I'm a huge fan of all the Alchemy stuff, this record and the RKL album were huge for me in my teenage years. They're actually, along with the Clown Alley and Melvins records, still some of my favorites. Jerry's books are great, you should check them out if you get a chance.
This was my first Poison Idea album I ever bought, way back when it came out. All of their previous releases were ragers but Slayer Hippy's drumming propelled them to glorious levels of madness.
@@MarkDeutrom So true that .Look no further than all you did with Melvins. Who the hell was vaguely interested in those major record label albums when they came out? Very few people I personally knew back then tbph. Few months ago I just attended a 40 yo anniversary tour date and the place was packed ...as if it was any of the big commercial "Grunge " bands of the 90s. Melvins and Poison Idea are similar in that regard ...I also remember purchasing the "Feel the darkness " album (34 years ago ...crazy when you think in such terms ) and thought it was one of those albums which would finally expose the band to a bigger audience ...yeah , right ! Look at how people talk about that one these days too.
One of the most attractive things about the Alchemy catalog is the distinct flavor of each release. While most are in the punk or punk-adjacent realm, none of the bands sounded similar, unlike a lot of what other labels would do.
We were just getting started when it caved in...Victor and I had a huge range of music we enjoyed so it would have been interesting to see the progression beyond the hardcore beginnings.
Very enjoyable and informative video Mark. I'm a Bay Area guy. RKL was a favorite so the first Alchemy release I bought was R'N'R Nightmare - saw the comic and thought Alchemy rules!! As a result I started buying all your release and this album was my introduction to Poison Idea, thought it had quite a metal edge. Was blown away first time hearing Pick Your King! Still have my original Melvins, RKL, Sacrilege, Clown Alley and a crazy Clown Alley/Rythym Pigs flyer from On Broadway with the jack in the box killer clown. BTW David Duran hell of a vocalist, he was great with Hemi!
Thanks for sharing that ! Nice to hear from people who were there. I think Sean Smithson from Sacrilege actually drew the On Broadway poster. David Duran always great !
Thanks ! I probably could have worked harder to be more diplomatic at the time and get a better result, but that was a particularly challenging time for me outside of trying to get this finished to everyone's satisfaction.
Thank you so much for this. Your stories about the making of this awesome record prove that from total chaos, greatness can sometimes emerge. Love this record and its uniqueness.
I'm feeling it might have been Jerry at this point...I don't recall much eloquence...mainly threats of violence. Those phone machines were probably retired to landfills many decades ago.
@@MarkDeutrom Tom always screened his phone calls. Whenever he would pick up on mine, it gave me a good feeling. When i first met Jerry. He had just got a final mix of War. He played it, and it blew my mind. Game changer for sure.
Thank you ! I plan to get to the remaining Alchemy releases when time permits. BTW Barry White is a personal favorite of mine.... Amazing playing, production, writing and singing. The grooves are huge with BW.
Poison Idea is one of my favorite hardcore bands, but they could be real dicks and bullies. Your story about the phone threats reminded me of the time they sent my friends a letter threatening them with violence because my friends high school garage band had been covering a PI song in their live shows.
Much of this behavior from them made more sense after I read Jerry Lang's books Black Heart Fades Blue. While not the most pleasant read, I salute Jerry's honesty and self examination into his own behavior and the resulting fallout from that. There's certainly no excuse for much of it, but he does own it and has achieved some peace and clarity on this side of all that.
@MarkDeutrom I just finished parts 1 and 2 on audiobook a few days ago. I'll start part 3 here soon. It was pretty damn good, and yeah, I agree that it provides a lot of insight about those days and all the stuff that went down. Thanks for the reply!
I'm a huge fan of all the Alchemy stuff, this record and the RKL album were huge for me in my teenage years. They're actually, along with the Clown Alley and Melvins records, still some of my favorites. Jerry's books are great, you should check them out if you get a chance.
Thanks ! I'm about halfway through Mark Lanegan's book, so Jerry's might be the next logical step.
This was my first Poison Idea album I ever bought, way back when it came out. All of their previous releases were ragers but Slayer Hippy's drumming propelled them to glorious levels of madness.
Check out Jerry Lang's book(s) for the reality of the whole thing ! Interesting read.
"War all the time " is the greatest Hardcore/Punk album made in the USA. To have had anything to do with it is Legendary !
