Teenage Hate was a game-changer for me. When I first hear it, I was the same age as Jay was when he made it and that album got me thru my last year of high school. Got a 4-track not long after that. Grown Up, Fucked Up is obviously another favorite for the raging KBD bordering on hardcore kinda vibe, but I don't think it had quite the same initial impact on my life as Teenage Hate. Obviously love most of his records but that's what stands out most in my mind.
Favorite Jay Reatard (& related) records?
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Neglected to mention Lost Sounds “Rats Brains and Microchips”. Maybe my favourite record the guy made. Can’t overstate how big of an influence that band was on me. So happy I got to see them live once, Election night 2004 in Seattle. The vibe was appropriate.
These days the CC Rider lp i probably listen to more than anything else he's done. Also even a little more fringe but that sector zero 45 he played traps on still gets a fair ammount of spins. Such a sick 45
Guy Lombardont sector zero 45
forgot all about this one, great shit. HIDING IN MY CAR
His track on Nervous Patterns 7" (sung by Alicja)
And destruction unit 7" are some other killer deep cuts.
I think his finest moments were "Teenage Hate" and "Rats Brains".
Was lucky enough to see all his bands several times. Seeing Lost Sounds changed how I thought about punk music.
Teenage Hate
Blood Visions
Angry Angles
Terror Visions
It really is hard to narrow it down, everything he touched was pretty great.
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CC Riders was my biggest seller. I was proud of that one. I honestly wanted to do a Jeff Evans record. The backup band sealed the deal. It came out first as a CDr on Contaminated. Around 2001ish. Our reissue was 2013 or thereabouts.
I saw Lost Sounds in LA before they imploded. Scene Bar in Glendale. Very memorable.
Jay on the phone was lucid and incredibly motivated. Really bright guy. After his first LA show promoting the record -- he was having a hard time. After that I lost track of his career. I've never heard the Matador records.
Jeff Novak seemed to understand Jay the best. He and Friedl.
I haven’t listened to Jay Reatard anything in a decade or so…however, I really loved both Reatards LPs, Bad Times, and Lost Sounds Memphis is Dead + Black Wave. I liked all of his LIVE performances best of all.
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If anyone missed it, this article that came out a few months back was a pretty fantastic and heavy read- https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-127-winter-2024/the-life-death-and-memphis-blues-of-jay-reatard
I've heard at least four bands rip off this specific song. Also, last month Zillow sent me an email saying a house was available on the 1600 block of Echles St. and I was like "No thanks, I've been warned about that block."
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Mystery_Ship bought a physical copy for posterity. it is a heavy read.
Found out about Reatards via the great fanzine Human Garbage Disposal and their rave review of Teenage Hate. I had been into garage punk for a few years, but most of the bands seemed to consist of old people (they were probably 30 at the most). Reatards were the first band of this kind I got into with members roughly my age, which made me like them even more.
Teenage Hate and the first batch of singles are still my faves along with the Bad Times LP, the Hammer I Miss You 7" and Rats, Brains & Microchips by Lost Sounds. Blood Visions is fine, but I'm not as crazy about it as most seem to be. Never got into his last solo album and singles. Come to think of it, I never really listened to Nervous Patterns, need to fix that. And yeah, Final Solutions are great too, especially the first two EPs and the first LP.
Introduced to Jay Reatard with his Matador Singles '08
Especially like the period of singles 06-07, Blood Visions off course, Terror visions, Reatards first material, Angry Angles and Lost Sounds !
A preference for Lost Sounds and Blood Visions
Teenage Hate is tops for me. A stellar record all around. I liked the Angry Angels stuff too. Asides from that I haven’t dove too much into his other work.
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Control+F Persuaders - Forced to Fuck. (LOCK THREAD.)
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I'm pretty much just a punker when it comes to Jay. I bought Teenage Hate blind in 1999 and I'm not sure I've ever loved a record more on first listen than that. All I really still jam with is pre-reformation Reatards and Bad Times. "Mama Told Me So" may be his best song ever. I listened to Lost Sounds Memphis Is Dead a lot back in the day but haven't listened to it in forever now.
I saw Lost Sounds, reformed Reatards, Angry Angles, and solo and I can't say I loved any of the live shows. The original Reatards videos like the one from Fallout Records look amazing, though.
Grown Up, Fucked Up, Persuaders, Lost Sounds, Blood Visions. The first Destruction Unit album, Teenage Hate
I like pretty much all of it. Not Fucked Enough has it's moments (the cover of Sour & Vicious Man is one).
Blood Visions tops, I think all the solo stuff comes up top. I'm a Watch me Fall defender. I'm always thinking about the song "I want Sex"
No mention of the Final Solutions!? I think I have them all but haven't played the albums in years...
“Fake Puke” is a modern classic.