Monday, April 26, 2010

The Suzybeat


Here is the download: The Suzybeat

Track Listing:
1-2 from first 7"
3-5 from second 7"
6 from the "Invasion of the Indie Snatchers" Allied Records Compilation
7 from the Quadruple Felony 7"
8-15 from Harvey (aka The Biz)

Update: Harvey (aka The Biz) from The Suzybeat sent me eight unreleased tracks to add to the list, so now when you download the zip file, it will contain 15 songs - a more respectable compilation of material.

Harvey also sent some comments on the new songs:

Here's 8 more songs we recorded and never released (though I still think Casino Magic was released on a compilation cd somewhere by someone...I cant find anything about it online...sigh..it was a long time ago).

Tangy Frank is from our first recording session (The Half baked compilation 7 inch). I'm playing a 30$ pawn shop guitar and our drummer at the time (Jim Williams) was playing a 3/4 size kids drum set. Andy Baker felt sorry for us and offered to let me play a guitar he had in the studio but I was quite proud of my crappy guitar at the time. I broke a string there at the end but we went with it anyway. Cant beat the punk rock teenage years.

Shiner was recorded with our next drummer (Robert Stiles) in what we affectionately call the falling down stairs phase (as all our songs had the rhythm of someone falling down stairs).

GearJammers and Irving the Explainer were recorded during one of the sessions for our two 7"'s. By this time we had joined up with a drummer who's main instrument was the drums (Bryan Beisel) and I had purchased a real guitar.

Another Polish Wedding, Life On Cassanova, Casino Magic and Adam Egonum were recorded in our last session (Andy Baker as always) with Erich Orenshaw joining us on guitar#2 and vocals (Casino Magic). And then we were done.

Now we have 15 songs, but still a cryptic band to say the least. Their two singles were basic screened covers, with photocopied inserts barely giving the song titles and a recommended playing speed, but this was the time in which these records existed (DIY, esoteric, intentionally obscure). They play early 90's style noise rock of the Chicago variety, not like Shellac but more like a Big'n or Dazzling Killmen. This is great stuff, and I'm very disappointed that I never got to see them live. Once again, they were part of the older Dottie's scene, and didn't cross paths with my hardcore bretheren. I'll bet they weren't straightedge either.

Here is the artwork for the 2nd single, their inserts, and their page from the Allied Recordings compilation.



6 comments:

  1. Awesome! John Yates had a minor hard-on for Atlanta bands for a minute there, didn't he?

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  2. that would have to be extended to Georgia bands: The Martians

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  3. Thats a hoot James, thanks for the upload. I haven't heard some of these in a long time. And after a decade we are described as "cryptic". Lets just say time has been kind..I seem to remember a review about us being better when we stop playing. Hehe. Our bass player Mike just sent me 5 songs we recorded but never released (though I swear there was one other compilation we ended up on). I can pass them along if you like.

    The Dazzling Killmen reference is strangely apt and yet we never really got into them. We played really fast and really distorted because we did not play that well in the beginning (some might say longer) and we were generally pretty full of nervous energy and alcohol. Yea, straightedge we were not. Good memories.

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  4. I will write Harvey now and tell him you wrote this about his band. He will be appalled. In a good way that is.
    Danette

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  5. Hey Biz - I would love to get my hands on some unreleased Suzybeat material. Feel free to email me the MP3's, or if they are on tape, send me a message and we can work out an exchange. I can easily transfer everything to CD for you. Thanks - jejoyce77@hotmail.com

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