Samiam - You are freaking me out.

I have to say, that on a record front, I am kicking goals at the moment, because I honestly do not know how long I have looked for this LP!



I remember the time I actually bought my CD copy of this album (Which I actually still own, 10 years later!), which was on the second floor of Dixons recycled records in Dandenong. It was a time when I had been listening to pretty much only Swedish punk bands like Millencolin, No Fun At All and Satanic Surfers, and when I saw that this CD was on Burning Heart, I didn't hesitate and just paid the $8 sticker price. I remember getting it home, putting it into my CD player and being a little bummed out, as it wasn't superfast and poppy. I have to be honest and say that I put it away for a little while after the first listen.



Over the years, my taste changed a little, especially when I started to get into other sorts of punk bands, and I came across this CD in my collection, so I pulled it out, chucked it on, and I loved it. I got my hands on Clumsy and Ashtray, and that sums up my love for Samiam really. NB: I wasn't super stoked on the older stuff, although I really should give it a go now, as I reckon I would love it. I also didn't vibe on the last record either. It wasn't bad, and I quite liked the production, but it didn't grab me for some reason. Also, they ripped off a Blueline Medic song pretty hard after Donnie gave Sergi the demos for the last Blueline Medic LP. Kinda cool in a way, pretty shitty in another.



Every time I listen to this now, I remember seeing Samiam last year at the Arthouse Hotel in Melbourne (for those overseas, it's a 300 person pub/bar that has been the main stomping ground for Punks of all genres for the last 20 years, and will be closing it's door forever in May 2011), because they played so many songs off this album.



So, I saw this on eBay, and I had missed a copy the week before when it went past my $60 limit at the time. I had gotten to the point where I needed just "Man up and pay what I needed to get it", so that's what I did. $66 later, and it's finally in my collection. I have seen it on another site for sale in it's 4x7 inch box set, but to be honest, don't want to have to get up after each song and change it over, I'd rather this on the LP format I have. All that aside, I will probably buy it to have the 4x7 inch box set, just to look at...



This thing is so clean that it hurts. The cover art is amazing on a larger scale and this copy is in amazing condition. I was a little apprehensive as it was coming from Canada, and the Canadian Mail Service is pretty woeful (Not bagging Canada or Canadians, but your mail service sucks!), but this arrived in lightning fast speed and in the best possible condition.

If you haven't heard this album, buy the CD (or hell, download it even!) and sit back and enjoy.

Now all I need is a copy of Clumsy on LP... Anyone?