Fear (Lee Ving) - 'The Fear Record' CD Review (The End Records)

Well...I've done a side-by-side comparison between The Fear Record and Fear's - The Record (the 1991 Slash/London CD version) and here is how the two compare.

To start with the obvious differences, the Slash/London contain the single "Fuck Christmas", which was recorded during the sessions for The Record but wasn't issued until after the record was released. The Fear Record contains re-recorded versions of all fourteen tracks that were originally on The Record but most of the tracks run a few seconds longer than the original versions (though there is nothing noticeable added, so not a big deal). What is somewhat strange is that the tracks have been re-ordered on The Fear Record but there doesn't seem to be a discernible reason for this.

Here is what is different about the music...the sound of the The Fear Record is noticeably louder and a lot more 'dense' instrumentation has been added. The Record has a clean sound but there isn't much of a bottom end where there is a big bottom end on this new disc. What is also very noticeable is that original guitarist Philo Cramer's clean, angular guitar lines have been replaced by more metallic riffs and the drums on this new disc aren't quite as crisp sounding as the original recording. Lee Ving's voice has held up well over the years and the vocals are pretty comparable between the two recordings.

What this disc reminds me of is The Meatmen's 1988 'farewell' album We're the Meatmen...And You Still Suck!!! where these 'later period' guitarist Stuart Casson added a much more metallic edge to the music than the studio discs with his predecessor Brian Baker. All-in-all, The Fear Record isn't a bad disc - it just isn't different enough for anyone to want to go out and replace their copy of The Record.

Check out the 2012 lineup of Fear and you will get a sense for what the differences on The Fear Record sound like.



Links:
Fear

Fear (Lee Ving) Re-Records "The Record" - Out Nov. 6th on The End Records

Generally when bands re-record an album from their back catalog, it seems that it is either to screw former members out of royalties (Kiss) or reclaim control of the songs from the record company (Suzanne Vega, Squeeze). I'm not sure what side of the fence the re-recording of Fear's 1982 full-length debut, The Record, falls on but it just doesn't sound like a good idea. Lee Ving is the only holdover from the The Record lineup so this sort of feels like a sham (or a scam). Can anyone image John or Harley trying to re-record Age of Quarrel with a pick-up lineup?

Anyway...The Fear Record (as the new disc is called) contains a re-ordered version of the original disc's fourteen tracks. There was a version of "I Don't Care About You" from the new disc on Soundcloud which doesn't seem to be available anymore. After listening to this track - my thought was that it didn't add anything to the original recording (it isn't like updated production techniques are going to bring out hidden nuances in Fear's music) and the song seemed to be missing a little bit of the edge that the original disc had.

Check out Fear performing "I Don't Care About You" on Saturday Night Live, from Halloween 1981.


Fear - I Don't Care About You Live On SNL 10.31.81 by stogref

Links:
Fear
The End Records

Fear (Lee Ving) Returns with "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" / Re-recording of "The Record" Due Out Next Year

STREAM: Fear - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

I'm having trouble with this one...I'm glad to see Fear back in action but their music shouldn't be something that my grandmother would be comfortable listening to alongside Elvis' "Blue Christmas". It seems hard to believe that this is the same band the released the song "F*ck Christmas" and almost caused a riot 10+ years ago when the cops tried shutting down a Fear show at The Continental for overcrowding.

The End Records is proud to announce its collaboration with FEAR, the pioneer American Punk Rock Band from Los Angeles, CA, credited for influencing the American punk rock movement. Along with SEX PISTOLS and the Return To Forever, FEAR helped define the sound and style of Post, Neo-Punk, Jazz-Thrash-Fusion and theoretical physics! Since Fear’s release of debut album The Record in 1982, bands such as A Perfect Circle, Soundgarden, Megadeth, Sacred Reich and Guns N' Roses have covered their songs, affirming their widespread influence.

For the 2011 holiday season, FEAR and frontman Lee Ving are releasing the Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 7”: a digital and vinyl-only Black Friday exclusive, this collector’s item contains both title track and classic B-side “Another Christmas Beer.”

The FEAR legend will continue with a re-recording of 1982’s The Record, the debut that solidified FEAR’s blistering, thrashy attack that, for all its fury, was surprisingly tight and even intricate. Its new release is due in early 2012, along with with lots of touring and an appearance at the 2012 SXSW Festival in Austin, TX.

In a recent interview with Alternative Press, Lee Ving was asked: "What’s the situation with Fear re-recording [1982’s] The Record? What’s the lineup? And why do it?"

Lee Ving: The situation is successful and complete. Lineup is: yours truly, LeeVing (vocals and guitar), Andrew Jaimez (drums and concussion), Paul Lerma (bass), Dave Stark (guitar), Derol Caraco (guitar).

Why? Because we could, of course. But actually because, in addition to many others, these are songs we always play. And so finally this FEAR The ReRecord has the songs recorded and performed in the way that I heard them being presented when I was writing them.

Links:
Fear

Big Ups Release "Big Hollydaze" EP

Looking a bit too much much like clean-cut refugees from "That 70's Show", Big Ups just released a four-song EP of bratty punk-rock holiday music. The band's music falls somewhere between early Angry Samoans and The Queers (I'm specifically thinking of "Kicked Out Of The Webelos" and "My Old Man's A Fatso" ) and Fear's "F*ck Christmas" 7".

The disc includes deconstructed covers of "Silent Night" (below), "Linus and Lucy" theme from Peanuts and "In the Hall of the Mountain King" along with the original "Deloitte Xmas Party". While this disc isn't going to get a lot of plays after the holiday season passes, it is amusing enough to keep in my iTunes library for when Christmas season rolls around next year.



Links:
Big Ups