A Record Collector's Guide

The Pietasters - Albums

S/T

Slug Tone! Records ST-04/Shadowbox Entertainment SB-001 CD, released 1993

Distributed by Moon (MR039)

Ah, the legendary Pietasters' first album...it was self-titled.  Many, many people have referred to this disc as "Piestomp" over the years, but that is not its name.  That almost became a disclaimer when discussing it with the band.  I can't imagine where people would have gotten the idea that it was named Piestomp...perhaps the t-shirts, stickers, and buttons had something to do with it...


The album was only released on CD, but it was a tremendously collectable CD.  It went out of print long ago, having been released on the band's Slug Tone label, and was extremely difficult to find throughout the vast majority of ska's third wave.  Really, by 1994, this was nowhere to be found.  In the late '90s, though, the band announced that they had found some more copies of the disc, and it became available anew for a few months.  I compared one of these to a copy from the original run, and all of the codes on the two discs were identical.  Anyway, this was a great debut.  I know lots of people who love this disc, and plenty of others who do not.  It is not as difficult to procure as it once was (though still not easy), and the tracks were all included on the 1992-1996 3 CD set.  However, the versions of the songs on that collection are the demo and single versions, which are different from the versions on the original album.

Oolooloo

Moon Ska MR059 CD, released 1995

Classic Pietasters.  Solid album throughout.  This was the Pietasters' first release on Moon Ska.  For years, it has only available in CD form.  This is about to change.  It will soon be released on vinyl for the first time as a joint effort between Asbestos Records, Underground Communique, and others.  If you buy the original disc, be forewarned - there is no division between the third and fourth tracks ("Tell You Why" and " Maggie Mae"), so the track numbering is off.  I heard this actually pissed off the band quite a bit.  The album was later included on the 1992-1996 anthology.

Strapped Live!

Moon Ska MR081 CD, released 1996

Stunningly, this was a live album, compiled over two nights at the Black Cat in DC.  It is a great live show (or two live shows) - a good representation of the band's live presence of the era.  Steve's banter is included at no extra cost.  This CD-only release was also later included in full on the 1992-1996 triple CD.

Comply CD

Slug Tone! ST-009, released 1996

This disc came out on the Tasters' Slug Tone Records, distributed by Moon.  It came out after Oolooloo and Strapped Live!, and that the material within mostly represented the period between Oolooloo and their jump to Hellcat.  It was the first time that the Pietasters really moved toward the soul sound and away from ska.  They didn't have it down yet at this point, but were getting there.  Also, there were multiple versions.  The original one was limited to 2000 copies, hand-numbered, and signed by the whole band.  It was also sold with a t-shirt.  The Comply title only appears on the spine of the CD case.  The artwork was printed on plain paper and folded up to create the insert.  This version lists both Moon Ska and Slug Tone on the back of the case. 

A couple of years later, the Pietasters found more copies, and started offering them for sale.  These new ones did have the Comply title on the covers and were not signed or numbered.  These copies made no mention of Moon Ska on the artwork - they were exclusively Slug Tone.  The insert for this version was much more professionally done that the initial version.  I always thought that the band must have had more CDs produced.  However, I compared the discs for the two different versions, and all of the production markings are identical.  The band may have just redone the artwork for the re-release.  Both versions are now quite scarce.  Fortunately, the material from this one was released on the 1992-1996 Pietasters Anthology.

Willis

Hellcat Records 80405-1 LP/80405-2 CD, released 1997

In 1997, the Pietasters answered the call of the Hellcat, and jumped ship from Moon.  Willis was their first effort for the new label.  It was also, believe it or not, their first album that appeared on vinyl.  The vinyl is still easy to find.  This was not my favorite Pietasters album.  It had its moments, but their soul sound was not yet fully developed, parts of their ska sound were hanging around, and some punky stuff bled in as well.  Something just didn't work for me.  I have always loved "Out All Night," despite its tendency to be overplayed at the time.

Awesome Mix Tape #6

Hellcat Records 80418-1 LP/80418-2 CD, released 1999

The Pietasters did put out a second Hellcat album.  This one was also available on black vinyl (and is also an easy find).  I like it a bit more than Willis.  I think it has a few more high points.  Still not my favorite album of theirs, though.

Turbo

Fueled By Ramen Records FBR054 CD, released 2002

Make My Day Records MMD001 CD/MMD003 LP, released 2002 (Germany)

Here we go.  They nailed it on this one.  That soul sound that the Pietasters had been kicking around for the previous few years...it all came together on Turbo.  There are some songs on this disc that make me very happy.  The band moved away from Hellcat at this point.  The CD came out domestically on Fueled By Ramen.  There was actually a vinyl version of this album, but it was only released in Germany.  The vinyl was not too difficult to come by for a while, but has recently become a much tougher find.  I was able to track down a copy, but it took some work.

Turbo also represented a major lineup change for the band; about half of the members were new.  The band's original bass player, Todd Eckhardt, passed away at a tragically young age a year or so before this album came out.  I have no knowledge of whether this prompted other members to leave the band, but I would have to guess that it was a contributing factor.

1992-1996

Slug Tone/VMS/Morphius DFM-V-051 3xCD, released 2003

This three-disc set was a welcome addition to the Pietasters' commercially available material.  Ya think I referenced this set enough in the previous entries?  It is what it purports to be: a comprehensive Pietasters anthology, covering their first few years of existence.  It contains four complete Pietasters albums: The Pietasters, Oolooloo, Strapped Live!, and Comply.  The versions of the tracks from their self-titled debut, however, are the demo versions, not the ones that appeared on the actual album.  There are also quite a few previously unreleased extras scattered throughout.  Well worth your time and money.  No vinyl for this one.

All Day

Indication IR001 CD, released 2007

Another album, another label.  This was the debut of the Pietasters' own Indication Records.  A friend of mine, whose musical opinion I generally respect, loves this album.  I was never able to get that into it, despite the presence of a few very good songs.  I can't say I am a fan of the production on All Day.  I think it makes listening to it difficult.  It's a solid set of songs, though.  CD only.