''Soma Holiday'' is the second

release Release may refer to: * Art release, the public distribution of an artistic production, such as a film, album, or song * Legal release, a legal instrument * News release, a communication directed at the news media * Release (ISUP), a code to ident ...

and the first studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Millman, Joyce (October 25, 1983)
"Cellars by starlight - Prole cats"
''

The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' a ...

''. sec. 3, p. 6. by American punk rock band

the Proletariat The Proletariat are a punk rock band from Southeastern Massachusetts, whose heyday was during the 1980s, when they were active in the early Boston hardcore scene, sharing the bill with many of the best punk and hardcore punk acts of the time, ...

. It was also the debut output for Radiobeat Records. The record was named after the drug used to control society in

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...

's novel ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarch ...

''."The Proletariat: Biography"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on January 23, 2017.Foley, Ryan
"The Proletariat"
''The Music Museum of New England''. Retrieved April 28, 2016.Scott, Tim (September 4, 2016)
"How The Proletariat Became One Of the Most Incendiary Bands in Reagan’s America"
(interview). ''

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

''. Retrieved September 15, 2016.Carnes, Aaron (October 25, 2016)
"The Return of Boston Hardcore Anomaly, The Proletariat"
(interview). ''

''. Retrieved October 27, 2016.

Production and release

Produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

d by Jimmy Dufour,

Lou Giordano Lou Giordano (born c. 1957) is a record producer and recording engineer who co-founded Radiobeat Studios. He worked at Fort Apache Studios when it was located in Boston, and was a partner in the production company Prodco, which had close ties with ...

and Frank Michaels, ''Soma Holiday'' was recorded and

mix Mix, mixes or mixing may refer to: Persons & places * Mix (surname) ** Tom Mix (1880-1940), American film star * nickname of Mix Diskerud (born Mikkel, 1990), Norwegian-American soccer player * Mix camp, an informal settlement in Namibia * Mix ...

ed at Radiobeat Studios in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts. Bill Kipper was in charge of the

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

ing of the album at

Masterdisk Masterdisk is an American multimedia company in New York, located at 8 John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production. Their clients include such no ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The record includes the songs "Splendid Wars", "Events/Repeat", "Blind", and "Torn Curtain", which were originally featured on the band's debut EP ''

Distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...

'', a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

seven-track

cassette tape The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Ottens ...

self-released the previous year.Anderson, Rick
"''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'': AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson"
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

''. Retrieved August 30, 2016. ''Soma Holiday'' was originally co-released in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

, as LP, on band's Non-U label and Radiobeat Records."The Proletariat: ''Soma Holiday''"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on June 1, 2016.. ''Kill from the Heart''. Archived from on June 2, 2016. A second pressing of the album would be released later that same year.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review of the album,

Joyce Millman Joyce Millman is an American television and music critic and writer on popular culture. Her work has been published in ''The New York Times'' and ''The San Francisco Examiner''. She was a two-time finalist in criticism for the Pulitzer Prize in 19 ...

, music critic at ''

'', wrote: Around the same time, Jeff Bale from ''

Maximumrocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featur ...

'', was of the view that:

''Distortion'' EP

''Distortion'' is a seven-song EP and the first stand-alone release by the Proletariat. It was issued in July 1982 Millman, Joyce (August 24, 1982). "Cellars by starlight – The dictatorship of the Proletariat". ''

''. on the band's own label, Non-U Records, as a

single-sided C46

.The Proletariat, ''Distortion'', insert art
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on October 9, 2016.Quint, Al (September 1982). "The Proletariat: ''Distortion'' (Cassette)". '' Suburban Punk'' (1). The EP is composed of songs recorded in three separate sessions at Radiobeat Studios in Boston, Massachusetts with producer Jimmy Dufour:Sheena (September 1982)
"The Proletariat: From Each According to His Ability"
''

Boston Rock ''Boston Rock'' was a tabloid format entertainment magazine published in Boston, Massachusetts. Its focus, as stated on the cover was: fashion, style, and entertainment. The main focus was on the local music scene and indie rock. History and pr ...

