S&D: Sympathy For The Record Industry

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this is the thread where you can talk about Long Beach, California's eccentric label if you want to.

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Anybody heard any of the latest Sympathy For The Record Industry releases? I'm curious about Ko & The Knockouts, The Tearjerkers (new Jack Oblivian band), The Come-On's, Tina & The Total Babes, The Hot Snakes & anything else you wanna let me know about.

― fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

prediction: this thread is gonna sink like a pebble in a pond

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Skullflower released a record on this label, I think.

― Julio Desouza, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have the KO & the Knockouts album and it's fantastic, probably a better buy than the Come Ons album

― Chris Bates, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

some ace new reissues too: roky erikson & the aliens "the evil one" & some spacemen 3

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

really? what's the Ko & the K.O.'s record like? was the come-ons' record disappointing?

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Detroit Cobras!!!!! They have the best female rock singer since Joan Jett/Suzi Quatro (take yr pick)! Their first alb is gd, their second is superb (mostly a diff., tighter, more rocking band).

― Andrew L, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

you have to see the Cobras live. & the first record is waaaaaaaaaaay better than the second :) when they make it over to england it will be mayhem

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Tearjearkers are good -- dirty lo-fi garage as you would expect from Jack Yarber. Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright's (Compulsive Gamblers, Oblivians), is even better -- Cartwright was always the more songwriterly of the two and the Reigning Sound album has a nice Buddy Holly pop feel (without the sockhops and Peggy Sue).

I just hope Long Gone John made a whole helluva lot of money what with the first three White Stripes albums going to V2. I suspect he may have since he recently put out an excellent reissue of Roky Erickson and the Aliens' The Evil One with a great bonus disc containing a radio interview with Roky and stuff from the Sponge record, etc.

― Jack Cole, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

rumor has it long gone made off like a bandit on the white stripes,, jack. i think they're suing him, actually.

― , Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Beachbuggy's Unsafe At Any Speed is awesome. "Quarter Mile Machine"!

― Curt, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

they're suing him? interesting -- always seemed like Long Gone John treated his bands alright -- never have heard anything negative (and you usually do). Makes me wonder if Long Gone John was a jerk or if the White Stripes just got greedy. Though I hardly like everything Long Gone John puts out, I've always respected him quite a bit for his label and the identity he has created for it -- and simply amazed by how many records he puts out considering the market for the music and how long it takes for distributor's to pay you.

― Jack Cole, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Suing Long Gone John? News to me!

What minimal contact I've had with him over the years leads me to think he's an all right guy -- Brian, I believe, has actually visited his legendary collectors' dream of a house, with more art, comics, vinyl and so forth than most galleries or stores.

Plenty of wonderfully random and good stuff released over the moons, and his attention to detail is really wonderful. A label as much defined by a certain art/identity as 4AD or Warp, say. And he's released Lazy Cowgirls albums = he is a genius.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

well, i think the sftri m.o. was based on a handshake deal - usually the band got x amount of dollars upfront from which the band would pay for studio time and x amount of copies from the first run of records which they could sell on the road. there would be real minimal promo - no review copies sent out at all unless the band took it upon themselves to do so, no advertising. on the other hand, long gone gave his artists pretty much 100% creative control and let them take their time, didn't bind them to contracts if they decided to move on. essentially, most bands would get out of it pretty much what they would have gotten through a self-release with benefits of sftri's rep and distribution. The downside is that Long Gone could always run up another few thousand copies of his top sellers without telling the bands, and not pay royalties - whether he does this or not I don't know but it has been rumoured.

Considering that most SFTRI releases didn't even sell out their first run, most people were happy with the arrangement. I think The White Stripes' success took themselves and Long Gone by surprise.

― fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Smells like the Butthole Surfers screwing over Corey Rusk of Touch And Go.

― Jack Cole, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

or vice versa??? i really don't know.

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I love the Detroit Cobras too! Are the Come-Ons worth checking out? Great name...

― Sean, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

come on with the come ons reviews! i wanna know too.

