Essential listening for Operation Ivy fans
Written: Dec 08 '02 (Updated Dec 08 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good collection of otherwise unreleased Operation Ivy tracks.
Cons: Very difficult to find. Out of print. Bootleg-quality tracks.
The Bottom Line: Hard to come across, but worth it.
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| fatdan_138's Full Review: Seedy [Import] - Operation Ivy Movies |
If you're not familiar with who Operation Ivy is, you may want to go read one of the reviews of their self-titled CD. Basically, these guys were a ska/punk band from the late 1980s.. they played nearly 200 shows from 1987-89 and came out with one EP and one LP, both of which are compiled on their official CD. This review assumes that you're already familiar with their material.
So where does this album fit in? Well, like the title says, this is an Import, produced in Canada by a record company (long since gone) named Karma Kredit Records. Since the company no longer exists (I know of no other albums, bootleg or not, that were released on this label, and this one's pretty old), this album has become rather difficult to get ahold of. I would recommend looking in your local import CD shop, and if that fails, you can usually see a few of these babies floating around on EBay.
So why spend all the time and energy finding this album? Well, only one of the songs on this album (Healthy Body Sick Mind) was officially released in ANY format, and the version of that song is quite different than the original. This album compiles a few rough mixes, a few tracks from a demo tape and two tracks originally broadcast on the radio, all of which gives the listener a unique look at Operation Ivy's incredible energy (particularly the two live tracks). Operation Ivy had a unique ability to turn normal songs into long jams, which cannot be heard on any of the "official" albums. Fans of this group would be wise to track down a copy of this album.
Enough generalizing. Lets get on with the tracks:
1) Healthy Body Sick Mind Uncut Version --
Rough mix from the November 1987 sessions that produced the Hectic EP
The introduction to this track is taken from a live show (Manhattan, Kansas, if the liner notes are right) which I'm not very familiar with. Anyway, it leads into what sounds exactly like the Hectic version of Healthy Body, except a tad rougher (this is a rough mix, remember). Don't skip this track and think "I got ripped off!", though: there's a surprise to come. Right where the song normally ends, the band jumps right into a slower jam, trading off vocals and sort of goofing around. It's incredibly impressive, certainly a sound to behold. I'm not sure if this extention was actually intended to be included on the EP or not, but it sure shows off the band's talents. One thing to note is Lint (known to Rancid fans as Tim Armstrong, by the way) referring to MDC with the line "What makes America so straight.. and me so bent?!" over and over again. It's wild, funny and very musical: a real treat for your ears.
2) Someday--
Another rough mix from the Hectic EP sessions
If you've read my review of Operation Ivy's official CD, you should recall me mentioning a style that this band doesn't show much on that album.. anyway, this song shows that style extremely well. This is more of a straightforward punk song than a ska song.. much faster and "harder" than most other Operation Ivy tracks. It's worth the listen... it sounds good, since it's another Rough Mix and all. Good track.
3) Plea for Peace--
The third and final rough mix from the Hectic sessoins that show up on this album
Plea for Peace is, perhaps, Operation Ivy's most famous unreleased track. With an opening riff in the spirit of Junkie's Running Dry (only slower), this track about getting beaten up in high school sounds extremely professional. There's a switch between a "punk" feel in the verse and a lighter "ska" feel in the chorus, great lyrics, and an interesting vocal "harmony" at the ending. I have no idea why this track was not released on the Hectic EP, since the quality is as good (if not better) than the other tracks on that album.. nevertheless, it's only available on bootlegs. There is an extremely famous and valued Operation Ivy bootleg 7" out there named Plea for Peace which contains tracks 2-5 of this CD... That album can get extremely pricey, though, so I'd recommend just looking for Seedy.
4) Trouble Bound --
From the infamous Gilman Street 1987 demo tape. That tape is, I believe, one of Operation Ivy's earliest studio sessions.
