2023 winner of singular most extraordinary release (possibly ever) is by Canadian band Da Slyme from 1977 onwards.
https://celluloidlunch.bandcamp.com/album/da-slyme-if-theres-no-rubble-you-havent-played-collected-recordings-1977-89
The greatest punk rock album never made – by a band that played on stage with a toilet (inside joke). At this time (2023), it’s been 24 years since the last foray of Da Slyme. 45 years since it’s first. Time is a great leveller. It separates the feelings you had about a project at the early incarnation from an accurate assessment of its value and place. Age is a great leveller too. It turns a “who cares” attitude into a “yeah it was better than it felt” and back into a “who the fuck cares and let’s do it anyway” attitude. So myself (Kirt Sic-o-via) and Stig Stilletto and No Moniker embarked on a journey through recordings of the shows and various rehearsal tapes (we only ever played around 30 shows). It was a proverbial gas, A trip down the “bad craziness” of memory lane. Jesus were we that bad (?) but look at all these other things that were great – I didn’t ever remember that we played that good (note: it is punk and everything is relative) but it is definitely rock, and often abrasive rock to boot. Tuning is erratic and maybe even irrelevant (we didn’t have guitar tuners until ‘82). The recording sources are varied, as one can also hear on our 1980 vinyl, if you are lucky enough to have or find one – only couple of crossovers here. Note: to find the double 1980 release you have to be lucky or rich, neither or both. There’s also a CD from ‘99. Same provisos apply. Recordings are from board tapes, recordings with a couple of mics in the ceiling, cassettes, reel-to-reel stereo or 4-track, and video sources. All are from live shows or rehearsals, plus a couple of radio ads. So, the quality varies. That’s punk too (not the homogenized mainstream studio/some producer variety). It’s been a slice, talk to you again in 20 years...to be listened to in the spirits from which it was made.
Old Slyme motto: “If there’s no rubble, you haven’t played”. This is the rubble of the years ............ Kirt Sic-o-via
credits
released June 1, 2023
