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IN STOCK
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ARTIST
TITLE
III
FORMAT
2LP
LABEL
CATALOG #
DC 858LP
DC 858LP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
5/26/2023
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"In May of 1996, with a handful of releases under their belts, the kings of the insanity sound, then known simply as: The Champs, began recording their magnum octopus, III. This time their sights were set beyond the still diminutive cassette format and trained squarely on a gatefold double album -- the perfect medium for Total Music. Over the next year, in between touring up and down the west coast, the band molded the Kubrickian monolith known as III. In May of 1997, after lugging a console, tape machines, speakers and a smattering of outboard gear up three flights of stairs, the band mixed the album in the bedroom of a third-floor apartment, directly overlooking the 280 freeway. The noise floor was such that all windows remained closed for the duration of the process. Over the next six weeks they played wherever people thirsted for something compelling and different, something to rock out with their Bach out, in a word, well two words, Total Music. While on the road, the band also searched for a suitable record label willing to make the financial commitment a gatefold double album requires -- a tall order for a band virtually unknown outside of the west coast and the borough of Manhattan. Ultimately, the eclectic San Francisco label, Frenetic, took the plunge and generously emptied their modest coffers to fund the manufacture of III, which was released under the legally distinct band name: C4AM95. In print, the name was easily decoded by use of the ubiquitous 'devil horns' or 'maloik', with the index finger covering the awkward section of the 4 and the underrated pinkie finger covering the southern portion of the nine. This deliberate obfuscation shielded the band from increasingly ominous communications emanating from Nashville concerning the similarity in name to a certain band from the 1950's. After the release of III, The Champs continued to tour the US, embarking on (and completing) six tours before the turn of the millennium . . . The Fucking Champs left an indelible mark on the musical consciousness of the second to last and final millennia. For this special 26th anniversary edition of III, the album was remastered by the band from the original master tapes, lacquers expertly cut by John Golden and artwork restored by forensic experts in Drag City's employ..." --Dale Nixon, April 15, 2022
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