― Fritz, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

the come-ons are swingy, sexy '60s-vibed out guitar rock with a girl vocalist (she doesn't just sing, sometimes she talks too) -- perfect music for a summer day spent driving around.

also search: shitbirds and april march's first two singles.

― maura, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Quadrajets - Let's Go to Outerspace

― jel --, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw April March in an in-store record shop appearance; she's cute but nothing like the rocking Detroit Cobras. So the Come-Ons I take it are a much more breezy, "lite" sound?

― Sean, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I don't have very much on this label, but what I do have is pretty good. Crystal Gazing Luck Amazing by the Compulsive Gamblers is almost a necessary record to have. Cartwright, Yarber et al make a great 1960's pop album, throwing in obscure Memphis and Detroit covers. The only other thing I can think of that I have is the Oblivians' Best of the Worst double LP, which is okay, but not as good as the last two Crypt LPs. "Robot Blues" on the comp. is fucking insane, though, and I have no idea why they left it off whichever of the first two Crypt albums it was recorded during. It may be my favourite song by them.

I don't have the SFTRI version of the New York Dolls live album they put out, but it was readily available for ages, and that's worth getting too.

As for the Come Ons, it just doesn't strike me as being as good as it should. Female vox on farfisa-driven rock and roll sounds like a thing of greatness, but their album just sounded so bland. Which is too bad, cuz the album cover was probably the best album cover I saw last year (it's the splash page to their website if anyone wants to see it).

― Vic Funk, Friday, 14 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'68 Comeback, dude! & yes the detroit cobras rule. & lots of my fav bands have done 1-offs on SFRTI too. julio - yeah skullflower, a couple 7"s - a couple by ramleh too & a neat one by a related (stefan jaworsyn? think it's him, it's all ppl with fake names) thing called the Satin Chickens.

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

also, a label that actually got BETTER. i haven't heard much real recent stuff, & i pretty much hate the white stripes now, but this label had a real high strike rate thru the 90s. after a couple fairly crappy years of mostly the kind of 'cult following' rock that didnt really even have a cult following. you know & they'd always be from spain or austria or somewhere.

always had great artwork tho', even when the music kind of suxxxed.

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what about those geraldine fibbers lps. one of the best la area bands ever, in my opinion. kind of like x, but actually rocks. interesting structures and arrangements, great playing, good songs. i bought butch six years ago and still listen to it super oft

― christopher, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

SFTRI needs to get away from this 'garage rock' shit now, thats over with.

― unknown or illegal user, Saturday, 15 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Was it Steven Wells who once said "Who are these Sympathy for the Record Industry people and why aren't they in prison?" ?

― electric sound of jim, Sunday, 16 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

SFTRI is a great label. Sacred Miracle Cave, Jeff Dahl, WHite Stripes, Loafin' Hayenas, Pooh Sticks, Plan 9 (maybe, not sure)... lots of great stuff.

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Sunday, 6 July 2003 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Mr. Airplane Man
Holly Golightly has put out some great shit on this label, too
Oblivians' Sympathy Sessions album is great.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Thursday, 19 May 2005 21:21 (twenty years ago)

SFTRI also slung out Wreckless Eric's "The Donovan of Trash" in 1993 -- the greatest album you never heard (one of them, anyway).

― Bwit Trit, Thursday, 19 May 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

I'd still like to hear Blag Dahlia's bluegrass album released under the name Earl Lee Grace.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 19 May 2005 21:50 (twenty years ago)

I need to check out the Tearjerkers now.

I used to be a huge Detroit Cobras fan, and while I still like them, their live show put me off because it was sort of dull (they had the Dirtbombs opening for them, which didn't make them look any better!) and their new album Baby indicates they're... a) running out of awesome songs to cover and b) aren't great at coming up with their own tunes (yet).

They could still blow me away with another album, their first two albums are fucking ace.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Thursday, 19 May 2005 21:58 (twenty years ago)

They did a great 2-CD reissue of The Honeymoon Killers. nuff said.

