The self-titled box set of American
deathrock
Death rock (or deathrock) is a rock music subgenre incorporating horror elements and gothic theatrics. It emerged from punk rock on the West Coast of the United States in the early 1980s and overlaps with the gothic rock and horror punk gen ...
band
Samhain
Samhain ( , , , ; gv, Sauin ) is a Gaelic festival on 1 NovemberÓ hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of the Irish Folk Tradition''. Prentice Hall Press, 1991. p. 402. Quote: "The basic Irish division of the year ...
was released in 2000, more than 13 years after the band effectively ceased recording and performing. The set's five CDs and one VHS tape compile nearly all of the band's original catalog, newly remastered from the original master tapes, as well as previously unreleased material, the latter of which includes a live CD and a VHS video cassette of live footage.
Of Samhain's previous official releases, only the original mix of the
''Unholy Passion'' EP was not included in the boxed set; conjecture is that the original master tapes had been lost over the years, or were erased when Danzig re-recorded the guitar and some vocal tracks to those songs in June 1987 for eventual release as
side B
Side or Sides may refer to:
Geometry
* Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape)
* Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape)
Places
* Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece
* Side (Caria), a town of an ...
of the original ''
Final Descent''.
Special packaging
The outer box cover was painted by
Martin Emond
Martin Emond (4 June 1969 in New Zealand – March 2004 in Los Angeles, California, United States), also known under the pseudonyms "Martin Fuckin Emond", "Martyfuck", "Martywood", "Mickey Martin" and "MFE", was a New Zealand cartoon illustra ...
, who had previously provided artwork for singer
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns t ...
's post-Samhain band,
Danzig, and comic book company
Verotik
Verotik is an American comic book company founded by heavy metal/horror punk musician Glenn Danzig. The comics are aimed toward adult readers as they often contain imagery of a sexual and/or violent nature.
The company's two longest-running tit ...
. Within the box, each of the five CDs came in its own "mini-LP" sleeve (unlike the jewel-cases used for the individual CD reissues the following year). Also included was a 32-page booklet of photographs and reprinted lyrics to Discs One and Three.
The boxed set was advertised as "a $75 value, all for just $59.95", and is now out of print. If pre-ordered online through distributor E-Magine Music's website, the first pressing of the boxed set was shipped two weeks prior to the street date, with the first 1,000 packaged with an "internet exclusive" bonus metal pin of the "scarecrow beast" character that appeared on Samhain T-shirts in the 1980s (similar to the one on the cover of the ''
November-Coming-Fire
''Samhain III: November-Coming-Fire'' is the second studio album by American deathrock band Samhain. It was released in February 1986, through lead singer Glenn Danzig's independent record label, Plan 9.
Background
''November-Coming-Fire'' ...
'' album).
Second pressings of the boxed set omitted the bonus pin, but included "the previously unreleased Samhain comic book" by ''Mr. Monster'' creator
Michael T. Gilbert
Michael Terry Gilbert (born May 7, 1951) is an American comic book artist and writer who has worked for both mainstream and underground comic book companies.
Education
Gilbert attended the State University of New York at New Paltz, graduating i ...
(with four uncredited pages by Sean Wyett, who also illustrated Danzig for the back cover of the
Misfits
Misfits or The Misfits may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift
* ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film
* ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...
' ''
Legacy of Brutality
''Legacy of Brutality'' is a compilation album of early songs by the American punk rock band Misfits, released in September 1985. It contains overdubbed mixes of previously unreleased songs, mainly from the January–February 1978 '' Static Age ...
''). The "contents" listing on the back of the box was modified to reflect the comic's inclusion. Some boxed sets were reportedly shipped with both the bonus metal pin and the comic.
Track listing
* Tracks 1–10: Live February 19, 1985, at
Danceteria
Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from 1979 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous locati ...
, New York, NY
* Tracks 11–18: Live April 13, 1986, at the
Cabaret Metro
Metro (formerly the Stages Music Hall and Cabaret Metro) is a concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in 1982. Th ...
, Chicago, IL
* Tracks 1–8 recorded April 13, 1985, at Typographer's Hall, Baltimore, MD
* Tracks 9–13 recorded April 13, 1986, at the
Cabaret Metro
Metro (formerly the Stages Music Hall and Cabaret Metro) is a concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in 1982. Th ...
, Chicago, IL
* Tracks 14–16 recorded July 14, 1986, at
The Ritz, New York, NY
Notes
* Disc two marks the first time the remixed
''Unholy Passion'' EP was presented as a single CD on its own, though the contents had been added to the first CD pressing of ''
Initium
''Initium'' is the 1984 debut album by American deathrock band Samhain, released on lead singer Glenn Danzig's independent record label Plan 9. In various interviews, Danzig stated that the album's title, which translates from Latin to Engli ...
'' in 1987, and again to the original ''
Final Descent'' in 1990. The original mix of the EP has never been released on CD, apart from unofficial/illegal
bootlegs which are sourced from vinyl and cassette.
*
Eerie Von
Eerie Von (born Eric Stellmann; August 25, 1964) is an American musician best known as the original bassist for the heavy metal band Danzig. His preferred bass is the Fender Jazz Bass.
Early life
Eerie Von was raised in Lodi, New Jersey. ...
has confirmed that "Death... in Its Arms" was recorded during the sessions for Danzig's second album, ''
Danzig II: Lucifuge'', and features the full original Danzig lineup:
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Allen Anzalone (born June 23, 1955), better known by his stage name Glenn Danzig, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film director, and record producer. He is the founder of the rock bands Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig. He owns t ...
, Eerie Von,
John Christ
John Christ (born John Wolfgang Knoll on February 19, 1965) is an American musician best known as the original guitarist for the metal band Danzig. He has been known for his bluesy hard rock sound and frequent use of the pinch harmonic. Chris ...
, and
Chuck Biscuits
Chuck Biscuits (born Charles Montgomery on April 17, 1965) is a Canadian drummer best known for his work in several punk rock bands.
Biscuits was a member of D.O.A. from 1978 to 1982, playing on the band's first two albums before briefly joini ...
.
* The title of "Death... in Its Arms" is misspelled on all releases (with an incorrect apostrophe in "it's").
* "Lords of the Left Hand (2nd Version)" was actually recorded in September 1986, while the "original version" was not recorded until September 1987, and was not mixed in its final form until 1990.
* Tracks 4 and 5 of ''
Samhain III: November-Coming-Fire'' are incorrectly reversed on the CD sleeve. The correct order is listed above.
* Tracks 7 and 9 of ''Final Descent'' are incorrectly reversed on the CD sleeve. The correct order is listed above.
References
{{Samhain
Samhain (band) albums
Albums produced by Glenn Danzig
2000 compilation albums