![]() ![]() ![]() IPR is also producing a “commercial” edition of the CD packaged in a normal-sized 6-panel cardboard wallet folder with additional insert. The numbered and limited Special Edition CD will feature the iconic hand-letterpress printed oversized die cut pocket folder packaging designed and created by Licher at his Independent Project Press, and includes a 4-panel insert with story of the band and gig by Camilla Aisa, plus mini-sized reproductions of the 4 different original flyers produced by each of the bands performing on the bill that night. The Whisky A Go Go that most rock & roll fans know & love was opened on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles by a group of investors consisting of Elmer Valentine, Phil Tanzini, Shelly Davis, Theodore Flier and Mario Maglieri. ![]() Released on November 18th digitally and in two different CD versions. But this is Savage Republic we’re talking about, and as the loud Whisky crowd-regulars mixing with friends, art school students mixing with tough punks-seems to suggest, it worked, as if by magic. In different hands this amalgamation of punk, industrial, art rock, psychedelia, Eastern sounds, avant-garde, no wave, surf and minimalism would have eventually proved contrived, pretentious, or at least confusing. The four-piece appears to be at once trailblazing, sounding like no other band before or since, and eager to dig up its rich, often surprising lineage (they were embodying 60s California’s all-embracing curiosity better than most neo-psychedelic bands). underground, while simultaneously reclaiming a love of styles and influences that might have seemed long forgotten by then (Eastern music being the most prominent one). Here, the hardcore and the arty are perfectly intertwined the band emerges as one of the most politically engaged (and lucid) entities of the L.A. So of their time they now sound timeless, are unexpectedly intertwined with a kaleidoscopic love of sound that still makes the band stand out from the rest of their contemporaries. But the live album is also a powerful reminder of Savage Republic’s flair for containing multitudes: those hardcore inclinations, Those formative experiences are brilliantly reflected in the sound of Africa Corps Live at The Whisky A-Go-Go December 30th 1981, with its hypnotic blend of industrial and piercing post It’s hard to fathom, but the four musicians had only been playing together for about eight months at that point, mostly rehearsing in the concrete parking garages at UCLA. The original tape has now been remastered by Warren DeFever (His Name Is Alive) and unearths a most cathartic performance. We’re lucky enough to witness most of the future Tragic Figures tracks in a process of highly creative gestation, in the middle of being developed. Their extraordinary first time at the Whisky was recorded on cassette on December 30th 1981, a momentous night when soon-to-be Savage Republic had been invited to open for Orange County hardcore-turned-post punk outfit Middle Class along with fellow LA post punk journeymen Afterimage (it was probably the friendship among band members that made it all happen). Ever wondered about what seeing a blossoming Savage Republic up close must have felt like? Africa Corps Live at The Whisky A-Go-Go December 30th 1981 is here to take us right there, fiercely catapulting listeners in front of one of L.A.’s most iconic stages, back when a young band of UCLA students (Bruce Licher, Mark Erskine, Philip Drucker and Jeff Long), by then still called Africa Corps, was starting to make its way in the punk underground. Live at the Whiskey a Go-Go is essential X.The 40th anniversary of Savage Republic’s seismic debut LP Tragic Figures is certainly cause for celebration and after working closely with Real Gone Music on the recently released expanded reissue of that album, Independent Project Records is proud to present a priceless jewel documenting the group’s early days. Many of the versions found here come pretty close to topping the originals, especially in terms of energy, most notably the classics "Los Angeles," "The New World," "Burning House of Love," "Hungry Wolf," "Riding With Mary," "White Girl," "Unheard Music," and "Johnny Hit & Run Pauline." Also included are plenty of the solid, oft-overlooked album cuts such as "Surprise, Surprise," "Because I Do," "Blue Spark," "Devil Doll," and "The World's a Mess," as well as several more country-flavored tunes performed as X's alter ego, the Knitters (including the great "The Call of the Wreckin' Ball"). ![]() Recorded during the tour in support of their album See How We Are (with new addition Tony Gilkyson on the six-string), the quartet sounds ferocious playing at one of their favorite early venues. Although they never issued a true live set featuring the stellar, original lineup with guitarist Billy Zoom, X's one and only live album, 1988's Live at the Whiskey a Go-Go, is still a great sample of the band in concert. X were undeniably not just one of the greatest punk bands, but one of the greatest live rock acts of all time. ![]()
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