Pass on the eggnog this year, and get yourself something that won’t put extra fat pockets on your hips: Drag City has brought back the full catalog of Groovy Records, the early-80s label that barely started when Pete Shelley was a preemie Buzzcock interested in releasing minimal electronic and general experimental weirdness. It’s been a good 30 years and original copies of the albums are insanely rare, so the saints at Drag City said, “Now’s as good a time as ever. Why the fuck not?!” and here we are. Vinyl fans, take note. The goodies are coming at you via four separate vinyl reissues (just released), along with digital downloads and a 4-CD box set of all the Groovy Records catalog shipping in January. Free Agents, Shelley’s own Sky Yen (Buzzcocks fans are in for an ear-beating), Sally Smmit and Her Musicians, and a full disc of unreleased stuff ALL deserve a jovial slap on the back and a celebratory “welcome to the digital age, baby!”
Much more info regarding the box set can be found on the Drag City online shop, while more pleasurable reading about each entry in the catalog can be found in full detail over in the label’s latest newsletter.
• Drag City: http://www.dragcity.com