4 out of 5

Label: Ectopic Ents

Produced by: Josh Bonati (vinyl remaster)

While I still have my problems with this album – it cuts a line between absolute noise terror and Thirlwell’s pop / funk / weirdness that I can’t quite turn into a listening experience – this is surely (or probably) the definitive way to listen to it, which is moreso what the rating represents. Josh Bonati’s remaster does an incredible job of shearing off some of the digital edge of the prior version of the album I own, on CD, and bringing up the quality to the more “organic” sounding levels of later Foetus releases. This makes the assaultive stuff more palatable to my ears, and perhaps there’s also the experience of having to flip the LP over after the A-side ends with its fair share of chaos, starting the B-side with the comparatively calm (at least as it sets out) ‘Today I Started Slogging Again;’ never underestimate the value of interacting with a physical medium, and how that can legitimately change the listening experience.

I haven’t heard the original vinyl version, of course, but assuming the CD is a fair enough representation, I’d still guess this remaster tops it. What it lacks, though, is a locked groove, or at least my version does. It seems some Discogs reviewers are claiming theirs has one, so maybe just luck of the draw, but that feels like an unfortunate “feature” to not have re-presented on this edition. The lyric sheet was also an occasional insert in the original, but I’m satisfied with the poster that comes with instead, which has art in line with the album’s style (though maybe more reminiscent of Ache). And speaking of the art, the cover imagery has been faithfully reproduced, but, at least looking at images, in much better quality.

I’d absolutely be down with more of these vinyl reissues.