Scrawl-Misery (Someone Is Winning) b/w Just Plain Bad (1992)

 

Artist: Scrawl

Title: Misery (Someone Is Winning) b/w Just Plain Bad

Label: Singles Only Label

Format: 7"

Cat #: SOL-224-7

Year of Release: 1992

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 1992 Red Vinyl

Listed Condition: VG+/VG+

Sell Date: 2/16/21

Sell Price: $2.99

Discogs Last Sold: 1/1/21 $2.78 NM/NM

Low: $2.00

Median: $3.00

High:  $3.99

Current low price: $1.99

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 14

Have/Want: 114/24

Where Sold:  Rochester Hills, MI

Time it took to sell: 6 years

Where and When Bought: Newbury Comics Boston new 1992

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go: No

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, these rough and tumble ladies were in the autumn of their career before they had their post-Nirvana major label two-shot in the mid-90's.  Bob Mould put this single out on his Singles Only Label in 1992.  I was interning at Ryko this year and Bob came into the office where telling him I was from Worcester jarred his memory of playing opposite the Firm.  I had to admit I saw the Firm, but was buying singles on his label.  His closing words to me: "Keep buying those singles!"

And so I bought this Scrawl one.  They were a band I had liked and was playing them on the radio since their mid-80's Rough Trade years.  I remembered both of the songs even today, so I guess I was playing this record quite a bit at WERS, and bought it for my own collection.  

The A-side is a bit of slutty pathos, "Misery" and the B-side chick-grunge "Just Plain Bad."  Both now stream as part of the Bloodsucker EP, but they weren't on it when it came out.  I don't lump in Scrawl with the "grunge" era, they were mid-80's indie alt-rock for sure.  Consistent and often excellent in their heyday.  The novelty wasn't women who rocked, the novelty was Columbus Ohio women who rocked.  Midwest bar chick hits the road.   That they clicked internationally was because they filled a void.  Not goth. Not punk.  Not heavy. Sexy, but not overtly sleazy.  Definitely not pandering.  They wrote their songs, sang em and played em as a trio in the ultimate format: guitar, bass, drums.   No bullshit.    Probably played to 20-50 in every town.  Sometimes more.  Sometimes less.  Got their major label break in the late 90's, didn't sell and now just play local with a male drummer.

You can thank Bob Mould for that!