Fugazi : Classic or Dud ?

Sickest Cover Ever, though. (for Margin Walker)

End Hits is too good to be true. In On the Killtaker comes on a close 2nd. All the others: 3rd place. No losers here.

And they are so post-rock.

I heard they were on "indefinite hiatus". Ian MacKaye is playing in the Evens these days with Amy Farina and doesn't Joe Lally run Tolotta records or did I make that up?

Fugazi is one of my favorite bands and one of the best live bands I've seen.

So I noticed a copy of Repeater in HMV the other day that had a sticker marked "2004 remaster" on it - have the destroyed it or made it better? I've no problem with the levels they'd reached by The Argument, but what's the point? it does sound VERY slight and spacious compared to their others (bar 13 Songs) unless you crank it, but when you crank it, it sounds awesome. Anyone heard it?

Definitely classic, though my favorites from them remain in their early canon. One of the coolest things I've ever done is I attend one of their shows--I think it was 1992--on acid. My friends (who hadn't partaken) were like, Ian would NOT approve.

I still remember and probably always will remember "Merchandise" from that show, that and the music they played over the PA before the show, musta been some Dischord band or the other, made me shiver it was so heavy, never found out who they were.

A friend of mine speaks highly of their later work, but for the most part I'm just not familiar.

Oh, and I tend not to like the songs where Guy sings. I bet that's not just me.

Repeater was always the worst-sounding album to my ears so I'd be curious to hear a remaster.

All the original albums sound just fine to me.

And Nick, if you're interested, I think the first three albums got the remastered treatment - 13 Songs, Repeater and Steady Diet. I can't recall the others having been rereleased.

Oh, and I tend not to like the songs where Guy sings. I bet that's not just me.

I've actually heard more complaints about the Ian songs.

I think I like much of the songs on Steady Diet the most. I've never quite understood the lack of love for that record.

Also, why is everyone so obsessed with "Waiting Room"?

The main problem I have with the sonics is the snare drum being tuned too tightly.

Huh?

hahahaha

Listened to Red Medicine the other day, another cheery reminder why Fugazi is amazing.

every record was great. repeater and steady diet sound hell of quiet on my ipod, probably pre-remaster versions.

I think I like much of the songs on Steady Diet the most. I've never quite understood the lack of love for that record.

I've said the exact same thing on another thread I can't recall. It flows almost perfectly from song to song, sounds super tight and funky, rocks like a mofo -- best Fugazi album in my opinion.

Also, why is everyone so obsessed with "Waiting Room"?

I think it's their first definitive/defining song. Before I got into Fugazi, whenever I asked someone what they sounded like, they always put on "Waiting Room." As much as I love their other stuff, "Waiting Room" hasn't aged too well (although it sounded good at what was apparently their penultimate US concert in 2002).

Agree, and would add that it's possibly my least favorite song of theirs from the first couple ep's.

especially most of the Margin Walker record...most of those tracks put Waiting Room to shame.

"In on the Kill Taker," "Red Medicine" and "End Hits" are their greatest recordings. Everything they've ever recorded is nothing short of spectacular, but an album like Repeater - I'm sad to say - honestly does sound dated. The three aforementioned albums still sound really fresh and modern, despite them all being well over a decade old. Especially the amazing and cathartic "In on the Kill Taker," which sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday.

Fugazi = greatest band ever.

Wow so true. I listened to In On the Kill Taker today for the first time in years and it sounded fantastic. Some of Picciotto's songs are so stylish and Fugazi had so many rock band trappings--they loved big choruses and singalongs, and they also loved jamming and fucking around. For all they did to advance hardcore, they're such a throwback in a lot of ways.

randomly grabbed End Hits from the rack today. "Recap Modotti" is so, so awesome.

I did this too! But yesterday. Such a solid album.

the last 30-45 seconds of Arpeggiator into the first, like 10-15 seconds of Guilford Fall=so fucking awesome

joe lally is a goddamn genius bass player.

End Hits always underwhelmed me, but it seems to be getting the love. Need to relisten now that I've ripped em all onto my iPod.

