August 2006
Review of "Victims of a Bombraid" from Stepping Stone
Interview from Paid in Full zine
This one-page interview appeared in the UK fanzine Paid in Full #3 in November 1985.
Highlights:
1. Discussion of pressing information: "Raped Ass," three pressings, with one on the way; "Victims of a Bombraid," one pressing, with another on the way.
2. Influences: formerly Alice Cooper, Sabbath, Discharge, Chaos UK, etc.; now, Billy Idol, Damned, Alan Vega, Blondie, Chaos UK, etc.
3. Regarding the "Really Fast" LP: "Our songs is shit on compl actual the demo tape goes too slow therefore such strength guitar sound."
Earache ad January 1985
Here is an advertisement for records distributed by Earache Records from Nottingham, England (Yes, that Earache). The ad appeared in Phoenix Militia, a UK hardcore and metal fanzine, that had previously been called Phoenix from the Crypt. Of note is the availability of "Raped Ass," which was released in 1983. Also, I love the quote "Buy these records -- to make your ears bleed and your brain think." It is interesting to see which records were distributed overseas and which, apparently, weren't selling very quickly.
Shitlickers write-up from Game of the Arseholes zine #3
Here is an excerpt of an article I wrote in spring 2000 for my zine, Game of the Arseholes. The article was about some rare records (The Clay 7", E.A.T.E.R. 7", YDI 7", Mornington Crescent 7", etc.) I included some information I had recently obtained from a Swedish friend whom you might know as the proprietor of the Ken Rock record label. Not everything in this article is accurate, especially the pressing information, but it was the best information available at the time. This article and one I published in Maximum Rocknroll the next year about Swedish hardcore are, I believe, two sources for much of the pre-Wikipedia, pre-blog conventional wisdom on The Shitlickers. Today, I'd estimate I stand by approximately 80% of what is contained in this piece. The enthusiasm for the music, however, is undiminished.
"Raped Ass" test pressing
A test pressing of "Raped Ass" sold on eBay in May 2006 for approximately $590 to a Japanese bidder. The auction did not contain much useful information or a good photograph of the record, but here is the photo as well as the auction itself, with the winning bidder's ID blacked out. (The auction is still available from eBay, but not for long.)
The label of the test pressing is the same as that of some other test pressings of Swedish hardcore records from the era, which were clearly pressed at the same Swedish plant. It is unclear how many test pressings of this record exist, but this is the only one I have ever seen sold. Notably, all "pressings" of this record came from the same stampers and have the same matrices, so no matter how many sleeve versions there are (more on that issue in the future, of course), there was likely just a single run of test pressings.