''The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape'' is an album by American
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band
Big Black
Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded first as a solo project by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band became a trio with an initial lineup that included guitarist Santiago Dur ...
. It was released in 1987 by
Touch and Go Records
Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...
. The album is a
CD compilation of Big Black's ''
Atomizer'' album (minus the song "Strange Things"),
"Heartbeat" single and ''
Headache
A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...
'' EP. ''Atomizer'' is pictured on the cover artwork as an eight-track tape playing in a
Panasonic
is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...
TNT portable player.
The title of the album, and the liner notes by
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...
, show the band's low regard for compact discs, drawing parallels between CD and the
8-track tape
The 8-track tape (formally Stereo 8; commonly called eight-track cartridge, eight-track tape, and eight-track) is a magnetic-tape sound recording technology that was popular from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s, when the compact cassette, ...
of 1970s, preferring to release all of their material on
vinyl LP records.
Reception
AllMusic called it "An indispensable compilation" and gave it a rating of 4.5/5
Track listing
All songs written by Big Black, except where noted.
#"Jordan, Minnesota" - 3:20
#"Passing Complexion" - 3:04
#"Big Money" - 2:29
#"Kerosene" - 6:05
#"Bad Houses" - 3:09
#"Fists of Love" - 4:21
#"Stinking Drunk" - 3:27
#"Bazooka Joe" - 4:43
#"Cables (
live
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
* ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
* ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film
*'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
)" - 3:09
#"
Heartbeat" (
Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire (band), Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury ...
) - 3:48
#"Things to Do Today" - 1:44
#"I Can't Believe" - 1:03
#"My Disco" - 2:52
#"Grinder" - 2:23
#"Ready Men" - 3:51
#"Pete, King of the Detectives" - 2:42
"Heartbeat" is a cover of the
Wire
file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
song.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rich Man's Eight Track Tape, The
Big Black albums
1987 compilation albums
Homestead Records compilation albums
Touch and Go Records compilation albums
Blast First compilation albums
Au Go Go Records compilation albums