'' (32). Archived fro
the original
on November 7, 2016. "After the Rise" was recorded in November 1981 with Jimmy Johnson as

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

, "Westernization" was engineered by Dufour himself in January 1982, whereas the rest of the tracks were laid down in March 1982 with recording engineer Lou Giordano. The songs "Torn Curtain", "Splendid Wars", "Blind", and "Events/Repeat" would be

re-release In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

d the following year on the band's first studio album ''Soma Holiday''. The tracks "After the Rise", "White Hands", and "Westernization" would not be reissued until 1998, when they were included on the band's anthology '' Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies''.Taang! #TAANG! 127''Suburban Voice'' (ca. 2000). "The Proletariat: ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'' (Taang! Dbl CD)" (review). ''

Suburban Voice ''Suburban Voice'' is a punk zine published by Al Quint.''Maximumrocknroll'' (June 30, 2010)"Blog of the Week: Suburban Voice and Sonic Overload" ''Maximumrocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbr ...

'' (43)."The Proletariat: ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies''"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on January 23, 2017. The cover and label art were designed by graphic artist Pickles. The insert

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

sheet was created by Frank Michaels and Richard Brown. The EP's artwork includes a reproduction of

Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange (born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn; May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange' ...

's photo ''

Migrant Mother ''Migrant Mother'' is a photograph taken in 1936 in Nipomo, California by American photographer Dorothea Lange during her spell at the Resettlement Administration (later the Farm Security Administration). Since then, the photograph has become an ...

'' (1936).

Track listing

Music, lyrics, and arrangements by the Proletariat.

Reissues

Long

out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...

in its original form, ''Soma Holiday'' was

d, in its entirety, as part of the band's 2- CD

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

'' Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'', compiled in 1998 by

Taang! Records Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983. History Taang! ...

. In October 1999, apparently under

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

from the band, the album was reissued in

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

-only format, featuring alternate

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

, on Social Napalm Records,"SNR#1 - The Proletariat - "Soma Holiday" cassette tape"
''Social Napalm Records''. Retrieved April 28, 2016.. ''Kill from the Heart''. Archived from on May 5, 2016. a small

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

label based in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, Massachusetts. On October 21, 2016, 33 years after its debut, ''Soma Holiday'' was re-released for the first time in its original vinyl format, on

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

-based label Ss Records;Ss #SS085"The Proletariat - Soma Holiday LP"
''Ss Records – Sol Re Sol Records''. Retrieved October 22, 2016. which also simultaneously released the album for the first time on CD.

Track listing

Music by Peter Bevilacqua and Frank Michaels, lyrics by Richard Brown, except where noted. Arrangements by the Proletariat.

Personnel

The Proletariat * Richard Brown –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

(

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

A7) * Frank Michaels –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Peter Bevilacqua –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, backing vocals * Tom McKnight –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Additional performers * Mick Miller – backing vocals (A4) * Lou Giordano – backing vocals (A9) * Jimmy Dufour – backing vocals (A9) Production * Jimmy Dufour -

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

(A2, A5, B3, B5), co-production, co-engineering *

- co-production, engineering (A2, A5, B3, B5), co-engineering * Frank Michaels - co-production,

sleeve A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

concept * Mick Miller – engineering (assistance) * Bill Kipper – mastering * Pickles –

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

Additional production (2016 remastered LP reissue) * John Golden - remastering * Dane Henas – graphic design (restoration)

Notes

References

External links

"The Proletariat: ''Soma Holiday''"
''The Proletariat''.
"The Proletariat: ''Distortion''"
''The Proletariat''. Articles * Scott, Tim (September 4, 2016)
"How The Proletariat Became One Of the Most Incendiary Bands in Reagan’s America"
(interview). ''

''. * Sheppard, Oliver (October 5, 2016)
"An interview with The Proletariat on their "Soma Holiday" reissue"
''Cvlt Nation''. Reviews * Millman, Joyce (August 24, 1982). "Cellars by starlight – The dictatorship of the Proletariat" (review of the ''Distortion'' EP). ''

''. * Robbins, Ira (1983)
"Proletariat"
''

''. * Electric Sunshine (March 17, 2012)
"Proletariat "Soma Holiday""
''The Electric Sunshine''. {{Authority control The Proletariat albums 1983 albums

Production and release

Critical reception

''Distortion'' EP

Track listing

Reissues

Track listing

Personnel

Notes

References

Further reading

External links