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Unlistenable

$12.00

by Steel Pole Bath Tub

In the fall of 1996, Darren Mor-X, Mike Morasky and Dale Flattum began making recordings for what was scheduled to be their second album on a major label with offices in Los Angeles and New York. The trio first spent 72 hours holed up in guitarist Morasky’s living room, and later moved the operation to a small recording studio behind an auto repair shop in downtown San Francisco. The results were regarded by the band as its crowning achievement, and by the label as an unmitigated disaster.

Zero to One

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Description

In the fall of 1996, Darren Mor-X, Mike Morasky and Dale Flattum began making recordings for what was scheduled to be their second album on a major label with offices in Los Angeles and New York. The trio first spent 72 hours holed up in guitarist Morasky’s living room, and later moved the operation to a small recording studio behind an auto repair shop in downtown San Francisco.

The results were regarded by the band as its crowning achievement, and by the label as an unmitigated disaster. Why, there wasn’t one track that could even possibly be considered a single. Can you imagine? The official word was that the album was “unlistenable,” that the band had completely lost focus and created a “soundtrack to nothing.” A loophole was found, the band was dropped, and the recordings remained unheard until now. Liner notes by Darren Mor-X.

“Pathologically stark.” –Discorder

“Steel Pole Bathtub must’ve fallen down an awful lot [as kids]. Their [music] sounds like the musical manifestation of some very scarred minds….[V]ery depressing … discordant guitars and resonating feedback create an aura of frustration. … [T]heir anarchic, guitar-driven, feedback-and-sampling-infused indie rock sounds much like … a product of Seattle … [but] what distinguishes their … grueling engine noise, squeals, drum beats and fuzzy feedback … according to drummer Darren Mor-X in an interview with Rolling Stone, is that “we’re not patriotic flannel.” –Ann Abel, Thresher

Steel Pole Bath Tub were:

Dale Flattum – bass guitar, vocals
Mike Morasky – guitar, vocals
Darren Mor-X – drums, vocals

Track listing:

1. “Spoon House” 1:24
2. “Action Man Theme” 3:59
3. “Black Eye Fixer” 4:12
4. “What I Need” 3:38
5. “Re-Juvenated” 1:12
6. “Teenage Middle Finger” 1:24
7. “Kinder Party” 5:10
8. “Spun” 3:12
9. “Jack Aloha” 2:26
10. “Hot Water Into Steam” 1:58
11. “The Good Times” 1:43
12. “My Best Friend’s a Girl” 1:33
13. “Cherry Tomato” 3:48
14. “Glad Ass” 1:35
15. “Old Man Bar” 1:47
16. “Park Night” 2:24
17. “H20 2” 1:42
18. “[silence]” 3:23
19. “[untitled]” 26:08

19 Songs. 72 Minutes.
Audio CD in jewel case with 8-page color booklet
0 to 1, 2002

 

Additional information

Weight 4 oz
Dimensions 5 × 6 × .5 in