You Kill Me (EP)

Last updated
You Kill Me
NoMeansNo Youkill.jpg
EP by
Released1985
Recorded1985
StudioMushroom Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia
Genre Punk rock
Length17:41
Label Undergrowth, Alternative Tentacles
Producer Nomeansno, Greg Reely
Nomeansno singles and EPs chronology
Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred
(1981)
You Kill Me
(1985)
Dad/Revenge
(1987)

You Kill Me is an EP by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. Recorded in 1985, it is the first Nomeansno record to feature the band's three-piece lineup, with guitarist Andy Kerr joining founding members Rob Wright and John Wright. Originally issued on the Undergrowth label, it was later re-released on CD with the Sex Mad album on the Sex Mad/You Kill Me compilation CD and cassette released by Alternative Tentacles.

Contents

Background and recording

Brothers Rob and John Wright formed Nomeansno in 1979, initially as a home-recording project and later as a two-piece live group. [1] The two released several records, including their debut LP, Mama . [2] John Wright also began playing drums with the Victoria punk band The Infamous Scientists, led by vocalist and guitarist Andy Kerr. When The Infamous Scientists disbanded in 1983, and after several months of coercion, Kerr joined Nomeansno. [1]

After performing locally and touring, adapting older material for the three-piece lineup, and composing new material, the group entered Mushroom Studio in Vancouver in 1985 to record a new EP. The band recorded four original songs and a cover of "Manic Depression" by Jimi Hendrix. The sessions were co-produced by Greg Reely, who later produced albums for Sarah McLachlan, [3] Front Line Assembly, [4] Fear Factory, Machine Head, Coldplay, and Skinny Puppy.

Release

The EP was initially issued on 12" vinyl by Undergrowth Records. Nomeansno embarked on extensive touring throughout North America in support of it. They signed with Alternative Tentacles in 1986, who re-issued You Kill Me in on 12" vinyl 1991 and later repackaged the EP with Nomeansno's second LP, Sex Mad , as the Sex Mad/You Kill Me compilation CD and cassette.

Nomeansno left Alternative Tentacles and began reissuing their back catalogue on their own Wrong Records imprint, with distribution by Southern Records. Neither Sex Mad nor You Kill Me, however, has been reissued by Wrong.

Reception

You Kill Me was praised retrospectively by critics, typically in the context of its situation beside Sex Mad. AllMusic critic Ned Raggett noted the classic rock influence which contrasts with the band's punk rock influences, praising the cover of "Manic Depression." [5] Writing for Trouser Press , critic Ira Robbins praised the EP's dark humor and musical prowess. [6]

Track listing

All songs written by Nomeansno except track 4, written by Jimi Hendrix.

  1. "Body Bag" – 4:39
  2. "Stop It" – 4:36
  3. "Some Bodies" – 4:04
  4. "Manic Depression" – 2:32
  5. "Paradise" – 3:50

Personnel

Nomeansno
Production and artwork

Related Research Articles

Nomeansno Canadian alternative rock band

Nomeansno was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia and later relocated to Vancouver. They issued 11 albums, including a collaborative album with Jello Biafra, as well as numerous EPs and singles. Critic Martin Popoff described their music as "the mightiest merger between the hateful aggression of punk and the discipline of heavy metal." Nomeansno's distinct hardcore punk sound, complex instrumentation, and dark, "savagely intelligent" lyrics inspired subsequent musicians. They are often considered foundational in the punk jazz and post-hardcore movements, and have been cited as a formative influence on the math rock and emo genres.

<i>Wrong</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Nomeansno

Wrong is the fourth full-length album by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. It was released in 1989 through Alternative Tentacles record label.

<i>Sex Mad</i> 1986 studio album by Nomeansno

Sex Mad is the second full-length album by Canadian punk rock band NoMeansNo. Released in 1986, it is both the first Nomeansno LP to feature long-time guitarist Andy Kerr in addition to founding members Rob Wright and John Wright and the first Nomeansno album issued through Alternative Tentacles.

<i>Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy?</i> 1993 studio album by Nomeansno

Why Do They Call Me Mr. Happy? is the sixth full-length album by Vancouver punk rock group Nomeansno. Released in 1993, it is their second album recorded by the original two-piece lineup of brothers Rob and John Wright following Mama (1982), and first after the departure of longtime guitarist Andy Kerr. Here the band mostly replaced its hardcore punk sound with slower songs influenced by heavy metal and progressive rock. The album was well-received by critics and praised for its balance of heaviness and subtlety, showcasing the dynamics of the band in its original incarnation.

<i>Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed</i> 1988 studio album by Nomeansno

Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed is the third full-length album by Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. It was their second album with longtime guitarist Andy Kerr and first recorded after signing with the prominent punk rock label Alternative Tentacles. The album is highly experimental both sonically and compositionally, and ranks among the band's most challenging works. It was released on LP in 1988, and issued on the CD compilation album The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed with the EP The Day Everything Became Nothing, recorded during the same sessions.

