Record Shopping at Amoeba in Hollywood, Part Five.

Here's a shot of another small part of the Amoeba 7" section. I didn't go through all of these boxes, but I did browse through some of them. As you can see, there's a whole box dedicated to The Damned. Not really my thing, but that's pretty cool. Also down there: Punx & Skins, Thrash, Metal, Black Metal & Grindcore, East Coast Hardcore, West Coast Hardcore, and Straight Edge. I love the organization.

On with my 7" purchases.


godheadSilo - "Elephantitus of the Night" (1994)

Another godheadSilo record that I'd been looking at on eBay and just never went for. Again: glad I didn't. Picked this one up for a few bucks, and after I just spent 10 minutes picking the sticker that was underneath the Amoeba sticker off it (which must have been the original), it's looking good as new. Still don't understand why Stephen Malkmus is at the end of the first song on this.



Smegma - "Thicket" (1992)

It's an exciting moment in any young man's life when he purchases his first Smegma record. Not sure why I waited so long. Maybe it's that the band has one of the most insanely expansive catalogs in all of music. Maybe it's that Smegma scares me a little bit. The A-side is much more coherent than I assumed it would be, but the flip, "Vox," is about what I expected: man-made sound effects with people saying things like "nail-driven dick" over it. I was right to be scared. Red vinyl. Sympathy.


Archers of Loaf - "Vocal Shrapnel" (1996)

You don't often see Archers of Loaf singles in the bins - or at least I don't - so I was more than willing to grab this for the whopping three-dollar price tag. The sleeve is a parody of the emergency instruction cards you find in the seat pockets of airplanes, and I have to say: this thing is quite faithful in its presentation. Even opens up and has more stuff on the inside of the cover. Nice thick paper, too. And, both songs (the B-side is "Density") are great.


The Von Bondies - "Tell Me What You See" (2004)

While (Single Version) usually means that a song is edited down for radio play, in this case, "Tell Me What You See" is actually about 20 seconds longer than the album version, which clocks in at less than two minutes. So, it's still a really short song, but I thought that was kind of interesting. The B-side is "Suzie," which I had never heard before. This is Pawn Shoppe Heart-era, which was a strong time for the band. Pink vinyl.


Gas Huffer/Fastbacks - "King of Hubcaps"/"Lose" (1990)

Random-ass split between two NW semi-legends that I almost forgot I bought. My Huffer collection grows. Sort of a strange mix between the two bands, but I guess that's to be expected. The Gas Huffer track is rowdy and loose (as is their M.O.), and the Fastbacks song is sturdy, calculated, poppy, and very catchy. Sounds about right. Black vinyl on the very obscure Steve Priest Fan Club label. Huh?


Local H - "24 Hour Break-Up Session" (2008)

Local H aren't big on 7" releases, so this is sort of a novelty record, but I still think it's pretty cool. Says it's a limited edition of 1,000, but the spot where somebody was supposed to write in the copy number ("__/1000") is blank, so I don't know what's up with that. What I do know is that the B-side on this is their cover of TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me," and it's fairly badass. Clear red vinyl.



Steel Pole Bath Tub - "Auf Wiedersehen" (1995)

SPBT covers two Cheap Trick songs on this single ("Surrender" is the B-side), and are strangely faithful in their own way. Which is great. I don't know what it is about Amoeba, but it seems like they've always got Steel Pole Bath Tub shit on hand. Last time I went down there I walked out with three Steel Pole 7"s and a full-length, and this time I passed up some stuff that I already had but came out with this, which I am very happy with. Clear yellow vinyl and a propaganda-filled sleeve.


Ovarian Trolley - "Serenity" (199?)

Ovarian Trolley info is sparse on the web. I picked up one of their full-length records semi-recently but apparently I didn't mention it on here because I can't find any evidence of it. Anyway, they did a split single with Hazel many years ago, and I find their music somewhat interesting, so for 50 cents, I wasn't going to pass this by. Can't find a date on it to save my life, but the label that put it out (Imp) has a Portland address. So that's something.


St. Johnny - "Go To Sleep" (1992)

I'm not even gonna front, y'all: I had this band confused with some other band, and that's why I bought this. Turns out I recognized their name from that old DGC Rarities comp, and I guess that's why I thought I knew them... I don't know. Whatever the case, I spent 50 cents on this and it's really not that bad, actually. Three tracks of 90's rock from Chicago. 33 on one side and 45 on the other, which is always fun.



Flop - "Act I, Scene I" (1995)

I own Flop & The Fall of the Mopsqueezer! on cassette, and while it's never quite clicked with me, I've always felt like they're a Seattle band that I should get to know better than I do. When I found this for 50 cents and saw that it was on Steve Turner's Super-Electro label, I figured I'd give 'em another go. The title track is strong, and Side 2 features two covers: "I Am A Potato" by Devo and "The Place I Love" by The Jam. Also includes original Super-Elector mail order insert, which is photocopied and hastily cut with dull scissors.

There's still more coming. Stay tuned.