IT NEVER ENDS #12
RED ROCKERS ~ Guns of Revolution EP (Vinyl Solution 1980)
With the production help of Huns
guitarist John Burton, New Orleans' Red Rockers — who took their sound from
the Clash and their name from Dils — produced a fine little debut EP. None of
their follow-ups could really touch "Guns of Revolution", though the band did gain
some moderate commercial success. Whether it was sticking around their hometown,
assembling picture sleeves, maintaining line-ups, or toeing the Party line, the
Red Rockers didn't do anything for very long.
Back in 1999, our man Dirk Horst put together a fairly thorough Red Rockers dissection
here.
His discography lists the Red Rocker's debut EP as being issued only in a white
paper sleeve. While true for the majority, an oversize picture sleeve was issued
on plenty of copies, and it's been a want list standard for years. Cutting, folding,
and pasting the picture sleeves proved to be a bit too proletarian for the band
which is a cryin' shame considering how top-notch the artwork is.
Textured, coated stock makes the sleeve impervious to convincing color-copying
And just when collector scum had gnashed their teeth to the gums trying to find
the above, INE introduces an even tastier morsel for all to sink their
dentures into. Below is the ultra-rare first issue of the picture sleeve. The band
designed and printed these before opting for the more professionally designed and
printed "cockpit" artwork. According to the band, very few of this version were
printed and most were trashed or used for set list stationery. One of these surfaced
in the Jeff Bale collection years ago and only a couple others have been spotted
since.
Crude two-color offset litho printing makes for a great punk rock aesthetic
After the Lubricants saga, I figured it was time for some short 'n' sweet installments,
so th-th-that's all, folks. Stay tuned for further hair pulling, teeth gnashing,
nail biting, and face smashing. Happy New Year.
— Ryan Richardson
January 1, 2006
