Wreck…
Chicago’s very own Wreck are an oft overlooked band these days and one might draw the conclusion that the reason was partly due to them being hidden amongst the Wax Trax!/PIAS label during the majority of their years together. Yes, they were on the also Chicago based and notable industrial/dance label Wax Trax! and no they had absolutely nothing to do with either of those styles. Wreck was just an oddity on their roster as they were simply a rock band that bared the markings of a lot of the similar abrasive rock to come out of the city during that period. To no ones surprise I am sure, Steve Albini produced practically all of their recordings. If Wax Trax!/PIAS was looking to hit one out the park and make a mark during the grunge explosion…well Wreck were, and thankfully, much too interesting/challenging to gain that sort of notoriety.
Some may already be quite familiar with Wreck since former Die Kreuzen bassist Keith Brammer was part of the lineup that also contained members Dean Schlabowske, Bart Flores, and Kurt Moore. Schlabowske would later join John Langford from the Mekons to form alt-country act Waco Brothers. During the bands time together they released two EP’s (Wreck, House of Boris) and two albums (Soul Train and El Mundo De Los Niños). Their final album that eventually appeared in 1994 El Mundo De Los Niños was actually their only release on a different label. It was picked up by C/Z Records after Wax Trax! decidedly shelved the album. It was later re-recorded for release on C/Z. If anyone out there has promo copies of the original Wax Trax! recorded version of the album…I would love to hear it.
Anyway, in the meantime check out some fine tunes from the group…
Wreck 12’’:
Wreck – Cut-Ups [MP3]
Soul Train:
Wreck – Bad Energy [MP3]
Wreck – Retail [MP3]
House of Boris 12’’:
Wreck – Newish [MP3]
El Mundo De Los Niños:
Wreck – Coffee [MP3]
Most of Wreck’s releases are still available used on Amazon (here and here), so if anything above catches your interest then by all means grab an album or EP…or both. Enjoy!
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June 26th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Very glad to see Wreck get some coverage somewhere. I had the honor of seeing them open for Pigface in 1992 (actually went to see them, not Pigface) and the Jesus Lizard in 1991 and they did not disappoint. A remarkable power trio, they simply rocked the house. Hard. They were different than those other noisy Chicago noise bands, however. These guys are WAY overlooked. Thanks for brining some attention to them.
They also have a single out as well. The "Mikey" single. I have it and plan on ripping some more vinyl here shortly. I'll be sure to distribute it to you as soon as possible.
Never was aware of an alternative recording of the El Mundo De Los Niños album. I'm am on a mission to hear that now! In fact, I'd be willing to pay good money to do so. If you ever run across it, let me know. That's my new holy grail.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Interesting stuff. There's a huge redundancy of information about Wreck online, so thanks for posting this. I have a copy of Mikey and I was trying to track down more about them I'd really love to know what year it was released if anyone out there knows?
August 27th, 2009 at 10:09 am
I actually used to play in Wreck, and the Wax Trax pre-release cassette is really great. It features Mary Byker from Gaye Bykers on Acid on one song. If you find it, post it, I've lost my copy.
Thanks,
A Wrecker