According to www.operationivy.com, this is a Blasters cover.. I've never heard of that band, so if you have, speak up. Anyway, the quality is not quite as good as tracks 1-3, in case that makes a big difference. This is a quick punk cover tune, typical of what Operation Ivy would play at shows and stuff... it sounds pretty good, especially with Matt Freeman's bass line holding everything together. Good little tune.
5) Uncertain --
Also from the 1987 Gilman Street demo tape.
This is another unique side of the Operation Ivy sound.. very quick, not quite like anything that they officially released. I'm not sure if this is a cover song or not, since it doesn't sound like one of their typical songs.. anyway, though, it doesn't matter much. This is a good little tune, one which they could easily have released. It's a shame that they didn't.
6) Hangin' Out --
Again, from the Gilman Street demo.
Another example of that unique, punkish side to Operation Ivy. I'm really not a big fan of this track, though.. it sounds pretty sloppy and messy. Anyway, they made another attempt at recording this for the Energy LP, which can be found on the Unreleased Energy bootleg CD (try getting ahold of that one! Geez!).. in my opinion, though, this song is just a little too sloppy to sound professional. Pretty good bootleg material, though, since this was never released.
7) Left Behind --
From the same demo tape as the above tracks
Interesting song, showing the group's ability to speed up and slow down like crazy. Apparently they played this song pretty often live, but they made no additional attempt at recording it. Like Hangin' Out, this is a pretty sloppy tune, no matter how you play it. Check out Matt's bass solo, though.. very impressive. Too bad the lyrics are completely indescipherable.
8) Old Friendships --
Live, March 17 1988, on KSPC in Berkeley (I think), right before they went on their infamous USA tour.
This song is commonly mistitled "Sarcastic", in case you were wondering. Another song which showcases the group's incredible talent and energy.. I mean, this is LIVE, and these guys are sounding this smooth.. just amazing. Pretty good song, too.. would be a neat tune to cover sometime.
9) Hedgecore --
Live, April 21, 1988, on WFMU in New Jersey, during their USA tour
This is my personal favorite Operation Ivy song.. This is a simple two-chord ska tune about jumping into bushes. As usual, the melody is entirely in the bass, giving the song a quick, energetic feel. This was an extremely popular live song, which makes it even stranger that this was never officially recorded.. I'd recommend this album just for this track. And, since this is a bootleg and all, they do us a favor and jump into another jam at the very end... awesome. Truly a classic.
10) Steppin' Out --
From the 1987 Gilman Street demo tape
I'm not sure if this is the official name for this song or not.. this sounds more like a warm-up jam or something like that, especially since I don't think these guys ever played this live or tried to record it again. Anyway, this is a really long track, about 8 minutes long, full of all sorts of vigor and energy and all the stuff that made these guys great. You don't hear groups playing jams like this anymore, unfortunately.. shame. Great track, makes this bootleg complete.
11) Untitled--
From that elusive Manhattan, Kansas show which the introduction is taken from
This really isn't a song, more like a strange concluding track.. They say "We're Operation Ivy from Berkeley, California, and that's on the West Coast, near San Fransisco", then the opening notes from Yelling in My Ear are played... and then the track has an annoying repetition of Jesse saying "do it" over and over again. I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean, so ignore it.
Anyway, this is a great album if you can get ahold of a copy. This isn't much of a bootleg per say; this is more of a compilation of tracks from other bootlegs... so if you've got copies of the other, rarer Operation Ivy bootlegs, you may want to stay away from this CD. Otherwise, try your hardest to get a copy of this.. you can probably find a copy for around $20, and it's probably the best collection of unreleased Operation Ivy tracks that I can think of.
If you're interested in other Operation Ivy bootlegs, I'd recommend looking for Unreleased Energy, Radio Daze or Unity: The Complete Collection.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fatdan_138
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Member: Dan Evensen
Location: Provo, Utah
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
I'm a violinist and a guitarist, and a big baseball fan.
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