Here’s a super-dupe niche bit of petty, punk-rock pedantry.
A little over a year ago, storied Chicago musician, engineer and iconoclast Steve Albini passed away from a heart attack at the age of 61.
An incalculably revered and respected figure, having helmed the recordings of seminal albums by bands like The Jesus Lizard, Naked Raygun, Urge Overkill, Pussy Galore, Bitch Magnet, Slint, Boss Hog, Pigface, Superchunk, Failure, Murder Inc., Volcano Suns, The Wedding Present, Fugazi, P.J. Harvey, the Pixies, The Breeders and, yes … do please wait for it …. Nirvana, to say nothing about the inimitable music he made with his own bands, namely Big Black, the regrettably named Rapeman and Shellac, Albini was responsible for not only a massive part of the sound of the American underground, but also the sensibility. Preceded by his no-bullshit approach, his bluntly black-humored worldview, his fierce convictions, and his pronounced reputation for outspokenness (which frequently cast him in an unfavorable light), Albini cut quite a profile. In later life, Albini recanted many of his earlier, deliberately polarizing statements and took accountability for unwittingly nurturing a community of self-styled “edgelords.” While it may not have totally absolved him, this was an admirable thing to do.
Several months after Albini’s death, an online entity called Steve Albini’s Closet was established to “distribute the treasures amassed by the late polymath,” with proceeds directed towards Albini’s estate.
Obviously, as a fan of the man, his music, and his legacy, I took a look at the offerings upon the site’s initial unveiling but given that most of the items were asking to fetch some pretty princely sums, I didn’t give the endeavor too much thought. At this stage of the proceedings, I really cannot afford to be spending any more of my money on collectors’ items, much less ones in a format I can no longer play in my home (having given my last turntable to my collegiate son). Our apartment is already clogged to the rafters with too many of my vinyl LPs, compact discs, DVDs and friggin’ CASSETTES (I have a hard time parting with these things). I simply can’t go accruing more.
Regardless, Steve Albini’s Closet has continued to roll out bits of ephemera that get dutifully snapped up by record nerds and Albini acolytes conceivably across the globe. I stopped looking.
As if on cue, two comrades of mine – named Ted W. and Jordan M. – went out of their way to highlight a particular new item from Steve Albini’s Closet, namely a test pressing of the one and only album Kneejerk by Dig Dat Hole, the noise-rock trio that pre-figured Cop Shoot Cop. Asking for a cool thousand dollars for this rare slab of vinyl, Steve Albini’s Closet describes the item thusly:
(Ruthless test press ‘87) unissued LP RECORDED BY STEVE of this band who served as the bridge between Shithaus and Cop Shoot Cop condition: NM/-
Well, I don’t really want to rain on anyone’s parade nor make anyone feel stupid about their purchases, but I have it on fairly solid authority that that’s incorrect.
Back in the summer of 2020, an enigmatic YouTuber named E3 uploaded the entirety of the so-called Adult Contemporary Mix of Kneejerk, augmented with an interview with Tod [A] and Phil Puleo (then of Cop Shoot Cop, formerly of Dig Dat Hole) with a fanzine called Ugly American. In it, they discussed the whole arc of that band and that album. I re-purposed same for a post here, and – as you’ll read – they quickly shot down (pardon the pun) the notion that Albini had anything to do with the recording of the original Kneejerk.
So, for the individual that dropped $1K on that test pressing thinking Steve Albini had a hand in it, … I'm sure it's a simple misunderstanding, but I’m afraid to say that you’ve been had.
ADDENDUM: In the wake of posting this, I reached out to Tod [A] (who I only just saw a couple of weeks back during our trip to Istanbul) to see if he could provide any more clarity. Tod writes....
Steve Albini definitely did not record the Dig Dat Hole Kneejerk LP. If he had, it would definitely have sounded much better. Jon Spencer gave us Steve's contact and we were in the process of planning a release of the record on Steve's label Ruthless, when Steve informed us that he was too busy with Big Black stuff, and probably would not be able to do a good job with the release. At the time, this his us like a 2X4, but looking back, I respect his honesty.
Soon afterwards, Dig Dat Hole moved to NYC and morphed into Cop Shoot Cop.
There ya have it.
Here's a taste of Dig Dat Hole, recorded for WFMU in 1987..
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