The Gories - Complete Bandin Sessions

If you're not a fan of the Gories, then you're probably a dipshit, your actions are suspect, and you're not invited to my birthday party.

Is that harsh? Yes, but fair. The Gories are that good. If you've ever liked the White Stripes, or rock 'n' roll in general, you probably should have heard them. Along with The Cramps, Thee Milkshakes and Tim Warren, they were the wellspring of garage punk in the 80s. They released three LPs and a wealth of singles from 1989 to their breakup in 1992. Despite not having the best distribution, their legend grew via word of mouth throughout the 90s and 00s, culminating in a reunion tour in 2009. They've been houserockin' ever since.

I got turned onto the Gories shortly after I heard guitarist/vocalist Mick Collins' next band, the Dirtbombs, in 2001. I'd just started listening to bands like the New Bomb Turks, the Hives, and Oblivians, so the rawness of the Gories fit right in. I never thought I'd get to see them, yet once they reunited, they headlined U+N Fest in Baltimore in 2013. Mrs. Mummy and I snuck in to see them; they were beyond fantastic. Just raw-ass, primitive punk rock 'n' roll; AM radio, mono recordings blasting my ears, raising my pulse and my loins.

Here's the story on the Bandin Session, as told by Dan Kroha to Savage Magazine back in 2007:

The guy who put out our 1st LP, Lenny Puch, had Wanghead Records. His recording studio was where the Bandin show was filmed, so the studio you see in that video is the studio where we recorded our 1st LP. The walls of the studio were covered in carpet and Mick felt that the sound was too dead, so we asked if we could move all our stuff into the metal walled machine shop next door and record in there. Which is what we ended up doing.The Bandin show was shown on a local cable channel back when cable was like the radio station at the end of the dial. Like in a place where no one would see it. I never actually saw it until years later when someone gave me a videotape of it.

So there you have it: a Gories record that never actually came out, and, as far as I can tell, has never really been bootlegged. Someone ought to get on that.

Click here to download.