Crush - Hot Tracks 7"

Crush – Hot Tracks 7”
Time to Develop Records, 1988

Acquired: Love Garden Shotgun Room, Used, 2008

Price: $.25

Talk about pre-grunge/college rock in its heyday! Sludgy guitars, shouted non-sensical lyrics (the A-side track “Sexy Fish” bears a refrain that sounds like “Sex and Fish,” which is hysterical), a general disregard for sound quality! It’s all here on this 7” from a Massachusetts band released by a label from good ol’ Lawrence, Kansas! Because the most fun thing about these random late 80s 7”s is doing connect the dots, let’s see who’s in this band! The Massachusetts/Lawrence connection may indicate some sort of Big Dipper link and there is in Gary Waleik (who not only produced the record but is credited with “Sportsmanlike demeanor, unsportsmanlike guitar, percussion, helicopters, also holler). Waleik is tethered to Crush bassist Bob Weston via the Volcano Suns and is generally sort of a luminary via his ties with Steve Albini/Shellac. Crush drummer Bob Fay replaced Eric Gaffney in Sebadoh and plays on Bakesale and Harmacy. Talk about a primordial stew of noise rock!