Salem 66: S/D

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One of the most underrated bands of the past 20 years: they always struck me as a would-be early Rough Trade band that somehow emerged in the mid-1980s on Homestead. They seem to have been completely forgotten post-riot grrrl, and that's a shame.

S: first EP, _A Ripping Spin_, "Across The Sea" 7"

D: really, only _Down The Primrose Path_ is less than worthy. Their final LP; you can audibly hear them run out of steam, running roughshod over even those songs that are actually pretty good ("Beekeeper!").

mike a (mike a), Monday, 3 February 2003 03:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Are you supposed to answer your own S/D question? (I agree with your choices, btw)

paul cox (paul cox), Monday, 3 February 2003 04:00 (twenty-two years ago)

It's certainly not frowned upon, and in cases such as this (where, maybe, on a good day, & a strong headwind, 3 or 4 people will respond), it's a necessity.

I forget which Salem 66 I've heard in the past, but I think it might've been that _Primrose_ record, because I was severely underwhelmed with what I did hear. It sure as hell wasn't _A Ripping Spin_.

David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 3 February 2003 04:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Love 'em. "Lucky Penny"!

Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 3 February 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

DESTROY

mosurock (mosurock), Monday, 3 February 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Yah, great band. Good stuff on all three albums, I say. If they'd been five years later they would have fit right in with Elastica, Sleeper and Echobelly...

ara, Monday, 3 February 2003 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

"Seven Steps Down" was the single I remember the best. Kinda catchy and kinda creepy at the same time. I also liked "Across the Sea," but alas, don't have it on CD or vinyl.

Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Monday, 3 February 2003 17:58 (twenty-two years ago)

fifteen years pass...

It's a goddamn crime that no one has reissued these albums.

Elvis Telecom, Saturday, 1 September 2018 05:38 (six years ago)

Aren't they dirt cheap?

Evan, Saturday, 1 September 2018 12:26 (six years ago)

At least reissue "Your Soul Is Mine, Fork It Over"! Just about a perfect overview of their career.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Saturday, 1 September 2018 14:46 (six years ago)

They're all dirt cheap on Discogs and sure - over the years I've tracked everything down. Still, it's a goddamn crime that they're basically M.I.A. from all the online stores.

Your Soul... doesn't include any tracks from the last two albums.

Elvis Telecom, Saturday, 1 September 2018 23:18 (six years ago)

one month passes...

Bought National Disasters a few weeks ago, just playing it now--only thing I have by them. Love "Lucky Penny."

clemenza, Sunday, 28 October 2018 22:11 (six years ago)

Good album! I think "Lucky Penny" was on the 80s indie mixtape I made as soon as I had 90 minutes' worth of knowledge (~2002 maybe).

geoffreyess, Monday, 29 October 2018 00:54 (six years ago)

I didn't get much out of the rest of the album (a few songs were kind of atmospheric), but "Lucky Penny" alone is worth the five or six dollars I paid for it.

clemenza, Tuesday, 30 October 2018 00:13 (six years ago)

Surprised I never found or commented on this thread before. I loved this band a lot back in the day, especially the earlier, janglier stuff. National Disasters came after they had been heavying up their sound for a while.

Freddy "Boom Boom" QAnon (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 16:11 (six years ago)

I thought that title looked weird, it's Natural Disasters, National Treasures.

Freddy "Boom Boom" QAnon (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 30 October 2018 16:41 (six years ago)

six years pass...

Excellent news and about damn time: https://salem66.bandcamp.com/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/salem-66-eighties-indie-rock-reissue-1235302251/

Don Giovanni Records, a key player in the indie-rock scene of a more recent era, announced today that they are releasing a new Salem 66 best-of set called Salt on June 6, drawn from the four albums and two EPs that the group released between 1984 and 1990. They’ve also put the band’s full catalog on streaming.

Elvis Telecom, Tuesday, 25 March 2025 05:11 (four months ago)

two months pass...

https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/salem-66-salt-interview

sleeve, Thursday, 29 May 2025 15:24 (two months ago)


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