Same Incorrect Thoughts, Different Day
Posted on April 4th, 2010 by Mike
On April 13, 2010, our new album, Same Thoughts, Different Day, will be released on Alernative Tentacles Records, in practically every format known to humanity: as a CD, as a two-disc 12″ vinyl LP/EP set with included digital download card, and as a digital download direct from all the usual locations.
This project is a bit unusual, so maybe we should explain. Way back in 1980 we released our first album, called Incorrect Thoughts, on an independent Vancouver record label called Friends Records. A few years later, after the original version of the band had broken up, and after some mysterious dealings that we were not party to, a version of that same record was released by a San Francisco record label. We were not pleased, considering that they re-mixed our songs without our involvement, re-ordered our album, added material we hadn’t included, slapped together one of ugliest covers ever seen, never contacted us for permission or input, and (of course) never payed us a single penny for the privilege. The label quickly swirled down the drainhole of history, however, so we thought that ugly little episode was over and done.
Shortly after we got back together in 2005 and recorded New Dark Age Parade, we started trying to organize some re-releases of our older recorded material. We released Death Was Too Kind, a collection of early single and EP material, and we were looking forward to being able to re-release Incorrect Thoughts. Then we found out that the person who ran that San Francisco label was attempting to claim that he owned the record. We didn’t agree; we don’t agree; but we decided in the end that we’d rather spend our time and money in a recording studio than a court room. Because fuck him. Because we own our songs and we own us.
So we recorded every song on the original album, plus two other songs that we’d laid down at the same sessions and which had only been released by us on an obscure compilation album (“Out of Line” and “Behind the Smile”), plus four others that we were playing back in the day that we’d never recorded in a studio (“Escalator to Hell,” “I Gotta Move,” “21st Century,” and “Out of Place”), and here they all are in a big slab of Subhumany goodness, just like the original album only more betterer. With Jesse Gander at the Hive Studios ably twisting the knobs and watching the dials, we think it ended up pretty good. We put everything we had into it, anyway. The original record just isn’t around anymore (it certainly isn’t present in any altered and manipulated version untouched by Subhuman hands, no matter what you’re told), so try this out. It’s what we think you should hear.
Thirty wonderful years later, you’ll have to tell us if this stuff holds up. Lot of water under the bridge, time waits for no one, and lots of other proverbs about the onrushing unrelenting passage of time, and it may be too much to expect that any of our rants and screeds and ravings resonate today. But then the mud in the river is different every day, plus ca change plus la same thing, and lots of other proverbs about the persistence of everything dreary, and maybe a few rays from some old fires can still cast a smidgen of light. Which brings us to the title: same shit, different day; same incorrect thoughts, different damn day.
I’ll be riding that escalator to hell hiding my excitement behind my smile on my way to get this fine recording.Now if you can only complete the big picture and have a few shows in vancouver, this town is really starting to suck entertainment wise, maybe it’s just me that can’t handle the crap they come out with nowadays.Oh canaduh what’s wrong with you put me in front of a firing squad but death would be too kind. Have more shows please as i am pissed off with good reason.
Posted by darryl on April 4th, 2010 at 10:44 pm.
I too will be purchasing this as soon it comes out. It will be nice to finally have a studio version of 21st Century. Just out of curiousity, if you can’t reissue the original version of Incorrect Thoughts, how were you guys able to use songs from that album on Pissed Off With Good Reason? And have you guys thought about re-recording No Wishes No Prayers?
Posted by Jim on April 5th, 2010 at 12:27 pm.
I’ll be getting my hands on this as fast as possible… I hear that you guys have laid down a version of “Piss on You” (Personality Crisis) for a BYO compilation too? Any other secrets up your sleeves… like another cross-Canaduh tour?
And yeah, No Wishes No Prayers – is that ‘owned’ by some other skeezeball or can it simply be rereleased?
Posted by Ken on April 6th, 2010 at 8:44 am.
Can I save the guys the trouble? I’ve talked to Brian and Mike a few times and been told that the masters for No Wishes, No Prayers are lost in the fog. But maybe there are recent developments that I am unaware of…
Posted by Allan MacInnis on April 7th, 2010 at 12:26 am.
Oh, but I should also add – much as I have my own babyduck fondness for the original Incorrect Thoughts, the new album sounds fucking incredible. I’ve sat down and toggled back and forth between the original LP and the new CD (which I snagged a press copy of), and the new versions are utterly great. The background vocals add a LOT, there are lots of nicely added (and sometimes quite subtle) details by Mike on guitar, and there’s a much, much better use of acoustic space; on a 5.1 system, something like 75% of Incorrect Thoughts sounds like it’s comin’ through the centre channel, whereas Same Thoughts, Different Day fills the room. Incorrect Thoughts is a great collection of songs, but Same Thoughts, Different Day, is a great RECORDING of them, and deserves to be the definitive presentation of the album; even those few songs that I never much cared for on the original (“Let’s Go Down To Hollywood,” say) suddenly make sense. Oh, and of the added tracks, Dimwit’s “Escalator To Hell,” Mike’s “Behind The Smile,” and ESPECIALLY Gerry’s “21st Century” are shoulda-been-classics. (It did take me a couple of listens to get used to how Jon’s drums sound, mind you – but I did!).
Posted by Allan MacInnis on April 7th, 2010 at 12:39 am.
Awesome! I’m embarrassed to admit but I thought for a long time that Behind The Smile was a D.O.A. original!
Also is there a photo of this ugly record cover, I’ve heard of it a few times and I’ve only ever seen the “Subhumans on the bus/train” one.
