Anal Cunt - Top 40 Hits

According to the ever-reliable source for information that is the internet, Top 40 Hits is considered a bit of a disappointment in the worldwide circles of AxCx fans (or at least it was upon it’s initial release date back in 1996). But, you know me, I don’t give a fuck about what the internet says (lawls, hardcore) because for me, Top 40 Hits shows AxCx at their messiest, blurriest best. Granted, this record is missing the offensive content that the band would become so well-known for (well, if you discount the fact that the band is called Anal Cunt, that is), but this is still a stone cold noisecore classic.

The first few times I heard this in my teens I wasn’t too sure what to make of the whole thing. Seth had it up for free download (possibly against Earache’s permission?) off his old website, back before AxCx reformed for a final time and Seth replaced his personal webpage with that of Wicked Sick Records. The first few songs are mixed so low that the first thing the record will have you doing is reaching for the volume control with a confused expression on your face. I have come to learn that these tracks were mixed this way in order to rumble the living fuck out of speaker cones, and maybe even damage them in the process. Cheers, Anal Cunt!

Despite the mushy, low-fi blur tracks that carried over from the previous LP (only on a much lower frequency, ha ha), we see the first budding AxCx jokey tracks. Tracks such as “Art Fag” and “Shut Up Mike” are a nod to what type of stuff was to dominate on future AxCx records. The best thing about Top 40 Hits however, is the full and amazing production that the band finally dedicated to their small selection of sludgey, doom-metal paced tracks. Some of the best Anal Cunt tracks are their slow, Eyehategod-esque sludge epics. Seth Putnam is a fantastic vocalist, and to confine listening of his talents to just Anal Cunt is definitely a waste; the guy was an absolute legend, there is no doubt.

So all in all, Top 40 Hits does seem like a bit of a jumbled up mix of styles that don’t really go together; it doesn’t help that it seems that the sludge songs, jokey songs and blurry, old school noisecore songs all seem to have come from different recording sessions, which totally annihilates any chance this album had at attaining a flow. I think maybe that this is what put a lot of people off when it first come out; that AxCx had literally just thrown out a whole bunch of shit on one CD and called it a new album. But once you get over the flow issues, you can appreciate each parts for what they really are; fucking amazing! Ha ha! This was released on Earache back in 1996. 

I dunno why this vid has the old artwork for the Fuckin' A album attached to it - perhaps the uploader is a cretinous swine ;)

Anal Cunt - Picnic of Love

In my last Anal Cunt post I mention briefly that Limited Appeal Records put out some fantastic records, and this here slab of ridiculousness is a prime example. Regardless what you might think of Anal Cunt's Picnic of Love record, the pressing itself is a labour of love; the front has whole new artwork from the original, each one is hand numbered (I have 13 out of 311), the art and text on the labels is hand done; and there is a huge printed booklet with hand written lyrics! This is DIY as fuck, if you look passed the fact that the record itself was pressed by a machine (ha ha). I have one of the absurdly rare coloured versions (numbered to 55 copies) that I scored for a small fortune on Ebay.

 

Musically, Picnic of Love is a test of patience; somewhat unusually pleasant but equally or more so grating on the nerves as time goes on. Saying that, I wish I had manned the fuck up at 17 and made the trip to Newcastle when AxCx did a Picnic set at the first ever Blastonbury Festival. I imagine it was very entertaining live! If you don't know the history of the Picnic record, it's probably not the best place to start in the extensive AxCx catalogue, if I'm entirely honest. Check out the track below and play it to your lover / girlfriend / wife / object of affection; I guarantee it will get you laid.  

Post Mortem - Seasoned NoSalt Makes My Beef Stew Taste Like My Beef Stew

Post Mortem is another Seth Putnam band* from back in the day before Anal Cunt gained any particularly large international recognition. Although Seth is only on side A, he put this out on his own label; Wicked Sick Records (RIP). His vocals here show a whole different side to the guy so deeply associated with his usual shitty AxCx gargles and screams. Post Mortem themselves seem a bit lost musically, there is a whole lot of shit going on here although the main vein is slow heavy sludge mixed with more trad-doom stylings.

 

The vocals are straining and harsh as per always but they are so so so good. If you think that Morbid Florist is the best Anal Cunt stuff then you will definatley love this. That is the most similar AxCx vocal style to this. Side B is a lot faster and with a different vocalist (the guitarist of the band), whilst he's not quite Seth Putnam he's still pretty awesome. Definatly a collector's item, but if you want to hear a side to Seth other than Anal Cunt, this is always an interesting listen.

*This is not strictly true. Post Mortem have a long and varied history without Seth. It's just that for me (and probably a lot of other ignorant noise/grind fans lol) this was just another 7" on the huge list of bands that Seth has participated in.

Anal Cunt / Meat Shits - Split 7"

This is "Another" split EP between early Anal Cunt and the slightly infamous Meat Shits. The version I have was put out in black wax on Seth Putnam's own label, Wicked Sick Records, back in 1991. As with the 88 Song EP, Fudgeworthy Records have re-released this rare AxCx 7" in 1996 on blue and clear pressings.

Musically, it's a typical old school noisecore Anal Cunt up against the horrible noisecore/goregrind crossover mess that is Meat Shits. Crazy to see how many members Meat Shits had on this recording, considering it's basic horrible noise. Robert Deathrage has to be equally the queerest / most awesome front-man name in metal, ever.

The original pressings of this on Seth's label are quite rare, nothing super inaccessible but copies are averaging £20 or higher on Discogs at the moment. I would go as far as say this is definitely a completist's item as far as Anal Cunt's musical input is concerned.

Anal Cunt - 88 Song EP 7"

This is the first ever EP by legendary noise fools Anal Cunt. It was originally self-released in 1989 by the band, and then re-released in 1997 by Fudgeworthy Records. The Fudgeworthy version (the version I own) was a 1000 pieces on grey wax. The originally 1989 release was on black, although I am unsure how many were made. The 1st original pressing is exteremely collectable.

If anything, this was a mere sampler of what was to come with the 5643 Song EP, which was released shortly after this. The narrated intro is a great start; the record crackles into life with a brilliant "Hello!" before bashing your head with 88 songs of pure noise, totalling 12 minutes. The drum sound is really good on here, and is a lot clearer than on later AxCx releases. Worth a download (it's out of print so it's okay!).

Anal Cunt - 5643 Song Ep 7"

What a horrible, horrible record! This is Anal Cunt's ridiculous 5643 Song EP, self-released by Seth and put out in Europe by TNT & Records and Stridecore Records. This is one of the European pressings, which is identifiable by it's slightly odd and perplexing rude artwork. According to scarce info available, this release was pressed continuously in 10 different colours, causing insane overlapping effects on some extremely rare copies. One obscenely rare version of a creamy marble effect is currently for sale on Discogs for £3800 (no joke, but the link might die if some idiot buys it)! I was lucky and I managed to get this for £25.

Musically, side A starts off with a sinister slow riff before bursting into a barrage of Anal Cunt's old school noise attack, multiplied sixteen fold. For those not in the know, there are sixteen tracks playing "songs" at any one time. AxCx recorded all drums, vocals and guitars into one track and then repeated the process fifteen more times. How else would you fit 5643 songs on one 7" spinning at 33?

It's easy to pass this off as a novelty but do not forget that this is a piece of noisecore history; Anal Cunt's good effect on grind and noise stems from these years, and while they were to canter into more questionable territory later on in their career, people need to stop and not forget about this era of AxCx's music - they were once more than that band with the nasty / hilarious song titles, they were helping to shape genres.