Margin Walker the LP

[scannest]

I'm in the midst of my annual Fugazi catalog re-listen. I returned to their chapter in "Our Band Could be Your Life" which says that they recorded entire album's worth of songs with John Loder in London, but weren't happy with the results and released an EP of the best bits instead.
Does anyone know what other songs they recorded during these sessions? I'm assuming they wound up on REPEATER, but who knows? Have the recordings ever been bootlegged?

[gregpolard]

I am wondering this too. You'd think that, even just for archival purposes that Dischord would've done something with them. I used to hold out hope that they'd make a release for the Albini "IOTKT" sessions but after reading the 33 1/3 book on that album, I don't see that happening either.

[jaybird]

Their last good record

[SamDBL]

Their last good record

I'd say last great. They had some *alright* stuff after that.

[pedro]

Their last good record

I don't know if that is true or not, but it is the last Fugazi record I bought and/or cared about.

[soulforce]

I used to hold out hope that they'd make a release for the Albini "IOTKT" sessions but after reading the 33 1/3 book on that album, I don't see that happening either.

Don't quote me on that, but I think they (Ian/Dischord) were about to do something with these Albini recordings sometime around 2014, because remastered, real clean sounding (as only an official release could sound), lossless version of these 7 songs from that session that were already available thru P2P platforms, surfaced for a very short time on soulseek. Unfortunately I wasn't among the few lucky ones who managed to download these before the guy who had them disappeared from soulseek (and from the face of the earth, probably )

[lewdd]

I only have the 160 mp3 version of those Albini sessions.

[soulforce]

I only have the 160 mp3 version of those Albini sessions.

I can upgrade you with 320 kbps if you're (still ) on soulseek, but the real deal is the lossless version, which I don't have.

[jaybird]

Their last good record

I'd say last great. They had some *alright* stuff after that.

Their last good record

I don't know if that is true or not, but it is the last Fugazi record I bought and/or cared about.

Perhaps I should revisit... I half-heartedly followed along until Red Medicine, but every release after Margin Walker just seemed to be filled with more and more go-nowhere, atonal noodling. I haven't bothered to listen to any of the stuff past Margin Walker for probably 25 years.

[scannest]

You dudes with your parochial tastes have no idea what you're missing out on. If you think Fugazi's catalog post-MARGIN WALKER is filled with "go-nowhere, atonal noodling" you didn't listen very closely. I suspect you heard "23 Beats Off" once and said "Nope, I'm done."

[gregpolard]

You dudes with your parochial tastes have no idea what you're missing out on. If you think Fugazi's catalog post-MARGIN WALKER is filled with "go-nowhere, atonal noodling" you didn't listen very closely. I suspect you heard "23 Beats Off" once and said "Nope, I'm done."

lol! truth

[lewdd]

I listened to some post margin walker stuff several months ago when someone on here said there was a lot of hints of The Ruts on those releases. I think I could enjoy those releases more now than I did when they came out. I need to give a deeper listen this weekend if I find time in between my other music projects.

[scannest]

I think I could enjoy those releases more now than I did when they came out.

Happens to me all the time. I tried for years with the New York Dolls. So many people I loved and respected talked about how great and how important they were and I just didn't get it. And then one day it just clicked with me. I had heard enough other music connected to what they did that all of a sudden it made sense. I could say the same about a number of other big bands for me. Hell, I just "got" Television in the past year or two and now I devour live recordings like a freakin' Deadhead.

[lewdd]

Yeah, I am not sure I will ever get Television, Suicide, Pere Ubu, Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, etc., but never say never.

Never thought I would listen to jazz music either. I probably bought about 30 albums during the pandemic. Granted they are all from a similar jazz era, but I would have never thought it possible before 2020.

[SamDBL]

Their last good record

I'd say last great. They had some *alright* stuff after that.

Their last good record

I don't know if that is true or not, but it is the last Fugazi record I bought and/or cared about.

Perhaps I should revisit... I half-heartedly followed along until Red Medicine, but every release after Margin Walker just seemed to be filled with more and more go-nowhere, atonal noodling. I haven't bothered to listen to any of the stuff past Margin Walker for probably 25 years.

I think this assessment is about right. I only meant there are songs here and there that are decent. Repeater might qualify as pretty good record, as a whole. I think where it starts getting really shitty is where the stronger vocalist/shittier guitar player (Ian) becoming the main guitarist and the shittier vocalist/better guitar player (Guy) became the lead vocalist on the majority of the songs.
Fugazi:
Slow jam/Isaac Hayes bass lines
Tribal drum beats
Flailing guitar player running his hands up and down the neck making random noise
One guy sincerely hollering about ‘important stuff’ and another guy doing hippy Woodstock dances and yelling ‘huh!’ and ‘yeah!’ at various points.

[jaybird]

You dudes with your parochial tastes have no idea what you're missing out on. If you think Fugazi's catalog post-MARGIN WALKER is filled with "go-nowhere, atonal noodling" you didn't listen very closely. I suspect you heard "23 Beats Off" once and said "Nope, I'm done."

