Tuesday, February 10, 2009

V/A - Endangered Species 6 X 7" box (1990, Glitterhouse)

The various artists 7" box set. A rarity in the '80s and '90s, and unheard of today. While they were never the rage (due mostly to extremely limited pressings and lack of recognizable participants) 7" box compilations were well curated, and marketed to fans of indie rock sub-genres. The Endangered Species box released on the European Glitterhouse Records imprint in 1990 is quite possibly the best example of this all but extinct vinyl configuration. Showcasing twelve eardrum-decimating, aggro-punk/post-punk/noise acts of the era, this collection consisting of six 45s (one band, one song to a side), Species shines it's collective spotlight on no less than six bands by my count (incl. Cows, Helios Creed, Bastards, Halo of Flies, Unsane and Surgery) that once released vinyl gracing the Amphetamine Reptile Records logo at one stage or another of their sordid careers. For many of you, the aforementioned lineup will no doubt enlighten you to the aesthetics of this compilation, but wait, there's more! Boston hard-ass punks Bullet Lavolta grace us with a scalding cover of Cheap Tricks durable as ever "Hello There," Bitch Magnet pitch us an exclusive non-LP goodie, Green River take The Dead Boy's "Ain't Nothin to Do" to task, Monster Magnet grace us with the stoner-phonic "Murder," and even slow-core idols in the making Codeine make an appearance here.

I've supplied a scan of the box-top, as well as photos of the tops and undersides of all the sleeves in collective shots (the top sleeves, when correctly placed together, depict a diorama of the two fine cover models), but if you're looking for sleeve by sleeve shots, go here. Special thanks to Chris for ripping all MP3s!
 
01. Bullet Lavolta - Hello There
02. Bitch Magnet - White Pieces of Bread
03. Cows - Good Cop
04. Bastards - Groovy Space Man
05. Halo of Flies - Clowns
06. Monster Magnet - Murder
07. Surgery - Losida Slide
08. Codeine - Castle
09. Helios Creed - Boxing the Clown
10. Bored! - Christine
11. Green River - Ain't Nothin' to Do
12. Unsane - Four Sticks
 

4 comments:

polk said...

thanks a million, spavid, for posting this one. time was when my chums and i used to collect this stuff like it was chewing gum...

i think my friend had this. i am going to ask him now...

Mr. Amsterdamned said...

Thanks a bunch! Great post. Bastards were on Treehouse, actually, but Bastard's Joachim Breuer went on to play in Janitor Joe and Gnomes of Zurch, and they sure were AmReppers

ROOKSBY said...

Still got my copy of this stowed away at my folks'. Really wanted to hear that Codeine track again though, so many thanks...

Anonymous said...

I just found this set and a bunch of other stuff from the 80s and 90s. I remember a time back in Brighton with my buddy Aaron and Dave and Chad and.....I miss those days.