in Portland, OR on June 6, 1993. A classic setlist of hardcore classics from an essential hardcore band, complete with face-melting covers of G.I.S.M., WIPERS, BAUHAUS, and the RAMONES. Released back in ’96 by Sub Pop as a CD, Pig’s Last Stand now sees its rightful vinyl release with a double-LP in a gatefold jacket with previously unpublished photographs from the show. Each LP includes a poster print of the original show flyer designed by Mike King and a bonus DVD of a four-camera shoot of the “Farewell” gig. The sound is amazing on this one and it shows the unmatched musicianship that made them the kings of punk. Newer bands should take a page or two from this record. R.I.P. Pig Champion.

Poison Idea Get Loaded and Fuck CD

I witnessed the last incarnation of POISON IDEA as they rolled through town a few years ago. There was an incredibly intense microburst storm that tore the roof off a neighboring building, knocking out all power at the club for hours. When the lights finally returned, and faced with a strict curfew, POISON IDEA belted out an hour-long set in like twenty minutes. Jerry A. was calling out songs like JAMES BROWN and the well-past-40 band tore it up like shitty teens. Why am I telling you this story? It’s because this release is nothing new to anyone vaguely familiar with the band. Originally released as a cassette with this title in ’88, it compiled both the Filthkick and Getting the Fear EPs. All of this was further released on the widely available Ian MacKaye 12″. All of these versions, minus this titled one, have been rereleased many, many times. I guess the novelty here is the title, the sorta noticeable remastering job, and that it’s the only time (I believe) that it’s been available in the forgotten CD format. You might think this a bad review but these are some of the best POISON IDEA songs ever. No, for real. So give it to your little cousins, buy them underage booze, and let them loose to spread hate and venom on a world that truly deserves it. God bless Pig. God bless Slayer Hippy. Amen.

Poison Idea Record Collectors Are Still Pretentious Assholes LP

I just checked, and the classic Portland punk of POISON IDEA still destroys. This sophomore release from the band captures a POISON IDEA that’s matured from the straight beatdown thrash of Pick Your King and is in the process of turning into the polished unit that would produce Kings of Punk, and it rules. This LP reissue pairs the original eight tracks from the EP with five more from the Drinking is Great and Cleanse the Bacteria compilations, including a cover of the STOOGES “I Got a Right,” and its humblebrag cover artwork remains intact (who the hell was thinking about JOHNNY MOPED in 1984?).

Poison Idea Tribute to G.I.S.M. EP

The mighty POISON IDEA pays tribute to the mighty G.I.S.M. and their legendary frontman Sakevi Yokoyama with a 7” of two covers recorded in 1992 and a newly composed noise piece. The covers, the timeless “Endless Blockades for the Pussyfooter” and “Death Agonies and Screams” (the first two tracks off G.I.S.M.’s essential Detestation) are faithful renditions of the originals: fast and weird, one foot in hardcore and one foot in ’80s speed metal. Jerry A manages to capture Sakevi’s bewildering layered vocal attack (no easy feat), and the band rips through the tracks with the required high voltage. The main difference is the tone— POISON IDEA’s thick, warm sound is a departure from the original tin-can distortion, and it sounds awesome. “Pig Scream” is a short experiment with reversed vocals and sound collage screams that recalls G.I.S.M.’s more adventurous forays into extreme sound. The stark cut-and-paste artwork folds out into a perfect mix of both bands’ aesthetics, making a fitting and earnest tribute from one side of the punk underground to the other.

Poison Idea Feel the Darkness 2xLP reissue

POISON IDEA from Portland, Oregon are the kings of punk, and this is what many consider to be their best album. This is an all-time classic record, and when you add in that the sound on this reissue is bigger and fuller-sounding, you can’t go wrong buying this! You can hear POISON IDEA’s influence in bands like LONG KNIFE and SPAZM 151, just to name a couple that wear their POISON IDEA influence on their sleeves. The truth is that they influenced too many bands to name. POISON IDEA is equally at home playing a fast hardcore song or adding some steamroller rock to their sound. One of the best guitar sounds I have ever heard. The bonus LP includes remixes, alternate mixes, original mixes, and 7″ tracks, and it comes in a really nice gatefold jacket. This is an amazing record by an amazing band.

Poison Idea We Must Burn 2xLP reissue

Capping off the initial 1980–1993 phase of POISON IDEA’s long and storied existence, We Must Burn was the fifth and final offering from what many consider to be the classic lineup. In partnership with American Leather, TKO has made the album available on vinyl for the first time since its original release in 1993, remastered from the tapes and repackaged in a deluxe gatefold jacket. If that weren’t enough, there’s an extra LP featuring studio outtakes from the Religion & Politics 10”, and live tracks from their performance at a gay rights benefit festival that was hosted at the Portland Meadows racetrack in 1992. For my money, the extra material alone makes this worth the price of admission, with some killer covers of DEVO, WIPERS, and G.I.S.M. We Must Burn is itself an incredibly interesting album. Opinions will of course be divided on later-era POISON IDEA, but quality and competence is undeniable. It’s stylistically scattershot, with savage cuts that harken back to their hardcore roots, tracks that would fit comfortably on Feel the Darkness, and some songs that stab out in unexpected territory with blues refrains, some actual singing from Jerry A, and even an attempt at grunge (it was 1993, afterall). That may sound terrible in theory, but in practice it somehow works. I know at least one person for whom this is their favorite POISON IDEA record. Wild. For the completist, this is a no-brainer, and for the curious it’s worth a listen at the very least, ‘cause let’s face it, even at their worst, POISON IDEA was nothing to scoff at…and you know you want to hear their take on alternative rock.

Poison Idea Blank Blackout Vacant 2xLP reissue

The legendary POISON IDEA from Portland, Oregon sees their fourth studio album, 1992’s Blank Blackout Vacant, reissued by TKO Records and their own label, American Leather Records (again) in this newly remastered and remixed version of the 2020 deluxe reissue. This double-LP gatefold includes an extra LP’s worth of B-sides, rarities, covers, and four songs recorded live on KBOO. The covers include tracks originally by DEAD BOYS, the WHO, and BOOKER T. & THE MG’S. While this doesn’t quite pack the same punch as their earlier releases, it stands above most soundalike bands playing this type of punk/hard rock with metal influences. Recommended for fans of the band and collectors who need every damn version. Check out: “Smack Attack.”