I suppose it's possible... I was much less open-minded in my musical tastes 25 years ago.

Their last good record

I'd say last great. They had some *alright* stuff after that.

Their last good record

I don't know if that is true or not, but it is the last Fugazi record I bought and/or cared about.

Perhaps I should revisit... I half-heartedly followed along until Red Medicine, but every release after Margin Walker just seemed to be filled with more and more go-nowhere, atonal noodling. I haven't bothered to listen to any of the stuff past Margin Walker for probably 25 years.

I think this assessment is about right. I only meant there are songs here and there that are decent. Repeater might qualify as pretty good record, as a whole. I think where it starts getting really shitty is where the stronger vocalist/shittier guitar player (Ian) becoming the main guitarist and the shittier vocalist/better guitar player (Guy) became the lead vocalist on the majority of the songs.
Fugazi:
Slow jam/Isaac Hayes bass lines
Tribal drum beats
Flailing guitar player running his hands up and down the neck making random noise
One guy sincerely hollering about ‘important stuff’ and another guy doing hippy Woodstock dances and yelling ‘huh!’ and ‘yeah!’ at various points.

[scannest]

I know it's a sucker's game to pick a single song and say "How can you not like this?!", but seriously...



And there a dozens of these in their catalog between the occasional blasts of noise and rehearsal jams recorded on boomboxes.

[lewdd]

Yeah, I have always liked that song.

[jaybird]

I know it's a sucker's game to pick a single song and say "How can you not like this?!", but seriously...



And there a dozens of these in their catalog between the occasional blasts of noise and rehearsal jams recorded on boomboxes.

Yeah, that's a pretty good example of the sort of thing I meant about " go-nowhere, atonal noodling".

[scannest]

Yeah, that's a pretty good example of the sort of thing I meant about " go-nowhere, atonal noodling".

[lewdd]

another band i have not figured out yet are The Dictators

[JGJR]

another band i have not figured out yet are The Dictators

What's there to figure out? Just listen to Go Girl Crazy, be amazed, and repeat.

[version sound]

I think where it starts getting really shitty is where the stronger vocalist/shittier guitar player (Ian) becoming the main guitarist and the shittier vocalist/better guitar player (Guy) became the lead vocalist on the majority of the songs.

Well put, though I feel completely the opposite. Strangely enough, even though I found hardcore when Minor Threat still existed, for some reason, I just don’t think of Ian as a singer past the Fugazi demo. I know, it perplexes even me, especially given how much I love Minor Threat and Embrace. It’s also weird because I definitely prefer Guy’s singing and songwriting in Rites of Spring and One Last Wish. Still, after the demo, I definitely prefer the Guy songs (I HATE “Birthday Pony”). Even on the demo, my favorite track has always been “Break In.”

Sal and Greg, my preference for the demo has to seem much more reasonable now, considering how many folks around here never even got past Margin Walker. The demo might be my favorite, but I do celebrate the entire catalog.

[lewdd]

I'm in the prefer Ian vox on Fugazi songs to Guy's.

[version sound]

I'm in the prefer Ian vox on Fugazi songs to Guy's.

There are plenty of good Ian songs, I just prefer Guy. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I don’t love it when he actually sings. Somewhat sing-songy yelling is good, but I’m not that into his actual singing.

[gregpolard]

I think where it starts getting really shitty is where the stronger vocalist/shittier guitar player (Ian) becoming the main guitarist and the shittier vocalist/better guitar player (Guy) became the lead vocalist on the majority of the songs.

Well put, though I feel completely the opposite. Strangely enough, even though I found hardcore when Minor Threat still existed, for some reason, I just don’t think of Ian as a singer past the Fugazi demo. I know, it perplexes even me, especially given how much I love Minor Threat and Embrace. It’s also weird because I definitely prefer Guy’s singing and songwriting in Rites of Spring and One Last Wish. Still, after the demo, I definitely prefer the Guy songs (I HATE “Birthday Pony”). Even on the demo, my favorite track has always been “Break In.”

Sal and Greg, my preference for the demo has to seem much more reasonable now, considering how many folks around here never even got past Margin Walker. The demo might be my favorite, but I do celebrate the entire catalog.

Fair enough! While "Birthday Pony" is not a top Fugazi song by any stretch, I'm amazed at how many people hate it. When we did the Fugazi Challenge on WIW that came up.

[earthdog70]

This reminds me I have to grab the digital of a show of they did at DC Space that the 33/1/3 book said was really exceptional

[lewdd]

This reminds me I have to grab the digital of a show of they did at DC Space that the 33/1/3 book said was really exceptional

LMK which one that is so I can look for it

[captain2man]

Our End on End episode about Margin Walker is now out.

We have an interview with Joe Lally and - yes - we talk about the album cover.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f ... 0532332705