Rarities & Other Recordings

3-TRACK DEMO TAPE

Single-sided cassette
No label. No Cat. No.

1. I Can’t Stand It
2. Inside Your head
3. You Look Dead Good

Recorded within weeks of Jack & Co getting together and now  seriously difficult to get hold of. This was mostly sold at a handful of early gigs. If you have one make sure the cassette sticker stays intact.

Lead track “I Can’t Stand It” finds Jack in defiant mood (“Don’t tell me you know what’s best / I’m not listening to what you say”), “Inside Your Head” is bizarrely upbeat (“Up, down, round and round / What’s going on in your head? “). “You Look Dead Good” is BB in melancholic mood.

Jack: “Our first demo, first time in a studio, albeit a cheap studio … not my best work!! Not many of those around though … luckily”

A.D: “Not especially stunning material. I think we had only been together for a few weeks when it was recorded”

Jim Vevee: “I think I killed Bert Polo”

JACK STRAKER HOME DEMOS

Not officially available
No label. No Cat. No.

1. Tom’s Dead (vocal version)
2. I’ll Be What You Want Me To Be
3. What I Want
4. Now You’re Gone

(Note: Some titles may not be accurate)

A few of Jack’s home demos were heard by fans circa 1992 but very few copies exist now (possibly only one – mine – outside of Jack’s possession). These are (very) rough home demos of songs from BB’s early repertoire played on guitar and bass with drum machine. Probably only intended as guides for other band members to learn their parts.

None of these songs survived beyond late ’92 / early ’93 although Tom’s Dead was done as a solo guitar instrumental on the “Sport Fury” album. Check out Unreleased Songs for more info.

FIREBIRD SPECIAL

Demo Cassette
Ostrich G.T. Cat. No: GT5

 

1. Firebird Special
2. Midwest

The exact same tracks as the Sympathy For The Record Industry 7″ single but on promo cassette with cool home made sleeve and tape stickers. Band contact info on sleeve (don’t call – it’s long out of date).

Hardly any of these exist. In fact, BB legend has it that only enough were made to send to Jack’s  five fave record labels in search of a deal (so in theory, only five of these should exist – are you keeping up?). Something musta gone wrong in camp Beachbuggy cos I got one – and I don’t even have a record label!

If you’ve got one too, look after it – it’s ultra-rare.

FIREBIRD SPECIAL

Promo 7″ Single
Sympathy For The Record Industry Cat. No: STFRI-499

Side One: Firebird Special
Side Two: Midwest

Ultra-rare promo test pressing of the SFTRI single in cooool mustard marble vinyl.

SPORT FURY

Promo CD
Poptones Cat. No: MC5039CD

1. Kickin’ Back
2. Bad Guys Wear Black
3. Touch My Stuff (You Can Die)
4. From The South
5. Science Fiction
6. Godspeed My Friend
7. It Might Be The Jets
8. The Fastest Time
9. Just A Little Punk
10. Cuba
11. Tom’s Dead
12. Radio Ad (Italia)

Promo copy of the second album in standard Poptones green cardboard slipcase. Some copies have a sticker with Poptones contact details.

FROM THE SOUTH

Promo CD
Poptones. Cat. No: MC5056S

1. From The South
2. Infomation

Promo CD (this one actually sent to the music press rather than just given away with the 7″ single) in standard Poptones green cardboard slipcase.

KILLER BEE (1-TRACK CD PROMO SINGLE)

Promo CD
Poptones. Cat. NoMC5080SC

1. Killer Bee

One-track promo single (despite other tracks being listed on the sleeve) in cardboard slipcase with pluggers contact details sticker.

KILLER-B (JAPANESE CD)

CD album
Poptones. Cat. No. EICP208

1. Radio Ad (Japan)
2. Killer Bee
3. Fire In My Eye
4. Oh Wow!
5. Strip City Heights
6. Strike!
7. Dirty Mouth
8. Easycome Easygo
9. Ah Oooh
10. The Hitt
11. Very Bad Thing
12. Deathray
13. So Wholesome
14. Sheriff Is Law

Cool Japanese version of the third long-player. Omits Albini’s opening organ solo but opens with “Radio Ad (Japan)” (of course) then adds a couple of Killer Bee-sides at the end. Lyrics to the songs are reproduced in English and Japanese and the sleeve includes one of those cool wrap-around “obi strip” thingamabobs (see pictures)..

Marshall says: “A very cool thing indeed – but beware of potentially bogus e-bayers selling this”.

DIRTY MOUTH (1-TRACK CD PROMO SINGLE)

CD Single
Poptones. Cat. No: MC5086SCD(P)

1. Dirty Mouth

A few nice Poptones promo releases exist if you can track them down. For example, there’s a really nice CD-R of the “Killer-B” album in a cardboard slip case and sticker with promo blurb.

This example is a 1-track promo CD, and although it’s nothing special in itself, it demonstrates the kind of minor differences crazed BB collectors go mad over.

The track itself is identical to the single and album versions, as is the front cover picture (the back is the standard Poptones green with press and promo contact details – but no sticker). The difference that makes this release so cool is the placement of the typography on the front cover – slightly bigger and placed a little to the left of the finished single artwork.

See, when I said “crazed BB collectors” I wasn’t kidding. (Hey, it beats getting a girlfriend, right?)

Compare the promo cover above with the official single release below.

See…?