The Styrenes - It's Still Artastic

1. Drano in your Veins 1:47
2. Circus Highlights 1:44
3. Radial Arm says 3:40
4. Just Walking 3:45
5. Jaguar Ride 1:12
6. Everything near me 1:23
7. The Social Whirlpool 1:19
8. Back in Hell 4:39
9. As if I cared 4:26
10. Leave the Girls 1:46
11. Inside of here 2:14
12. The outer Limits 2:28
13. Cheap and Vulgar 2:12
14. Girl Crazy 2:08
15. Where the Girls are 2:25
16. Lukas said 1:55
17. Opus 12 2:18
18. Anxiety 4:39
19. I saw you 2:17
20. It's artastic 3:37
21. Eyes of Satan 2:19
22. Minstrel Boy 1:51
23. Cold Meat 3:58
24. Karma Bank 3:42
25. The green Lamp 2:59
26. Heavy Streets 2:56
27. One Fanzine Reader writes 3:18

Paul Marotta: e-piano, piano, vocals, guitar
Jamie Klimek: guitar, vocals
Jim Jones: bass
Anton Fier: drums
Mike Antle: bass
Pete Solomita: drums
Greg Hauser: bass
Robert Rabinowitz: wind controller
Brian Buckley: narrator
John Morton: guitar
Pete Haskin: alto sax
UK Rattay: guitar
Paul Laurence: drums
Al Margolis: bass
Tom Amato: drums
Dave Franduto: guitar
John Zimmermann: bass
Al Kash: drums
Mike Hudson: vocals
Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello
Dave Newman: bass
Mike Hoffmann: drums

01-02: 17.09.1975, Owl Studios, Columbus
03-04: 18.05.1976, Styrene Studio, Cleveland
05-06: 14.09.1977, Suma Recording, Painesville
07: 05.02.1977, Styrene Studio, Cleveland
08: 20.01.1990, Live at Long Island University, Brooklyn
09: 20.06.1976, Styrene Studio, Cleveland
10-14: May-June 1976, Styrene Studio, Cleveland
15: 12.11.1979, Music Connection Recording & Styrene Studio, Cleveland
16: 09.07.1998, Unique Recording, NYC
17: 10.06.1979, Live at The Pirates Cove, Cleveland
18: 22.10.1998, Live at Newcastle Performing Art Center, UK
19-20: 29.05.1983, Live at the Paradise, Boston
21: 17.06.1992, Live at CBGB's, NYC
22: 18.04.1997, Live at The Rat, Boston
23: 17.10.1997, Live at The Side Door, St. Louis
24-27: 22.10.1998, Live at Royal Arsenio Hall, London

Engineerd and mixed by Paul Marotta and Jamie Klimek except 5&6 (Ken Hamann) and 16 (George Evageliou).
Produced by Paul Marotta.

"Even for Cleveland, The Styrenes were freaks." – Art Black (Liner Notes)

The Styrenes are precursors to many of the precursors of the bands that you
are listening to now. They have their origins in the burgeoning 70s
Cleveland scene that spawned such classic bands as Pere Ubu & Dead Boys.
Indicative of this incestuous family of Cleveland bands, the Styrenes were
founded by The Electric Eels' Paul Marotta & Mirrors' Jamie Klimek, with an
amalgam of attending musicians– Jim Jones (Pere Ubu), John Morton (Electric
Eels), Anton Fier (Golden Palominos, Lounge Lizards), Mike Hudson (Pagans).
With a style best described as jazzy agro-pop, the Styrenes were a bit
"off," a bit too weird, even by CLE standards–kind of like Syd Barret
backed by Pavement. Including "Drano In Your Veins" (truly one of the best
songs you'll hear, and one of the most joyously violent songs of all
time.), "Girl Crazy," "Jaguar Ride," "Radial Arm Saws," It's Still Artastic
could possibly be the quintessential Cleveland 70s anthem you need in your
collection.

This is the genuine article– more convincing & more daring–playing host to
modern day re-makes & copycats. Although The Hives (The Saints), Strokes
(Velvet Underground) & White Stripes (too many to name) are loved for their
retro-sound, and are quite good at it, they risk nothing.

The Styrenes, on the other hand, experiment with almost every song. The
result is indescribable, chaotic, often catchy, and always on-edge.
Adventurous and exciting- punk/agro-jazz w/ a tinge of hostility that can
only be described as genius. The music on It's Still Artastic sounds just
as idiosyncratic now as it did then, and just as prescient. The rest of
the world has yet to catch up.
The Cleveland landscape is coming under the microscope again; Pere Ubu, The
Electric Eels, & Amoeba (raft boy) (feat. members of the Styrenes) all
recently released new albums, Rocket From The Tombs' newest re-issue is
selling very well, and Cheetah Chrome is packing the house in Nashville.
The time is ripe.

Musicians include: Paul Marotta, Jamie Klimek, Jim Jones, Anton Fier, John
Morton, Mike Hudson, UK Rattay, Al Margolis, Mike Hoffman, Paul Laurence,
Mike Antle, Pete Haskins, Tom Amato & more

"It's Still Artastic" contains 10 new tracks & 2 new versions of classics.
So, even if you already have It's Artastic (1991) this is in fact an album
worth purchasing. Tracks are culled from 1975 all the way through 1998– a
wide & varied landscape of The Styrenes' distinctive musical action.

Tracks 8, 16, 18, 21-27 are Previously Unreleased & 19, 20 are New Versions.