Art punks The Mutants announce ‘Curse’ vinyl release for November 4
The Mutants, one of the first punk bands to emerge from San Francisco in the mid-1970s, will have their Curse of the Easily Amused retrospective released on vinyl November 4 from Liberation Hall. Originally appearing on CD and digital in July, Curse of the Easily Amused features 14 tracks recorded between 1978 and 1985. All formats are distributed by MVD Entertainment.
The album will include an interior jacket featuring vintage photography of the band at various Bay Area punk venues, concert flyers, and newly-commissioned liner notes. In addition to a standard black vinyl pressing, there will also be a limited edition of 200 pressed on purple splatter vinyl. The purple vinyl will be available exclusively through 1-2-3-4 Go! Records. Pre-order information will be announced soon on the store’s website.
On November 12, the Mutants will headline a record release concert at the Ivy Room in Albany, California. The lineup will include four founding members of the band: vocalist Fritz Fox, drummer Dave Carothers, and guitarists Brendan Earley and John Gullak. Other members of the current lineup have played in Tuxedomoon, Negativland, Frightwig, No Alternative, the Offs, the Next, and others. Doors open at 8:00 PM and advance tickets are available at The Ivy Room.
“Curse of the Easily Amused gives old school punk collectors reason to cheer as the set offers a substantial batch of wholly worthwhile previously unreleased material… This is a consistently pleasurable ride, recommended to those who like a little fun in their punk. A- “ — Joseph Neff, THE VINYL DISTRICT
“The Mutants opened for the Cramps at their notorious 1978 Napa State Mental Hospital gig and would have been the supports for Joy Division on their first U.S. tour, had Ian Curtis not checked out a couple of days before an airline expected him to check in… There’s a simple punk charm in the music of the Mutants, who come across as a less quirky version of the B-52’s crossed with Scotland’s Rezillos and Australia’s Thought Criminals.” — Craig Regan, THE I-94 BAR
“Musically, they still sound unique and that gives these recordings a vitality that makes them sound surprisingly fresh. If you’ve ever been interested in the early punk scenes, this is something you really need to hear. The Mutants took their own path and played their own way. Isn’t that what Punk was supposed to do?” — Andy Pearson, FEAR & LOATHING ZINE
“This is classic U.S. new wave powerpop: melodic, tuneful, and well produced with hints of the B-52’s and Go-Go’s along with a gritty edge that helps them avoid becoming too polished or saccharine.” — Russ Bestley, VIVE LE ROCK
“Taken as a full-length, this is more insistent and cohesive than their Fun Terminal LP, with shades of Voidoids, Pere Ubu, and others on the artsy fringe of punk popping up in the edgy shards they deliver… This is as ‘punk’ as it gets, and sonic ambiguity, not blind adherences to what’s expected, is what more should be striving for.” — Jimmy Alvarado, RAZORCAKE
“These songs paint a diverse picture, from straight punk rock to pop numbers in New Wave guise, everything reflects how the punk scene was developing at a rapid pace. 9 out of 10” — Joachim Hiller, OX FANZINE
“’Curse of the Easily Amused is likely to serve — and serve well — as the definitive document of the Bay Area’s premier art punk collective.” — Bill Kopp, MUSOSCRIBE
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