Thursday, September 26, 2013

So how did YOU spend your summer vacation?

This is how I spent mine:


Coming soon, via Chunklet World Industries.  A double-LP set of all (mostly, if not entirely, out-of-print) non-album, non-EP TAR tracks, compiled for the very first time, with several unreleased tracks and with a companion set of over TWO (!) hours of curated live material.  Vinyl mastered by Mr. Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service, from the original analog masters.  Some tracks freshly mixed by Mr. Steve Albini himself, exclusively for the project.  Tracklist visible at the TAR FaceTube page linked above.

What did I do with this?  Absolutely nothing with the LP set, and with folks like Bob and Steve involved, they'd have been crazy asking me to do anything.

On the other hand, I was asked to curate, assemble and master the massive live component to the project, which will be available via download code for LP purchasers (and available as a digital-only purchase too).  It was a pleasure plowing through untold hours of material, direct from the band's Fort Knox-sized archives, and compiling an ultimate result which can quite fairly be labeled "killer" (how I hate that term!).  Called Want/Need, it's definitely something fans of this blog will both Want and Need.

TAR is quite high in the ranks of Best Chicago Band Ever.  They've been blogged before around these parts.  They are fans of the blog and rather nice gents.  There will be exclusive-to-the-blog TAR unreleased trackage posted here, at some point in the future.

Go forth and preorder!

LP set and download preorder here.

Digital-only "vinyl-free version", the whole works minus the actual vinyl platters themselves (but including the sleeves!) preorder here.

The not-$40-and-not-a-hoodie T-shirt preorder here.

Many thanks to John, Mike, Mark, Tom, Tim and Henry for the musics and the opportunity to assist.  Many thanks to Jim for the mercenary strategy.

edit:  fixed YouTube embed code to support mobile browsing.