5 out of 5

Label: Master Kontrol Audio

Produced by: Mike Mogis (original); James Plotkin (anniversary release, remastered by)

Hilarious.

I have… opinions on the Satan’s Kickin’ Yr Dick In full-length, but have also recognized that the music, outside of the context of the album, can be awesome. What I didn’t know was that all of the Satan’s parts were actually released on 7″es before being rerecorded and smushed together for what became Racebannon’s In the Grips followup; as a RCBNNN fan, I was going to pick up this anniversary edition of the release, kind of half-reading the contents and thinking I was getting a remaster with some bonuses. And that is what it is, but it’s a remaster of those 7″ versions. Which are the right versions – a hill I’m willing to die on, which is perhaps rude to the band and Mike Mogis (who recorded the album versions), except I’d note that the 7″ ones are the ones Racebannon chose to remaster, so “HM,” I say.

Anyhow, if you want the full picture, this 2-disc bundle contains the actual original album (like the actual actual original album – it’s a Secretly Canadian disc; original liner notes; original runout), then a second CD-R that contains James Plotkin remasters of all the 7″ cuts – which cover the 5 parts from the LP edition of the release (the CD had 7 parts), plus live versions of three tracks, plus instrumental demos of four tracks, those latter cuts also all Plotkin remastered joints.

There are also some liner notes (new, legacy) and collected snippets of reviews, and a lovely, glossy package. (Although I rue digipacks that access the discs from the center… curse you!!)

While I’m normally not a live music fan, these are solid additions: perhaps it’s a big thanks to Plotkin’s work on them, but they sound on-par with the rest of the material, and kind of double down on the bite of the studio versions, somewhat akin to the more directly heavy work of their subsequent albums, like Acid or Blood. And the instrumentals… rock. Not to discredit Mike Anderson’s ranting vocals – a key part of Racebannon – but Satan’s sound was so busy, especially on the Secretly Canadian versions, that I found it hard to “hear” the music sometimes, and these instrumental cuts not only prove how solid the backing is on these tunes, but also that they totally stand on their own in this format. As in: bring me an instrumental version of Racebannon, and I’d also be buying their albums.

Shifting back to the 7″ versions, Plotkin really does his duty here: while I’ve already mentioned preferring those, he really brings out the sense of this being a band delivering this stuff – you can feel / hear the performance. It’s the ideal of maintaining the spirit of the recordings while adding to them / providing a new perspective for listening. The songs (in these editions) always rocked, but were kind of raw, befitting RCBNNN’s image at the time, and the scrappiness of the 7″ format. Plotkin dusts them off just enough and sharpens their edges – true for the live and demo material as well – bringing everything up to date with the more rock / hardcore version of the band, over their thrashy / noise roots.

If you already liked this disc, you get it again – and more! And if you’re like me, this is the full retrospective you need to appreciate the goodness that was, apparently, always there.