Surgery-Feedback b/w Fried (1990)


 

Artist: Surgery

Title: Feedback b/w Fried

Label: Amphetamine Reptile

Format: 7"

Cat #: SCALE 27

Year of Release: 1990

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1990 1,000 press

Sold Price: $3.99

Listed Condition:VG+/VG+

Sell Date: 11/19/20

Discogs Last Sold: 10/20/20 $3.33

Low: $0.99

Median: $3.99

High: $10.00 VG+/VG+ 5/5/20

Current low price: $3.50 NM/NM

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 25

Have/Want: 332/58

Where Sold: Milwaukee, WI

Time it took to sell: 5 years

Where and When Bought: Newbury Comics Boston 1990 new $3.99

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go?: Yes

The Reverse Collector (TM) sold a dozen noise rock singles from the late 80's/early 90's to a guy in Milwaukee.  Tonight I played them all before they went out the door.  This was the best of the lot.  At least the A-side "Feedback."  There were a couple contenders, but this A-side smokes and scrapes.  The B-side wasn't as good, but upon rereview it's still enjoyable noise rock.  The 12" inch they did on Circuit Records was a top-tier classic of the genre.  I never sold mine but it went MIA over the years.  Unsure how.

I faithfully witnessed Surgery until the main man Sean McDonnell died suddenly in 1995 of either asthma or rumored sleep apnea or partying too hard depending on who you ask.  The first time was the summer of '89.  I was stuck in Worcester between semesters that summer and my friend Will heard that an art space in Willimantic, CT called Populous Pudding had shows and Surgery were playing.  I was already a fan of the Dope Guns 2 double 7", so we took the hour journey to this small town.  Some shitty high school band opened and had a packed room that didn't stick around for Surgery.  "We better get paid!" I remember hearing Sean say grumpily before a crushing set was played for me, Will and a couple other people.

Listening to stuff like this, I forget how a baseline sound I took for granted somehow became eradicated with time.  First off all these bands had Marshall stacks and toured 75 cap clubs like they were playing halls.  They were loud and proud.  Clubs didn't give a shit about noise meters, tinnitus be damned.  Nobody gave a fuck.  This was a NYC band, and they ripped loudly.  Like a lobster in a simmering pot, the deballification of music was death by 100,000 tiny bubbles.  30 years on there are still glimmers of life on occasion, but all these bands trying to "make it" were fucked and for noise rock there wasn't the talent coming up on the club level after that great wave of bands. What is the genre timeline in popular signifiers--Hairway to Meantime, roughly? 

This worked as a "punk" or "art" or "diy" derived subset, not a "metal" or "indie" or "commercial" one.   The bands that brought 40 in every city and 4 in every town tried to play that game,  got called up from AAA to the majors, but mostly couldn't swim on that level save a few you know about.  The early records reign supreme.  

Especially Surgery.



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