As the year comes to a close, I suddenly got the feeling to do another post or two. Not for anything other than the fact that I received a box set that I felt was worth reviving this thing for. Following the 'On Tape' 7'' re-release from Optic Nerve, the label decided to go all out and do a reissue of the Pooh Sticks box set; with a twist on the original press. The reissue comes with a fun book and coloured vinyl and a bunch of B-Sides that the original press sacrificed in favour of etched B-Sides.
But somehow I'm not posting about that today. In fact, the record I'm posting about doesn't even belong to me (although I really wish it did!).
The Pooh Sticks - The Pooh Sticks - 1st Press - Fierce Recordings 021-025 - 5 x 7'' Box Set (Unknown quantity but assuming somewhere in the 100 -200 mark - maybe Alan knows?)
So as I pull the reissue out and photograph it, you'll see some of the differences, but for now we have this one. All of the centre labels and the boxes were doodled on by hand, presumably by the band or label. Maybe a Hue Pooh solo job, who knows?
The history of this band fascinate me, and over the last year I've slowly grabbed more and more releases from them. This photo is pretty incredible, and perfectly sums up the cool slacker twee indie vibe this band capture so well.
POOH in big letters for the back of the box. I'm not sure if all of them had this on the back, but the reissue has a different design for sure.
The whole contents of the box laid out, with a variation of A and B sides to show off the doodling. The A-Sides had track titles and on the B -Sides some squiggling.
Here is a close up of some of the etchings. Etched B-Sides were a common theme in the early Pooh Sticks releases and there'll be a few more of them shown in this blog before too long.
The insert contains a track - listing, band personnel, a fun anecdote on their trip to New York City (I'm sure the full story has tales of love, hidden club spots, a flat burning down, hanging out in Rick Rubin's apartment and some band getting upset over a false billing - but the history is out there to read I'm sure).
The final thing I'll add here is why I'm writing about a record that doesn't even belong to me, and why I'm going to head down a Pooh Sticks rabbit hole for a few releases whether anyone likes them or not...
I met Alan through an old friend years ago, and I'm sure that a massive percentage of my collection is through him. He has released music from my band on his label (Different Kitchen Records) and he has welcomed me in to his house for coffee and a deep dive in to his collection many times. In fact, I don't think I've ever ordered online from him; I just head to Different Kitchen HQ and that won't likely ever change.
There's a history to these records, that I feel goes unnoticed unless you were there at the time, and I get to live vicariously through him. This box set came out before I was even born, but Alan seems to remember where he was when it came out, the store he got it from and the letters he received from the band. In fact, I've seen the letters from the band and they're pretty special! They provide a timeline to him, where he was, who he was dating and even down to him finding an old T-Shirt from the era with the classic cover art on the front.
This box set has sold for as high as £250 on Discogs, and grabbing an original press is about as likely as grabbing a shirt from the time. But the next best thing is to hold one in my hands, hear the history of it all and be able to capture a moment in time and romanticise it a little. It makes hearing the songs that more special to me.
The next few posts are about The Pooh Sticks, so I apologise if you're not a fan. But even if you're not, these DIY releases with their hand embellished packaging and short run pressings are just as fun as any punk record. So what's the harm right?
