1980's - 90's Cassette Adverts & Mini-Flyers

Pre-computers and Internet, we had to physically package stuff up and take it to the post office if we wanted to share something, so if you were going to go through all that much work, a lot of people would go ahead and include other things in the package, and the most common thing was, well I don't want to call them advertisements, but let's just say information about other bands, or zines, or labels etc. The little pieces of paper would vary in shape and size, and number anywhere between one and 12 or 15. Some were four or five inches square, and some weren't much bigger than a postage stamp. I found this to be more common with tapes from Europe, where I think the whole idea got started!

So, here's a couple of collage scans of snippets and bits that I used to get in the mail on a regular basis! Being a paper hoarder, I'm sure I have 100's or more of these things!

GENTLEMANIAC - "Primitive Primer" (1989)

I sent the 222th copy of our first tape "The Worm's Turn" to a guy only know as Gentlemaniac in Greensboro, North Carolina in what I think was 1989, but it might have been 1990! Either way, he sent me back this cassette called "Primitive Primer," that featured the Gentlemaniac himself on Voice, Guitars, Keyboards, and Harmonica, with E. Sheperd on Guitar & Keyboards, and Murray "King" Reams as Voice, Guitar, Keyboards and Congas! 

  Here's the second song from the A Side of that tape, a sweet little instrumental called:

"It Wouldn't Bother Me If..."

LOCUST PUDDING - "Supermarket Sasquatch" (1987)

They called themselves Locust Pudding, and they hailed from Albany, N.Y.! 

Two guys do all the work, and their names are Joe Sokolinsky and Eric Hausmann!

Joe gets credits for Lead and Background Vocals, Acoustic, Electric and Bass Guitar! Producer and Engineer Eric also gets credit for Drums, Keyboards, Trumpet, Guitar and Background Vocals! 

So here you go, you lucky people, here's a 1987 cut from the Fungus Fire Music label, titled "Supermarket Sasquatch," a short but wacky tune called:

 "Do You Wanna Dance?"

JOHN BARTLES - "Orange Album" (1989)

 
We've been fortunate enough to record songs via the mail with luminaries of the 80's tape scene like Lord Litter and Don Campau, but I think the best one was on this 1989 release by artist/poet/visionary John Bartles from New York! I sent John a few instrumental tracks on tape, and he took them to Gary Holt's studio, and added amazing vocals and freakin' awesome sax riffs by Ethan Lyons. Unlike digital sounds of today, these cassette tracks got muddier with duplication, but when you've got the right guy doing the job, you can still get an amazing song like this! Here's
"President's Head,"
a song that might well be a lot more pertinent today than it was some 28 years ago!
I think I now have over a 100 cassettes and cd's from John, in fact, I just got one from him a couple of day's ago entitled "A Carrot For Good Behavior!" If you would like to hear more of John's music, I'm sure it's available at Aric Schaubroeck's record store called Mirror Records in Rochester, New York!

JOHNNY PRIMITIVE - "Primitivudu!" (1987)

 So, just like it says over there on the sidebar, in the late 80's, cartoon artistes extraordinaire Brian James Riedel, Gary Wray, and myself had a lot of weekend garage music get togethers, and after the advent of fairly inexpensive drum machines and four tracks, we started taping the stuff we were doing as a band called Hermanos Guzanos just for kicks. One year I met Bob X's brother Johnny Primitive at the San Diego Com Con and he told me he was having pretty good results making cassettes and sending them to college radio stations! I thought that sounded like a pretty cool idea, so I started sending, and then receiving cassettes and magazines from artists all over the world. 

 Johnny Primitive's music was some wild electronic mixes like I had never heard before, and it was easy to understand why he was getting college airplay! Unfortunately, as meticulous as I am about cataloging all this stuff, I've somehow lost the first tape anybody ever gave me, and now only have the case!

THE BUD COLLINS TRIO - Shaky Town" (1989)

As far as I can tell "The Bud Collins Band" is still working it today, which makes a whole lot of sense considering how good this "Shaky Town" cassette was that came out in 1989! Here's a link to the band's Facebook page!

Hailing from North Franklin, CT, back then the band consisted of Chris Duers and Pat Guiney on guitars and vocals, Tony Castellano on bass and keys, drummer Chris Weinland, and Gordon Clark playing percussion! Here's a great tune called 

"FISTICUFFS!"

THE CRANKS - Friends & ...Enemies" (1989)

If you find this place to be interesting, and you just can't get enough good indie music, then make sure and gone on over to Lord Litter's Radio On Show where he's spotlighted this blog a couple of times among a host of other freakin' amazing music! If I had nothing better to do than sit around and listen to music all day and night, I'd be spending a good amount of my time there!! 

The Cranks were from Wantagh, N.Y. and consisted of Allen on drums, Slim Crank on guitar and vocals, and The Psychic on bass! Unless you're dead, I'm pretty sure you're gonna like this song, here's:

"POOR ADAM"