Reprinted with permission of the author
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Background:
The first of Siltbreeze Axemen re-issues one out of the gate is the trio’s 1983 Big Cheap Motel, their difficult third album, their protest album (following the blistering, insane, and completely live debut Equinox and the studio / live tribute to punk-dub-beer-noise-cubism, Mick’s Dancefloor (Mix)). Rarely heard outside the Southern Hemisphere, this montage of rough-and-ready live performances and Peterboro Studio recordings teeters on the precipice of chaotic genius alongside such stalwarts as Alternative TV / Hear & Now’s What You See Is What You Are and 1/2 Japanese’s Loud.‚
Says band member Stevie McCabe; “Bob and myself went down to check out the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, the scene of the summertime concert-in-the-park series of free outdoor events sponsored by the local council and Big M milk drinks, only to find the park plastered with billboard-sized posters of scantily clad young ladies advertising the sponsor’s wares. We immediately scrapped our set list– which extolled the joy of festivals and praised the council and Big M milk drinks as worthy town governors and milk-based food products, respectively– and replaced them with a set of ‘protest’ songs about the travesty, which were performed at the event, to the mild annoyance of the council and the sponsors. Following this brutal coming of age and awakening to the influence and power of advertising, The Axemen swore to use advertising to its full extent in future, but only for good (e.g. promotion of The Axemen), never for evil (anything else).”‚
Not exactly a Crass concert, but, hey, be careful what you wish for. Comes with a reproduction of original insert and original cover design, in a one-time edition of 500.
Reprinted from: https://flyingout.co.nz/products/the-axemen-big-cheap-motel?variant=339346039
Axemen’s ‘Big Cheap Motel’ LP Ready For Order!
So the 1st of the Axemen reissue lp series is now available. ‘Big Cheap Motel’ was originally released as a cassette in 1983 & documents the band’s assault on a free concert sponsored by the Big M milk congolmerate. On here one finds the Axemen to be the living embodiment of early ‘don’t man hate, man educate’ Riot Grrrl doctrine, caterwauling a set of on-the-spot original protests (+ a Rolling Stones cover) aimed at local city council & Big M’s salacious advertising that falls somewhere between ATV’s ‘What You See Is What You Are’ & Half Japanese live in DuPont Circle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTuA_FGKzWk). Would Alan Alda approve? Hard to say, but hopefully it’s a formidable enough aural action to keep Germaine Greer’s piehole shut. It’s no Crass, but then, what is?
This lp is an edition of 700.
All copies include an insert & most come w/stickers suitable for bodily application.
Step right up & order.
i got a weird question for ya, did that andband split 7′ come w/a outer sleeve? sorry, away for home computer, hence this odd missive.
I guess so, you’d have to check with Ian Henderson of The Puddle http://www.muzic.net.nz/artists/1594.html
Tom, each sleeve I saw (and mine) was handmade and handwritten, there was a papersleeve inside that. I’ll up a photo at some point.
Nice. There’s definitely a bit of interest in that old tome Geo, be good if Ian could find the time to do a needle drop on PS/AB 7″ (at the correct RPM of course 🙂 and then one could get the WAV files and artwork altogether for a re-issue. I’m not assuming anyone in particular but it’s easier once you’ve got all the ingredients together to bake a cake 🙂