Thanks...Seems like it takes about 40 years for things to become legendary !
@@MarkDeutrom So true that .Look no further than all you did with Melvins. Who the hell was vaguely interested in those major record label albums when they came out?
Very few people I personally knew back then tbph.
Few months ago I just attended a 40 yo anniversary tour date and the place was packed ...as if it was any of the big commercial "Grunge " bands of the 90s.
Melvins and Poison Idea are similar in that regard ...I also remember purchasing the "Feel the darkness " album (34 years ago ...crazy when you think in such terms ) and thought it was one of those albums which would finally expose the band to a bigger audience ...yeah , right ! Look at how people talk about that one these days too.
Thanks for making my world better.
Best Poison Idea LP for me.
One of the most attractive things about the Alchemy catalog is the distinct flavor of each release. While most are in the punk or punk-adjacent realm, none of the bands sounded similar, unlike a lot of what other labels would do.
We were just getting started when it caved in...Victor and I had a huge range of music we enjoyed so it would have been interesting to see the progression beyond the hardcore beginnings.
Very enjoyable and informative video Mark. I'm a Bay Area guy. RKL was a favorite so the first Alchemy release I bought was R'N'R Nightmare - saw the comic and thought Alchemy rules!! As a result I started buying all your release and this album was my introduction to Poison Idea, thought it had quite a metal edge. Was blown away first time hearing Pick Your King! Still have my original Melvins, RKL, Sacrilege, Clown Alley and a crazy Clown Alley/Rythym Pigs flyer from On Broadway with the jack in the box killer clown. BTW David Duran hell of a vocalist, he was great with Hemi!
Thanks for sharing that ! Nice to hear from people who were there. I think Sean Smithson from Sacrilege actually drew the On Broadway poster. David Duran always great !
Very dignified, mark.
Thanks ! I probably could have worked harder to be more diplomatic at the time and get a better result, but that was a particularly challenging time for me outside of trying to get this finished to everyone's satisfaction.
Thank you so much for this. Your stories about the making of this awesome record prove that from total chaos, greatness can sometimes emerge. Love this record and its uniqueness.
Seems like every record for the label had a completely unique experience attached to it. This one was no exception ! Thanks for being here .
Best Poison Idea record for me! Thanx for the great story.
Everyone has a favorite !
Tom and Jerry. Oh yeah, now I remember. Those thin fellers, right?
Top record that !
It has it's own unique place in the history of that band and genre, that is certain. Thanks for watching.
Do you still have Tom's voice mails? Those would be great to hear. He was a wordsmith for sure.
I'm feeling it might have been Jerry at this point...I don't recall much eloquence...mainly threats of violence. Those phone machines were probably retired to landfills many decades ago.
@@MarkDeutrom Tom always screened his phone calls. Whenever he would pick up on mine, it gave me a good feeling. When i first met Jerry. He had just got a final mix of War. He played it, and it blew my mind. Game changer for sure.
🤘🏻🎱🤘🏻
Awesome, love what you do Mark. Keep up the great work! I'd love to hear about what it was like making Neurosis' Pain of Mind.
Thank you ! I plan to get to the remaining Alchemy releases when time permits. BTW Barry White is a personal favorite of mine.... Amazing playing, production, writing and singing. The grooves are huge with BW.
Poison Idea is one of my favorite hardcore bands, but they could be real dicks and bullies. Your story about the phone threats reminded me of the time they sent my friends a letter threatening them with violence because my friends high school garage band had been covering a PI song in their live shows.
Much of this behavior from them made more sense after I read Jerry Lang's books Black Heart Fades Blue. While not the most pleasant read, I salute Jerry's honesty and self examination into his own behavior and the resulting fallout from that. There's certainly no excuse for much of it, but he does own it and has achieved some peace and clarity on this side of all that.
@MarkDeutrom I just finished parts 1 and 2 on audiobook a few days ago. I'll start part 3 here soon. It was pretty damn good, and yeah, I agree that it provides a lot of insight about those days and all the stuff that went down. Thanks for the reply!
The myth is that at a point, poison idea weighed more than a ton...is still think they're the best hard-core punk band ever.
I think that was a PR thing by some magazine but it adds to the legend, among other things...great band regardless.Thanks for watching.
They did hold a Guinness World Record for heaviest band at one point.
Even as a 5 piece that would be 400 pound each member.