Here we have the debut 1985 demo from Birmingham, AL's GNP—apparently one of Alabama's earliest punk bands—appearing on vinyl for the first time, cranking through 16 songs in just over 20 minutes. Things open with a Stooges cover, but that's not necessarily representative of the group's original material, which carries more of a classic punk feel with subtle undercurrents of hardcore pacing and energy. The arrangements offer a combination of lighthearted catchiness and somewhat hectic changeups, but the guitar tone isn't particularly distorted, and actually carries more of a jangly garage rock type of aesthetic, which does allow plenty of room for the bass to hammer away in the center while vocals and drums fight their way through. I must say, too, having been sourced from a 41-year-old punk rock demo cassette, this is a far more listenable experience than one might expect, and really does sound pretty damn good considering.
The LP itself (300 on green, 300 on purple—I opted for green in favor of color coordination with the front cover) does include a download code and is housed in a double-sided full-color pocket sleeve adorned with some photos, news clippings, and tons of badass old flyers. Then there's a double-sided black and white 11" × 17" insert with handwritten lyrics (essentially a copy of an original sheet of notebook paper dated November of 1985) and credits plus some photos, as well as liner notes contributed by guitarist Chris Hendrix, looking back to GNP's roots in late-1982 and on through their wild, "cursed" history and the road to this very reissue. I haven't cited any lyrics, but I suppose you can do the math given the era alongside song titles such as "Pissin' on My Shoe," "I Married an Astro Zombie," "Reggie's a Veggie," etc.
Copies mailordered direct from the label also include a bonus 10-page 8.5" × 11" zine loaded with tons more killer flyers, liner notes from friends/fans regarding the impact of the band (including some fantastic closing remarks from Prank's own Ken Sanderson), reprints of old features from Maximumrocknroll and Birmingham Weekly, a timeline of GNP's 1982 - 2011 run, and a near-complete list of every song they ever wrote. Awesome.
This is, of course, exactly how a proper reissue should be handled! Clearly a well-documented labor of love, and dare I say it could be argued that the superb packaging might just outshine the music a bit!? Whatever the case, I'm an enormous fan of reissues that highlight generally overlooked unsung gems, and I wish that all such projects would be presented in such a comprehensive manner. Nicely done...
Get It
- Prank Records (LP)
- Bandcamp (LP, mp3)
