Braid/Get Up Kids - Post Marked Stamps No. 4 (extended play)

Been trying to figure out how to incorporate some of my favorite 7" into the album a day entries... and have decided to tag these as "extended plays".

I've done a few entries tagged as "inches of love" where I highlighted some 7 & 12 inch records so I'll tag it as that also...

n-e-ways...  Picked this 7" up on ebay about a year or two ago?  I never spun it for some reason so I had no idea what songs were actually on this fucking thing.   I scored my copy for under 25 dollars, which was a little bit of a steal, these typically fetch north of 40 bucks on ebay.

Learned this evening that both bands recorded songs that I like verily.

The Get Up Kids - do a version of I'm A Loner Dottie, a Rebel - that I was unfamiliar with.  I never picked up the Eudora release on CD when it came out...  I listened to their cover of Beer for Breakfast by the Replacements and vowed to never own it. (The Original - by the Mats)

I did however get the covers of Close to Me (the Cure) and On With the Show (Motley Crue) from iTunes because they were freakishly good.

Anyhoo... I really love the way the drums sound on the 7" version of this song.  There's a backing vocal on one of the chorus that I could do without tho'...  the song was re-recorded for the full length Something to Write Home About.

The real goodness on this seven inch comes from Braid.  The song "Forever Got Shorter" is one of my top 10 favorite Braid songs ever recorded.   The dueling guitars and drum fills are intoxicating....  the song also has one of my favorite braid lyrics -

frustration can be gorgeous
but can i keep my mouth shut
cause sometimes
gorgeous can be frustration
when you life is nothing
but an honorable mention
on a radio. on a radio!

Artist: Braid & The Get Up Kids
EP: Post Marked Stamps No. 4
Producer: ?, ?
Label: Tree Records
Recorded: Red House Studios, Private Studios

Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About

When I woke up this morning, I knew I needed to select an album that had a little pep.  I wasn't feeling very motivated to get out of bed and I really just wanted the weekend to start.

When I saw the spine to Something to Write Home About - I knew that this would be an ideal album to listen to while getting ready for work.

Unlike the first two selections, I actually revisit this album every now and again...   I have a lot of fond memories of this album.

I really dig finding these mail order catalogs in these old CD's.  I'm hella tempted to fill one out and see if they fulfill the order.

My favorite memory is listening to this album on New Years Eve 1999, on a levy with Chivo and Jaime...  If I remember correctly Chivo passed out in the backseat of his car with this feet hanging out of an open door.  We connected a small disc man to his car stereo and we listened to the album pretty loudly while he slept it off.  

I don't recall a lot of what Jaime and I talked about...  he undoubtedly got pissy eyes about his girlfriend (now wife) but I do remember both of us reflecting on how good the album was.

The Get Up Kids were roughly the same age we were so there was something really special about seeing someone in our peer group release a record like Something To Write Home About.

Admittedly, I feel like I've outgrown a number of the early songs on this record...   I could go about the rest of my life without ever hearing Red Letter Day.  

we're loyal like brothers, just us versus all the others
i trusted misleading promises worth repeating
how could you do this to me?

Ick right?

The latter half of the album however has a number of really good songs that still hold up well tho'.  One's that I highly recommend you check out.

Artist: The Get Up Kids
Album: Something to Write Home About 
Producer: The Get Up Kids, Chad Blinman and Alex Brahl
Label: Vagrant Records
Recorded: Mad Hatter Studios