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NOTE: We have a handful of green vinyl copies, selected at random for orders.
In celebration of the band's recent reunion appearance at a memorial gig for Roger Armstrong in Tokyo, Beach Impediment is honored to offer up the studio recordings of THE SCUMBAG on vinyl for the first time in over three decades! A bi-product of the late 80's crossover culture that was sweeping the world, THE SCUMBAG existed from 1988 through 1989, releasing a demo tape titled "Have Fun! More Fun!" and appearing on the V/A - ENJOY YOUR YOUTH BY THIS HARDCORE SAMPLER 12" alongside contemporaries like DISCLAIM, SIC, D.O.N.D.O.N. and FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS; the latter of which they'd share a split 12" with on the legendary MCR Company label in 1991 which accompanied a reunion with the original lineup. While most of the members would continue on in DREAD YANKEES, bassist Takeshi Fukushima would go on to play with the likes of IDORA, SWEATS and ROCKY & THE SWEDEN. The mix of traditional Japanese hardcore with fast paced thrash and occasional melody yielded memorable and unique recordings that are available once again, remastered by Toshihisa Hirano from the original tapes. Each record comes in a jacket featuring the iconic FVK split 12" art slightly re-envisioned, along with an insert featuring archival imagery from the band's all too brief run.
Our take: Beach Impediment Records brings us a collection of studio recordings from this late 80s Tokyo hardcore band whose members would go on to groups like Dread Yankees and Rocky and the Sweden. If you’re a fan of that late 80s style of thrashy Japanese hardcore, that’s precisely what you get here… think records like Outo’s No Way Out 7”, Chicken Bowels’ Keep Our Fire Burning EP, and maybe even Systematic Death’s Final Insider album and aspects of S.O.B.’s early releases. It’s thread of crossover that was unique to the Japanese scene at that time, with chunky muted guitars, catchy punk riffs, and big choruses wrapped up in circa-late 80s metal production (biting guitars and big, boomy drums). One of my favorite aspects of this scene is the crazy fashion, which takes a lot from 80s skate culture (flip-up hats, board shorts, basketball shoes), but applies that uniquely Japanese, more-is-more aesthetic. You don’t get much of a sense of that from listening to this on bandcamp, but when you’re sitting down with the vinyl and blasting this while looking at all the photos on the insert, it certainly helps fill out the picture. I could deal without the casual misogyny in the lyrics, but it was a different time and hopefully the members have grown and matured since. While I think this strain of Japanese hardcore can be an acquired taste, anyone who loves the aforementioned records will certainly dig this compact 8-song collection.