Saturday, October 3, 2015

VA - The Enigma Variations 2 (1987, Enigma)

Enigma Records may not have been the first imprint to unleash a label-specific compilation ("aka sampler") onto the public, but their two Variations compendiums did raise the bar in terms of quality control, and inadvertently presented a microcosm of the alternative rock circuit of the day.  Genre-ly speaking, Enigma (and it's punkier sister label Restless) were if anything downright diverse, spanning the gamut from jokeabilly legend-in-his-own-mind Mojo Nixon to the refined Peter Hammil and back again to the perennially sardonic Dead Milkmen.  So far as I'm concerned those were the low-lights.  The most toothsome meat of the Enigma roster consisted of Game Theory, TSOL, Wednesday Week, Agent Orange, and venerable class of '77 dazzlers Wire.  And speaking of the latter two, Variations Deux houses two of their career landmarks, "Fire in the Rain" and "Ahead," respectively.  Like any decent label comp, this double threat LP (or single CD in my case) shoehorns in some previously unreleased booty from TSOL, Plan 9, and the aforementioned Wednesday Week, Milkmen and Mojo.  By and large this is one roster that sells itself. Boogie 'til ya puke ya'll.

01-Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Burn Down the Malls
02-TSOL - Colors (Take Me Away)
03-The Dead Milkmen - The Thing That Only Eats Hippies
04-Agent Orange - Fire in the Rain
05-Plan 9 - Man Bites Dog
06-Wire - Ahead
07-Don Dixon - Praying Mantis
08-Wednesday Week - Why
09-Game Theory - Erica's Word
10-Peter Hammill - Too Many of My Yesterdays
11-Plan 9 - Ship of Fools
12-The Dead Milkmen - Stupid Maryann
13-Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Amsterdam Dog Shit Blues
14-TSOL - Best Friends
15-Agent Orange - Bite the Hand that Feeds (Part II) Remix
16-Wire - Drill
17-Wednesday Week - That Train
18-Game Theory - Shark Pretty
19-Don Dixon - Why
20-SSQ - Pleasure Dog

Hear

12 comments:

brink. said...

i have been looking for this for years! my vinyl copy is beat up beyond belief...

thanks so much.

xopher.tm said...

Always a good one. I've got Vol. 1 @320 if you need.

-Xtm

spavid said...

That would be great Xtm! I only have it on cassette.

Glad I could help Brink.

Andy G said...

have had this on vinyl since the late 80s. bought it for Don Dixon's Praying Mantis and introduced me to Game Theory.

xopher.tm said...

Here you go.

The Enigma Variations, 1985.

I had to break it up to two rars and went ahead and included a small third one with scans. The scans are yoiked from Discogs, the rip is courtesy of Nathan Nothin' of the exquisite Nothin' Sez Somethin' blog (Give him a visit and a shout at nathannothinsez.blogspot.com), but this upload is by myself. Share and enjoy.

The Enigma Variations.rar
http://www89.zippyshare.com/v/CGQ66TIM/file.html

The Enigma VariationsB.rar
http://www89.zippyshare.com/v/QKfFwTs3/file.html

The Enigma VariationsCovers.rar
http://www89.zippyshare.com/v/EEjw1vvh/file.html


-Xtm

spavid said...

Thanks Xtm! You've gone above and beyond the call of duty. Nice to have this in digital form.

xopher.tm said...

Heh. I've been taking from you for a long time. It's nice to finally have something to give back. Cheers.

-Xtm

Giorgos Stogias said...

Thank you, it's great!

{~*88*~} said...

Hey Christopher could you repost those links please? Thank you

xopher.tm said...

Here's vols. 1 & 2 for whomever needs them.

Vol. 1:-
Disc 1: http://www120.zippyshare.com/v/Vp0p93Ik/file.html
Disc 2: http://www120.zippyshare.com/v/x9bAkVg6/file.html

Vol. 2:-
Disc 1: http://www120.zippyshare.com/v/3KdAKKLa/file.html
Disc 2: http://www120.zippyshare.com/v/jPhTNDtL/file.html

Rips courtesy of Willfully Obscure & Nathan Nothin' Sez. Upload links are my own. Share & Enjoy!

-Xtm

Unknown said...

I'm an actual NDE.
Very few can say so.
Wanna hear about it?
God bless you.

Unknown said...

Let this be your catalyst to Seventh-Heaven:

'The more you shall honor Me,
the more I shall bless you'
-the Infant Jesus of Prague
(<- Czech Republic, next to Russia)

Love him or leave him...
better lissen to the Don:
if you deny o'er-the-Hillary's evil,
which most whorizontalites do,
you cannot deny Hellfire
which YOU send YOURSELF to.

Yes, earthling, I was an NDE:
the sights were beyond extreme.
Choose Jesus.
You'll be most happy you did.
God bless your indelible soul.