<i>The Day Everything Became Nothing</i> 1988 EP by Nomeansno

The Day Everything Became Nothing is an EP by Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. It was recorded during the same December 1987 recording sessions that yielded the Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed album. These two records were packaged together on the compilation album The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed. The material on the EP is highly experimental both sonically and compositionally, and ranks among the band's most challenging works.

<i>The Power of Positive Thinking</i> (EP) 1990 EP by Nomeansno

The Power of Positive Thinking is an EP by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. "I Am Wrong" and "Life in Hell" were both new tracks while "Manic Depression" was a Jimi Hendrix cover recorded in 1985 and remixed for release on the EP.

<i>Live + Cuddly</i> 1991 live album by Nomeansno

Live + Cuddly is a live album by punk rock band Nomeansno. The album has been praised as one of the best punk rock live albums ever recorded.

<i>0 + 2 = 1</i> 1991 studio album by Nomeansno

0 + 2 = 1 is the fifth full-length album by Canadian punk band Nomeansno. Released in 1991, it was the fourth and final studio album to feature Nomeansno's longtime guitarist Andy Kerr. The proper follow-up to their most popular album, Wrong, the record was somewhat polarizing but generally well received by critics.

<i>Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie</i> 1998 studio album by Nomeansno

Dance of the Headless Bourgeoisie is the eighth full-length album released by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. It was initially released on Alternative Tentacles in 1998 as a 10-track CD and 12-track double LP. The band's own label Wrong Records, along with distributors Southern Records, re-released the 12-track version of the album in 2007, 2010, and 2014 with modified track order and art.

<i>The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed</i> 1988 compilation album by NoMeansNo

The Day Everything Became Isolated and Destroyed is a compilation album of two records by Vancouver punk band Nomeansno. The compilation album comprises the EP The Day Everything Became Nothing and the full-length album Small Parts Isolated and Destroyed, both recorded during the same December 1987 recording session.

Andy Kerr is a Canadian-born musician, originally from British Columbia and currently residing in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Kerr is best known as the former guitarist, frequent vocalist, and co-songwriter in the progressive punk rock/punk jazz band NoMeansNo. He has also recorded and performed as a solo artist, and his current group is Two Pin Din.

<i>Mama</i> (Nomeansno album) 1982 studio album by Nomeansno

Mama is the debut album by Victoria, British Columbia punk rock band Nomeansno. Featuring the band's original incarnation comprising brothers John and Rob Wright, the album was released independently on LP in 1982. Nomeansno reissued a remastered version the album in 1992 on their own Wrong Records imprint, coupled with the tracks from their Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred EP of 1981.

<i>Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred</i> 1981 EP by Nomeansno

Betrayal, Fear, Anger, Hatred is the first EP by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. Released in 1981, it and the "Look, Here Come the Wormies / SS Social Service" 7-inch split single from the previous year are the two official Nomeansno releases from their origins recording in their parents' basement before becoming a live band. Originally self-released in a limited vinyl run, the EP since has been re-released by the band's Wrong Records imprint on 7-inch and included on reissues of the band's 1982 debut album Mama.

<i>0 + 2 = 1 ½</i> 2010 compilation album by Nomeansno

0 + 2 = 1 ½ is a compilation album by Vancouver punk band Nomeansno. Recorded in 1991 and released as a digital album in 2010, it includes five outtakes and four demo tracks recorded for 0 + 2 = 1, Nomeansno's fifth full-length record and final album to feature Nomeansno's longtime guitarist Andy Kerr.

Generic Shame is an EP from Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. Released in 2001 on Wrong Records, the three-song EP was recorded during the same sessions which yielded in the album One.

Sex Mad/You Kill Me is a compilation of two records by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. Released in 1991 on the Alternative Tentacles imprint domestically and Cargo Records internationally, the album compiles the You Kill Me EP from 1985 and the Sex Mad album from 1986. These two records were the band's first recordings with longtime guitarist Andy Kerr.

Would We Be Alive? is an EP by Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. Its title track is a cover of a song by the avant-garde group The Residents, from their Intermission: Extraneous Music from the Residents' Mole Show record. The EP also features a new version of the song "Big Dick" from the Nomeansno album Wrong, as well as two new tracks.

In the Fishtank 1 is an EP by Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. Recording during the band's 1996 European tour, it was the first release in the In the Fishtank series, in which the Netherlands-based De Konkurrent label provided bands with two days of studio recording time and released the final results.

"Dad/Revenge" is a single by Canadian punk rock band Nomeansno. Recorded in 1985, it features two tracks from Nomeansno's 1986 album Sex Mad. "Dad" was a minor college radio hit.

References

  1. 1 2 Black, Mark; (2012) NoMeansNo: Going Nowhere, Invisible Press, ISBN   978-1926743271
  2. Barclay, Michael; Jack, Ian A. D.; Schneider, Jason (2011) Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985*1995, ECW Press, ISBN   978-1550229929
  3. "Audio Track". Billboard. 5 Aug 1995. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  4. Vladimir Bogdanov (24 May 2001). All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music . Backbeat Books. p.  149. ISBN   978-0-87930-628-1 . Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  5. Raggett, Ned. "Sex Mad/You Kill Me : Nomeansno". AllMusic . Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  6. "Nomeansno". TrouserPress.com . Retrieved 2007-01-07.