Big Black – Atomizer

Got mine from the record store and it’s missing the code. Anyone else?

Awesome repress/remaster. Anyone into grunge, punk or contemporary weird art noise needs to have this.

"Atomizer" is long overdue for an unmastering, and a deluxe issue featuring bonus tracks, early demos and alternative versions is apparently in the works, according to insiders in the know at Touch and Go Records.

There are some surprises; for example, the original demo for "Kerosene" was in fact titled "Coleman Camp Stove Fuel." Sadly the Coleman camp put the kibosh on and would not approve the use. Santiago Durango's open garage door revealed an aging metal can of kerosene as inspiration; one can only imagine what would have happened if the metal can had contained varnish.

"Bazooka Joe" was first a long, slow dirge called "Boo Boo Man" before being tightened up into a demo titled "Calamity Jones." It might have stayed that way if Dave Riley had not one day replaced his bass strings with taut and tight strips of pink bubblegum. When Steve Albini discovered the discarded waxy papered comic on the floor of the basement closet that was the band's rehearsal space, the worm turned.

Many of the album's titles are revealed to be simple typographical errors due to their label Touch and Go's incompetence, eg "Fits of Love," "Stinky Drunk," and "Tables (Live)."

Other tracks have similarly obscure origins. "Big Money" was the name of an Illinois scratch off lottery ticket that netted Steve Albini $17, which would be about $50 today. He framed the ticket and it was ultimately displayed in his studio Electrical Eel Audio. The tune, or song if you will, was penned in tribute to the Illinois lottery.

Lastly, the deluxe reissue features an extensive interview with Roland, the band's long suffering drummer, originally published in Hit Parader magazine. Roland pulls no punches; apparently touring with Steve Albini was a nightmare, due to Steve's prodigious intake of fried pork rinds, rendering his flatulence a chemical weapon. While Roland had no nose, he knew what was up. According to Roland, Dave Riley and Santiago Durango were largely responsible, as they would egg Steve on to eat more and more rinds. They were immune to the fumes, having worked in their teens at a fish cannery, which was also the inspiration for "Tables (Live)."

Overall, if you're a fan of the bland you'll want to avoid the box set. If not, you'll want to buy it. Formats include digital, vinyl, the poor man's eight track tape, and eight track tape. Should be out in a year or two. Let's go!

really excellent pressing and mastering. especially shines on the portions with albinis highly distorted vocals. makes the and distortions much more palatable than on digital, you can actually hear the effects instead of tense up to them. I also love the painted labels, i dont know why everyone isnt doing it like touch and go

I just picked this up, and out of the 3 pressings I now own, this one sounds the best. It's pretty full, and the bass seems to sound louder, too. The OG was pretty good, and the 2018 reissue is great, but this 2023 one is the best, in my opinion, anyway.

Hard music, hard (cruel) words. As a teenager in 1986, I didn't even know about the existence of such a band and such music. I bought this album now to expand my horizons and I liked it - not with words, but with music.
The sound is great - assertive, detailed. The stage is wide, the balance is even. The outer envelope is well made - the design is interesting. Inner envelope without antistatic. Inside there is a card for ing a digital copy. The disc is flat and heavy. The mass is quiet, I didn't hear any clicks. In general, the cover, disc and content are at a height of 5 out of 5. I recommend this album to the music library.
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[[AT-LP140]+[AT-VM95SP]+[PJ-PhonoBoxS2Ultra]

I first owned this album in the cd format of the 'Rich Man's Eight Track' and I thrashed it. It's been 30+ years since I last played it. Playing this copy now blows me away. It sounds even better than I ed or expected. Buy it and play it loud. You won't be disappointed.

Hey I got fists of live, too. But needless to say this is a great album, really an example of the Great Lakes underground sound of the 80s, where you can really feel the failing cities and abandoned industrial dystopia of that time and place.

On the B side of my copy, instead of "Fists of Love", it says "Fists of Live".Has anybody else noticed this on their copy?

Worth replacing if I have original pressing in good condition? Is remastering noticable?