Fugazi was a big disappointment after Script For A Jester's Tear.

oh know you d'int!

Randomly grabbed Red Medicine yesterday. Very solid album, despite years of ambivalence to it. And I'm really going to have to get repeater eventually.

Those live discs are of such hit or miss audio (and physical) quality that I rarely listen to any of them, but I did buy them all anyway. At the time I sort of felt, after all these years, that I owed the band something in return, and I could forgive the no frills aspect of the whole deal. As cash grabs go, it was as innocent as they come.

one of my coworkers was recently in sf and made a point of telling me that he saw a building with the name
fugazi on it.

i took a pic of that building last time I was there

"Recap Modotti" is so, so awesome.

otm

need to re-buy Killtaker ASAP

Can't stop thinking about what it would sound like if Calle 13 covered "Merchandise". It would be such an awesome English language debut -- suitable ideologically, linguistically, sonically. What's not to like? Does Fugazi hate covers? Do they even allow that?

bands don't really have that much control over who releases covers of their music afaik

Fugazi themselves never played covers but i don't even know if there's been any prominent cover of one of their songs for them to have an opinion on

If they're trying to crossover to an English-speaking audience but keep their political/social consciousness cred, it's a hell of a song imo. Also fun to shout WE OWE YOU NOTHING.

NO-THING!

so that wasn't a response to me at all, was it, just a reiteration of your first post?

i guess i was just repeating myself

1
2
threeeeeeeeee

repeater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WRVnR3wEWY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R94Otr-jZ1w

Now that Messthetics have finished 2024 US and Europe tours I see that Joe Lally is posting on his Instagram and Facebook that he is giving bass lessons through the holidays. I know he was doing them by zoom I think during the pandemic. So that may be still how he is doing them now or is an option.

Cool!

Liked that Canty mini doc. (Someone should make a second documentary just about his bell.) Neat to learn (at least I think it's news to me) how much he contributed bass and guitar ideas, too. The Bill Berry stealth method.

He wrote Arpeggiator!

That Canty mini-doc is good and yes to another one on his bell

Canty doc is great - i've never spent time investing into the reasoning of their hiatus but life outside the band doesn't really surprise me.

Kurt Sayenga who did a late 80s early 90s zine in DC called Greed has been putting interviews from then on his substack. He also just posted a Joe Lally interview from back then tht he never put in Greed. It looks like only some of the interview is available on the link for free (you may have to get a subscription to read it all)

https://substack.com/@greedzine/note/p-150000215?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2ck8a

https://www.docnrollfestival.com/films/we-are-fugazi-from-washington-d-c/

We are Fugazi doc showing in Ireland and UK in February 2025

Profits from each event will be donated to a local charity in each town its screened in ***

We are Fugazi doc is showing at Big Ears Fest Fri March 28 at 1 pm

I am a patient boy, but I just know when this doc finally comes to Chicago I will be out of town or otherwise busy.

If you're traveling in the UK in March or April it is showing there. I encouraged my buddy who was one of the producers to get the distributor to show it in Chicago. Nothing has has happened yet. Do you think the Music Box Theatre or the Gene Siskel Center would show it ?

The distributor guy wants Chicago theatres or someone who can organize a showing in a Chicago theatre to reach out to him

Cinemad Distributor contact email to send them theatre contact info is

Filmplante at gmail dot com

https://cinemadfilm.com/project/we-are-fugazi

There’s also a contact form email on the link

Incredibly, as far as coincidences go, I actually will be in the UK at the end of March, but it's not where I'll be.

I brought it to the attention of the guys that book Thalia Hall here, which is usually a concert venue but which often hosts screenings. No idea why the Music Box hasn't bitten yet, this seems like their jam.

Yeah, Music Box seems primed for this.

I went ahead and emailed him and he said that he contacted the Music Box a few weeks ago, and is waiting to hear back. The distributor guy said they showed the Cramps at Napa State Mental Hospital movie that he is also distributing, so he thinks they should get back to him about this