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 19 May 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

Not to mention Redd Kross's Neurotica (which I used to have on Bigtime/RCA on CD, until it was stolen from me. Now I can get it cheap again.)

― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 19 May 2005 22:01 (twenty years ago)

And as John noted above, the Pooh Sticks!

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 19 May 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

They did a great 2-CD reissue of The Honeymoon Killers. nuff said.

And left off all the best songs!

― Vic Funk, Friday, 20 May 2005 03:11 (twenty years ago)

i have the single Skullflower did for SFTRI, it's good except for the dodgy Coop cover art

― Amon (eman), Friday, 20 May 2005 03:30 (twenty years ago)

they've just released helen love's new ep. it's great.

― keith m (keithmcl), Friday, 20 May 2005 04:24 (twenty years ago)

80% of the records on sympathy i own are by the white stripes

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 20 May 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

the Ramleh record on Sympathy is fantastic, especially the first song. IN-TENSE!

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 20 May 2005 06:15 (twenty years ago)

Sympathy put out Teengenerate's "Savage!!!" 10" EP as well, one of the most complete descriptions of sound by an album title in my recent memory.

― scrimshaw (scrimshaw1837), Friday, 20 May 2005 22:22 (twenty years ago)

It sounds like !!!?

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 20 May 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

Aw man.

Ok, we're making a rule here.

"!!!" are three exclamation points.. not some ex-Sacto neo-99-records-wannabe band in NYC.

WE MUST LIBERATE PUNCTUATION FROM THE WHITE FUNK BANDS THAT KEEP THEM DOWN!

― donut debonair (donut), Friday, 20 May 2005 22:30 (twenty years ago)

otm!!!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 20 May 2005 22:31 (twenty years ago)

YES!!!

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Friday, 20 May 2005 23:13 (twenty years ago)

???

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 May 2005 23:14 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

damn you, Raggett

― gear (gear), Saturday, 15 October 2005 07:48 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

just got back from seeing the Gregg Gibbs film 'The Treasures Of Long Gone John' - pretty great docu encapsulating John's life, SFTRI history and the whole subculture surrounding it focussing mainly on the artwork and artists, 'lowbrow' scene etc. inc. talking to key influences like Robert Williams and many others. I didn't know much about any of this beforehand but the illustration and painting generally is spectacular and the spots on things like 'The Little Record that Wished It Could' are funny and intriguing. worth seeing even if you're not a fan/it's largely unknown to you.

― 2 american 4 u (blueski), Monday, 13 November 2006 23:47 (eighteen years ago)

i really enjoyed that film even if it felt at times like an extended ad for juxtapoz

best SFTRI band at the mo is Scarling

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Monday, 13 November 2006 23:50 (eighteen years ago)

Search: Spectrum, Sonic Boom, esp. the answer X-mas single with the cover of the Sonics' "Santa Claus"

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 13 November 2006 23:55 (eighteen years ago)

my gf is myspace friends with t4ggy lee

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Monday, 13 November 2006 23:58 (eighteen years ago)

I need to mention Sacred Miracle Cave agaain. Those singles are glorious. Also the reissue of Black Randy & The Metrosquad.

― sleeve version 2.0 (sleeve testing), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 03:43 (eighteen years ago)

Jack Yarber's Jack O Is the Flip Side Kid is sounding pretty damn good. Maybe even better than the last. CD release only, though :/

― Will (will), Tuesday, 14 November 2006 15:42 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

i'm pissed that i didn't grab some of that OOP sympathy vinyl when i had the chance

― omar little, Friday, 11 July 2008 01:36 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

so it seems that there's a few sftri lps that have somehow come back into print? i was at amoeba the other day and they had a ton of oblivians 10" records, sealed, obviously new pressings. i'm wondering if other albums will be coming back into print.

― omar little, Monday, 10 August 2009 18:54 (sixteen years ago)

Servotron and Geraldine Fibbers

― Nate Carson, Monday, 10 August 2009 20:49 (sixteen years ago)

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