THE NEIGHBORS
SELF-TITLED CASSETTE, 1994
DELUX RECORDS DLX003
THE NEIGHBORS WERE A FAST-PACED HARDCORE STAPLE OF THE SAN DIEGO PUNK SCENE, BEGINNING SOMETIME AROUND 1993 OR 1994. THEIR DEBUT WAS THIS SELF-TITLED CASSETTE, RELEASED ON DELUX RECORDS IN 1994. THERE WERE SEVERAL DIFFERENT LINE-UPS, ALL OF WHICH WERE LED BY KEN LEEK ON VOCALS. THE OTHER MEMBERS WHICH MADE UP THE NEIGHBORS' FIRST INCARNATION WERE (PRESUMABLY) FRANK ANDREWS AND KEVEN KEMERLING ON GUITARS, CLINT KEMERLING ON BASS, AND JOHN BAILLUEL ON DRUMS. THIS SAME LINE UP PERFORMED ON THE 1995 7 INCH EP, "I'M NO GENTLEMAN," ALSO RELEASED ON DELUX RECORDS (DLX009). NOT A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THE 1994 PERIOD IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB, SO IT IS MERELY AN ASSUMPTION THAT THESE WERE THE SAME MEMBERS WHO PLAYED ON THE CASSETTE. THE PHOTO OF THE ARTWORK AND CASSETTE ABOVE WERE OBTAINED FROM THEIR DISCOGS.COM PAGE. AT THE TIME, THIS CASSETTE WAS INFAMOUS AROUND SAN DIEGO DUE TO THE QUALITY OF THE NEIGHBORS' UNIQUE PUNK ROCK SOUND, AS WELL AS THE COVER PHOTO WHICH ALLEGEDLY SHOWCASED THE SURGICALLY REATTACHED PENIS OF JOHN WAYNE BOBBITT (WHO'S WIFE FAMOUSLY SEVERED IT WITH A KNIFE DURING AN ARGUMENT AND TOSSED IT OUT OF THE WINDOW OF HER MOVING CAR).
IN 1996 THE NEIGHBORS INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED A CD CALLED "WE REFUSE TO KISS ASS/WE LOVE OUR WEENIE," WHICH HAD A NOTABLY TIGHTER, FASTER, AND SLIGHTLY MORE AGGRESSIVE SOUND. AT THIS POINT, FRANK ANDREW WAS SWAPPED OUT FOR JASON CASTANENDA ON GUITAR.
(FLYER FOR AN 18+ SHOW WITH CHICKEN FARM IN SAN DIEGO, 1994)
IN 1998 THE EP "THE MORE MONEY ONE HAS, THE MORE IMPORTANT IS ONE'S LIFE" WAS ISSUED ON 7 INCH VINYL AND CD BY THE NETHERLANDS LABEL KANGAROO RECORDS. SCOTT MILLER REPLACED JASON CASTANENDA ON SECOND GUITAR, AND JOHN HENDERSON REPLACED JOHN BAILLUEL ON DRUMS. THEY CONTINUED TO DEVELOPE THEIR STYLE INTO WHAT THEY WOULD BECOME RENOWNED FOR, DARKLY PESSEMISTIC, MORBID AND SARCASTIC LYRICS OVER A BACKDROP OF HYPERACTIVE TIGHT HARDCORE PUNK. AT SOME POINT, A FOUR-SONG CASSETTE EP (THE SAME FOUR TRACKS ON EACH SIDE) ENTITLED "I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT FREEDOM, WHAT IT MEANS, AND HOW IT CONTRADICTS WITH GOOD OLD AMERICAN BELIEFS," WAS INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED BY THE BAND. IT CONTAINED THREE TRACKS FROM THE 1998 EP, AND A TRACK THAT WAS ON THE 2000 KANGAROO RECORDS 7 INCH COMPILATION, "THIS IS KANGAROO, NOT BERKELEY." IT IS UNCLEAR WHEN THIS CASSETTE WAS RELEASED.
THE NEIGHBORS BEGAN TO PROGRESS EVEN FURTHER INTO A DARK AND EXTREME DIRECTION, CROSSING INTO THE REALM OF POWERVIOLENCE, WITH 2001'S "NEGATIVE ATTRACTION," WHICH WAS RELEASED BY SIX WEEKS RECORDS ON 12 INCH VINYL AND CD. THE LINE-UP REMAINED THE SAME WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ED DIFFNER TAKING OVER ON DRUMS AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF JOHN HENDERSON. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ALAN SPURGEON PLAYED DRUMS IN THE BAND FOR SOME TIME, AND ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T PLAY ON ANY OF THE RELEASES, HE MADE A SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE BAND. YEARS LATER KEN AND ALAN WOULD COLLABORATE IN THE THRASH POWERVIOLENCE MONSTER THAT WAS TITAN ARUM. (KEN WOULD ALSO GO ON TO FRONT PIG LIFE AFTER TITAN ARUM SPLIT UP. BOTH BANDS ARE WELL WORTH YOUR EFFORT TO SEEK OUT.)
NOW THAT A STARTING POINT HAS BEEN PROVIDED HERE WITH THE NEIGHBORS' DEBUT 1994 CASSETTE, YOU CAN GO CHECK OUT THE REST OF THEIR MATERIAL AND SEE WHY THEY WERE, AND STILL ARE, CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HARDCORE BANDS TO EVER COME OUT OF SAN DIEGO. THIS AUDIO WAS TAKEN FROM THE CASSETTE, SO PLEASE EXCUSE THE SMALL AMOUNT OF TAPE NOISE THAT IS PRESENT. IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT BIG OF A DEAL CONSIDERING CASSETTES ARE FASHIONABLE AGAIN...
(Q: WHAT DID JEFFERY DAHMER SAY TO LORENA BOBBITT?
A: "ARE YOU GONNA EAT THAT?")
CHOP, CHOP!
TRACKLIST:
1. UNANSWERED
2. BROKEN DREAMS AND CANCELLED PLANS
3. SOUL
4. SECOND HAND MAN
5. WHERE'S MY FUN
6. NOTHING HAS CHANGED
7. FORGOTTEN PROBLEMS
8. RESPECT '
9. WEED
10. WEAR MY CORPSE
11. SOMETIMES
12. MUD DWELLER
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