POISON IDEA- Darby Crash rides again 7″EP (American Leather, USA, 1989)
I was just about rippin’ & postin’ “Pick your King”, when I discovered that Niels has just recently posted it. I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the qualities of POISON IDEA’s first record the past years, asking myself, what it is that makes it such a force. Well, Niels revealed part of the secret: It’s the fact that it’s basically one big scratch (well, two, regarding the interruption of flipping it around). He called it a Hardcore Opera. You couldn’t say that better: You cannot break one song out of the ensemble. It’s one unit. That was also the case with “Kings of Punk”, if you ask me, and is again so with “Feel the Darkness”. These records are Operas. Simply put.
The guys from POISON IDEA were always very friendly when you ordered from them directly. They would include extras like stickers and, in my case, even a T-Shirt once. The only other band which included a free shirt that I remember would be the ACCUSED (thanks Blaine, so many years later); they too were from Seattle, accidentally.
Never would I claim that the group’s 1982 demo, featured here, was better than “Pick your King”, but what makes it great is that you can hear some of the songs in an earlier, slower stage. I’ve always found that quite interesting, hearing a band at work, so to say. But apart from that, there’s one moment on this 7″ that really really really has its very own qualities – and unfortunately this moment is cut in two! Side A ends with “Bounce the Rubble” and then fades in in the manic drums of “All right”. Fuck me Jesus, this is what I love about Hardcore! This insane economy! It takes so little and generates so much! Maybe this is the main difference between Metal and Punk: Both, at their respectice peaks, generate power, but one manages to do so with minimalistic input, whereas the other mobilizes the whole Wagnerian kitsch. Fuck, I dunno, I’m wasted right now typing this.
First time I came in touch with POISON IDEA was kinda late, in 1985, actually. It was either the contribution on Pushead’s “Cleanse the Bacteria” Comp. or the incredible rough mix tape of “Kings of Punk” (lost somewhen along the years; anybody still has it?). Luckily, it was no big deal back then to just pick up the earlier pieces – “Pick your King” was a downright shock to me and in some ways, it still is. After “Feel the Darkness”, I felt it couldn’t get any better again, so until this very day, I haven’t heard any POISON IDEA that came afterwards. Seen the band once (?) only and that was in Germany, circa 1990. Remember Tom “Pig Champion” sitting on a bunch of beer-crates during the gig and a roadie helping him geting up when the set was over. The concert was phenomenal; my head still aches from it.
Give it up.mp3
This Thing called Progress & In my Headache.mp3
M.I.A.mp3
Think Twice.mp3
Bounce the Rubble.mp3
All right.mp3
Underage.mp3
Castration.mp3
Pure Hate.mp3
Young Lord.mp3
Post scrotum: I have some things up on Ebay right now. Bid hard!
gorehound wrote:
would be awesome if you put a good decent bitrsate of kings of punk lp.
it is a great lp by them.
thanks a lot for all your posts
Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 2:12 pm | Permalink
Admin wrote:
Jordan, “Kings of Punk” is available on Taang Records: http://www.taang.com/poisonset.html
If you don’t wanna buy it, I’ll rip it for you andsend it to you, physically, if you want, cause I know you like it physical. Just drop me a line.
Posted on 25-Oct-07 at 2:34 pm | Permalink
London wrote:
Big thanks for this one (and all in general). I like this the best of all PI records. Just one question: Did you scan the front in b&w? All copies I’ve seen had blue rings.
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 1:24 am | Permalink
Admin wrote:
London calling, ha. No, the scan is full colored for both sides. I’ve ordered this from Jerry when it was released and I’ve never seen another one, so I can’t say anything about the color. The vinyl is baby blue with white streaks.
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 1:27 am | Permalink
CHRIS_C wrote:
this is new to me so thanks! ditto the nihilistics - even better than the album. while you’re right about feel the darkness, the later stuff definitely has its moments - we must burn has a couple of tracks that equal their finest, and some of the live gear rips it up with great aplomb.
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 1:58 am | Permalink
stinky82 wrote:
Well, I always download these tracks from various sources expecting much better sound quality than before
This demo, “Pick Your King” EP and “Kings of Punk” LP are the best stuff they did, I think. Yes, and I wouldn´t forget to mention also great “Discontent/Jailhouse stomp” EP
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 5:50 am | Permalink
adamski wrote:
Just a short note, Erich, to say that POISON IDEA were from Portland, not Seattle. Sorry to be so pedantic!
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 12:16 pm | Permalink
Admin wrote:
Of course, Adamski - thanks for correcting this. Maybe I confused PI with Nirvana. Haha.
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 12:26 pm | Permalink
Eddie wrote:
I was blown away when I heard Pick Your King EP, Kings of Punk LP, Feel The Darkness LP, and Blank Blackout Vacant LP. Record Collectors 12″ is good but not great and War All The Time was ok but not as good. We Must Burn LP is okay too but forgettable and their latest one before Pig died is pretty damn good!
I got drunk with Slayer Hippy once and he looks much bigger than he does in the pictures!
Posted on 26-Oct-07 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
Marko wrote:
My first exposure to Poison Idea, I believe was via various compilations and some old skate video. Was always very fond of the tracks on Cleanse the Bacteria but don’t remember if they were off the first lp or not. The only release I had ever owned was the War All The Time album on cassette. I can’t remember where I ordered it from (Alchemy Records perhaps??) but when I got it in the mail there was a thank you letter, about 10 dollars worth of stickers and another tape which was a compilation with Clown Alley, Sacrilege, Neurosis and a bunch of other bands.
It was so much fun ordering records back then because it felt so much more personal and exciting to get this kind of stuff. I ended up with quite a few pen pals just by ordering a few records here and there.
These days it seems so distant and cold….I spent 200 dollars on records a month ago and somehow, a paypal receipt with thanks scribbled on it and two records missing, feels exactly the same as an Amazon Marketplace purchase for a bookcase without two shelves.
Anyway looks I hafta save up for the Taang site, though I don’t plan on dropping 125 for the Getting The Fear lp.
Posted on 03-Nov-07 at 12:14 am | Permalink
Droid wrote:
More Poison Idea stories!
Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 9:41 am | Permalink
Robert the Gimp wrote:
Everything on this list is absolutely perfect. Poison Idea, Death (I haven’t heard that one since ‘86 or so)…the only thing missing–well, maybe the only thing I can think of at the moment–is the Beatie Boys Pollywog Stew ep. That was great hardcore during the early days of my punk-inductment (is that even a word? I don’t think so). Anyway, thanks for the memories.
Posted on 16-Nov-07 at 2:25 pm | Permalink
Good bad Music for bad, bad Times! / POISON IDEA- Official Bootleg Double-7″EP (American Leather Records / Vinyl Solution, USA, 1991) wrote:
[...] decent blog has got to have his share of POISON IDEA and although I had mine already (here and here), here’s some more. I have absolutely no idea whether this has been re-released or [...]
Posted on 02-May-08 at 7:49 am | Permalink