Posted by IM on April 11th, 2010 at 11:26 pm.
That CD Presents guy is now selling Incorrect Thoughts on emusic and iTunes…think you guys might finally get some royalties? Some how I doubt it
http://www.emusic.com/album/The-Subhumans-Incorrect-Thoughts-MP3-Download/11791137.html
Posted by Jim on April 12th, 2010 at 3:39 pm.
I just bought the new/old album “Same Thoughts,Different Day”.Thanks for going to the trouble of making this record,releasing the singles compilation “Death Was Too Kind”,and the album of newer songs “New Dark Age Parade”.All three are brilliant documents of Canada’s place in music history.Now how about a North American tour?
Posted by Bill Morgan on April 14th, 2010 at 2:24 am.
The ugly cover is viewable here (if this doesn’t work, just do a Google Images search for “Subhumans Incorrect Thoughts” and it will turn up; it’s orange and has “CD Presents” at the bottom).
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4486/dsc06690x.jpg
They had a cartoonist, credited as Battle Of The Eyes, basically do a cartoon version of the original photo – a rather lamely unoriginal and pointless approach, since a scribbly doodle of people on a bus doesn’t mean much, unless you know the original cover; though to be fair, the back cover has original cartoony “interpretations” of each song, and is not quite as lame. There’s a little dancing gerkhin with arms illustrating “Slave To My Dick,” for instance – tho’ certain song titles are rendered incorrectly, ie, “War in My Head”). They credit mixing and mastering to Gary Hobish at CD Studios, San Francisco. There’s no mention of the previous release of the album, no mention of the band members, no mention of Vancouver, Friends Records, no mention of the songwriters on the album label, and no lyric sheet, at least with my copy (bought used off eBay). The track listing is also scrambled from the Friends version:
Side 1:
The Scheme
New Order
Behind My Smile
Out Of Line
Big Picture
Dead At Birth
Urban Guerrillas
War In The Head
Side 2:
Firing Squad
Slave To My Dick
Death To the Sickoids
Greaser Boy
Model Of Stupidity
We’re Alive
Refugee
Let’s Go Down To Hollywood…
There’s not much else to say about it. I wanted a copy since I was writing a story about the re-issue and wanted to be able to examine it, but having done so, i have to say, there’s really no point in wanting to own this – it’s an inferior version, made without much love or respect. Not much point in picking it up when the band have a beautifully made, band-approved version out there (which I notice is in stores TODAY, by the way – at least in Vancouver).
A.
Posted by Allan MacInnis on April 15th, 2010 at 1:06 am.
The CD Presents version of Incorrect Thoughts on iTunes includes a digital booklet with a bunch of liner notes about the band and the record, and even mentions thier reunion and ‘Dark Age Parade’. It almost seems like an official release. The scummy thing is that they put it out a month before “Same Thoughts” and are only selling it for $5.99. What I don’t get is that even though CD Presents owns the masters, the band still owns the songs…how are they able to get away without paying royalties?
Posted by Lloyd on April 15th, 2010 at 11:53 am.
A year or two ago, at a show in Portland, Oregon, I cornered Nardwuar the Human Serviette because I wanted to know what he knew about THEE Subhumans (The Evaporators’ latest album had an homage to Incorrect Thoughts as a cover). I badgered him about what the members were like, what they were up to these (those?) days and why he didn’t post a shitload of interviews on his website, transcribed. (Answer: “Brian and Gerry and the rest of ’em are really nice, and they’re one of the greatest bands ever, but I don’t have the space to post every interview I do…”)
He should make space.
My copy of Incorrect Thoughts was burned from a CD Presents cassette version to a mini-disc and finally to a CD. The sound quality has suffered a bit, but I still listen to it all the time. I’m lucky enough to own all of the rest of the singles/records/CDs, but I’ve never been able to score a copy of the original Incorrect Thoughts record (actually, I don’t have the Oh, Canaduh single either).
Anyway, I cannot wait to hear the new versions.
Fuck it, I’m taking the bus out to Amoeba Records in San Francisco right now to pick one up.
Nomeansno is incredible (the Northwest has a lock on quality music — see Poison Idea, Sado-Nation, Dayglo Abortions, The Wipers, and of course, DOA), but I LOVE the Subhumans. They just might be the greatest band the world ever saw. Certainly Canaduh’s finest.
I wish and pray they come down to the Bay Area.
Posted by Dan Swank on April 15th, 2010 at 4:31 pm.
Just got the re-record yesterday. It’s great, I especially love what you guys did with “New Order” (which was one of my favorites off the original).
Don’t get me wrong, my daughter can have my copy of the original when she pries it out of my cold, dead hands (and puts it on ebay to buy a house, probably) but this CD is going to be on pretty constant rotation.
Posted by Ken on April 25th, 2010 at 6:51 pm.
Still hoping for another Canada Day show from you, especially since you did not record “Two Bit Whore.” Hell, you could re-name it “Two Bit Gord” in honour of our thieving premier.
Posted by Mr. Beer N. Hockey on April 28th, 2010 at 11:01 pm.
Heyo. So those of you interested in NO WISHES NO PRAYERS absolutely need to get your mitts on Mongrel Zine #8, for reasons I write about here:
http://alienatedinvancouver.blogspot.com/2010/05/attention-subhumans-fans-rare-demo-in.html
In brief, the band has given Mongrel a song for their CDr – a rough-but-tough early version of “Slap In The Face,” which absolutely needs to be heard by all you Subhumans completists out there.
All eight of you.
Posted by Allan MacInnis on May 15th, 2010 at 9:00 pm.