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.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bob Dylan-Blood On The Tracks (1975)

Image
  Artist:  Bob Dylan Title: Blood On The Tracks Label: Columbia Format: SACD Cat: CH 90323 Year of Release: 1975 Country and Year of Edition: US 2003 SACD Promo sticker over barcode Sell Price: $12.20 VG+/VG+ 7/15/24 Discogs Last Sold: 7/7/24 NM/VG+ $8.99 Low: $3.00 Median: $11.63 Average: $12.38 High: $27.00 Current low price: $1.99 F/G+, $9.98 VG/VG+ Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 27 Have/Want: 334/242 Where Sold: Ypsilanti, MI Time it took to sell: 11 years Where and When Purchased: promo Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A+ Sad To See It Go: No "I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form..." "And when finally the bottom fell out I became withdrawn..." Bob's public precursor to his own divorce has taken a strange turn in the public narrative over the years, whether reflecting domestic tranquility or turbulence.   Beyonc é  might tell you she flips pancakes or boils an egg to Blood On The Tracks on a Sunday morning.  Jakob Dylan might rail that these lyri
Read more

The Byrds-Live At The Fillmore-February 1969 (2000)

Image
  Artist: The Byrds Title: Live At The Fillmore February 1969 Label: Columbia/Legacy Format: CD Cat #: CK 65910 Year of Release: 2000 Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 2000 Listed Condition VG+/VG+: hole punch in UPC Sell Date: 5/6/24 Sell Price:$3.75 Discogs Last Sold: 4/25/24 $7.87 VG/VG Low: $1.75 Median: $4.24 Average: $4.28 High: $7.87 Current low price: $2.50 Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 30 Have/Want: 524/45 Where Sold:Charlotte, NC Time it took to sell: 12 years Where and When Bought: early aughts not sure where in NYC Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A- Sad To See It Go: No One of those releases that looks great on a shelf, but it took me 24 years after buying it to get around to paying any attention to this excellent live recording.  I guess that means I should force myself to read David Fricke's liner notes as well.  Sweetheart Of The Rodeo came out August 30, 1968 only 8 months after The Notorious Byrd Brothers and Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde came out a week before these show
Read more

Bob Dylan-Bob Dylan (1962)

Image
  Artist: Bob Dylan Title: Bob Dylan Label: Columbia Format: LP Cat #: PC 8579 Year of Release: 1962 Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1970's reissue Listed Condition VG/VG+ Sell Date: 5/2/24 Sell Price:$8.93 Discogs Last Sold: 3/5/24 NM/VG+ $9.00 Low: $3.98 M/VG+ Median: $12.49 Average: $12.81 High: $24.99 M/NM Current low price: $12.00 Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 16 Have/Want: 285/176 Where Sold: Minneapolis, MN Time it took to sell: 9 years Where and When Bought: Worcester used That's Entertainment mid 80's Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A Sad To See It Go: No "You're No Good!" the 3 year old Reverse Collector proclaimed to his mother.  "David! That's an awful thing to say!  Go to your room!"  I was just saying what was on the cover of the Bob Dylan song list on the album I had.  I was a fluent reader by age 3, as opposed to simply memorizing text my parents read to me when I was 2.  I understood the concept of "Good" and "Ba
Read more