Last Laugh

Ambient Noise

I Was There at the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Last Laugh

***Reissue of the rare 1980 punk single. Expanded to a 12-inch EP with two unreleased bonus cuts.

Antler Joe And The Accidents

Go Commercial

Last Laugh

Antler Joe and the Accidents recorded three songs: "Dogshit," "Words," and "Who Needs A Woman Like You." John said he had but one regret, and that was the enlisting of a sax player on the last song. The band printed up 300 copies complete with pic sleeves and inserts and released it as the Go Commercial EP (Killer Sheep Records 1981). The EP was greeted with the expected enthusiasm: the drummer quit and locals didn't give a shit.

Shit Dogs

Reborn

Last Laugh

***Legendary lo-fi punk from Baton Rouge's The Shit Dogs. Collecting both of their rare 1981 7"s for the first time on cassette! You get the History Of Cheese on Side A and You Bet! on Side B. Essential listening from Last Laugh Records.

Embarrassment, The

Death Travels West

Last Laugh

***1983’s Death Travels West finds The Embarrassment as anthemic, angular, and inscrutable as they ever were, with a concept record in the loosest sense of the word. The gangly, jangly Wichita four-piece pack up their harmonies and head west, riding into the sunset and on to Saturn’s rings. Lyrical density meets Manifest Destiny with a chugging rush of guitars that'll send you pogo-ing across the American landscape. It’s a catchy, smart and ambitious effort from these legendary progenitors of indie rock... err, “Blister Pop”. Third in a series of reissues on Last Laugh Records, Death Travels West is available on vinyl again after almost 40 years, and for the first time on Cassette.

Insults, The

S/t

Last Laugh

"Seems like no punk label can resist the allure of the obscure reissue these days, but Last Laugh has been dutifully excavating the graffiti-riddled stalls of punk’s history for many years now, generally coming through with more hits than misses. The Insults released two 7″s in 1979, both want-list staples of any decent punk collector, and Last Laugh hit the jackpot here, locating a 1980 recording session of unreleased tunes and releasing it here. I sure wish Maids or Cracked Actor were sitting on unreleased albums, but I’ll take it from The Insults as well, whose material on this self-titled LP is certainly good enough to have warranted a proper 1980 release. Wonder what happened! Opener 'I Hate…' blasts both teenagers and the band’s neighbors, a coulda-been punk anthem, and it’s not long until 'Disco Bitch' goes into lyrical territory that, well, I think I’ll leave you to guess. 'Trans Am' sounds like it should’ve been a Scientists a-side, whereas 'Dummies On Parade' directly and successfully lifts the melody from 'Holiday In The Sun'—it’s really quite remarkable how top-shelf these songs are. It’s a classic snot-nosed punk sound with a mix of energy and aloof nihilism that would’ve acclimated well to the burgeoning hardcore-punker scene. No liner notes to explain why this recording languished for forty years, but my imagination is filling in the gaps just fine—I’m picturing an infuriated RON RAT (vocalist) throwing the tapes in the attic after a drunken RICHARD SIKK (guitarist) threw up on the pool...

Mentally Ill

Gacy's Place - The Starbeat Sessions

Last Laugh

***“Does the phrase 'total Killed By Death destruction' mean anything to you? Gacy’s Place, the defining ’79 anthem from Illinois’ MENTALLY ILL, ranks among the most disgusting and drool-inducing jams of the genre—a life-ruining classic for sure. This 12″ includes that fabled debut 45 and the other cuts from the same session, all wretched, painfully scuzzy punk. Alternative Tentacles unearthed this crapola at the turn of the century, but Almost Ready has thankfully trimmed all the fat from the rancid USDA KBD beef here, resulting in a frightening slab of fuck sure to poison the mind of any listener. Hard to beat.”—MRR #436

Hand Grenades

Demos To London

Last Laugh

***In 1979, the HAND GRENADES unveiled their debut (and subsequently only) single, “Demo to London,” to little public notice except from some European record store owners who were mailed promotional copies containing prints seemingly the work of Andy Warhol. But despite the shenanigans (and threatened legal action from Warhol), the band failed to gain much of any notoriety. The Hand Grenades eventually became the SPONSORS and put an album out on Dutch label Plexus that got only slightly more recognition. Fortunately, longtime dustbin excavators Last Laugh Records have resuscitated the Hand Grenades’ lone artifact and evidence of the band’s existence and paired it with two unearthed recordings never pressed to wax before. The original A-side, “Demo to London,” sounds like a long lost Fast Product side, while its flip, “Comà Dos,” could be an early Wire cut if they took themselves a little less seriously. Meanwhile, the two new tracks, “Cocoon” and “Murder,” perhaps point the way towards what the Sponsors would become, pairing angular guitar hooks with a more melodic bent. Despite any similarities to their contemporaries, what’s obvious is that the band was well on its way to forging a distinctive set of sonics, which fortunately can now finally be heard.

Dogs

Slash Your Face

Last Laugh

***THE DOGS came raging out of the legendary Motor City rock scene of the late '60’s and early ’70s, which spawned such musical touchstones as the Stooges, MC5, Amboy Dukes, Up, and other lesser known but equally ferocious proto-punk acts, The Dogs packed all the feral energy and cultural angst of that era into their live shows and an enduring set of recordings. The famous 3-song Slash Your Face EP hit the indie scene in 1978 culled from the historic live shows at the famous Mabuahy Gardens in San Francisco. This EP has been the fave of bootleggers and fans for 40 years. The band is still together and delivering the hard edged angst ridden Detroit Rock with their vibrant political attitudes and hi energy riffs.

Insults

Stiff Love

Last Laugh

***“She just wanna put her lips around stiff love. She’s too busy sucking on stiff love. She’s gonna get a mouthful of hot cum!” It doesn’t get much more direct than the Insults “Stiff Love.” A rude, crude and obnoxious slice of sleaze, the track is also considered a classic piece of late ‘70s Northern Californian punk—Noisey

Insults

Population Zero / Zombie Lover

Last Laugh

***Few bands have been named more fittingly than THE INSULTS. All of their songs (and this 7" is the tip of the ol' iceberg, pal) are an affront to "good" taste, "good" manners, "good" musicianship...in other words, the perfect band for you and me. A long-time collector-fave finally reissued in it's proper form here, this two-songer from the prides of Watsonville, CA still sounds as wonderfully ignorant today as it did in 1979 and makes an excellent introduction to the world of RICHARD SIKK and his cohorts. "Population Zero" is a plea to eliminate the entire human race, a prayer we're much closer to answering in 2014. "Zombie Lover" is....well, just what you think it is. Special guest appearance by CHER. Buy or cry.

Mentally Ill

Strike The Bottom Red

Last Laugh

***A reissue of the 1999 STEVE ALBINI-recorded album from Chicago punk legends MENTALLY ILL.