We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Gonna Use It [L-R]: Tina O’Neill, Vicki Perks, Maggie Dunne, Jo Dunne

Last October saw Jo Dunne of the wondrous We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Gonna Use It succumb to cancer at the far too young age of 43 and at the time I opined that I guessed that it was up to me to issue the band’s debut album “Bostin’ Steve Austin” on CD on the in-house label. It looks like Cherry Red Records has stepped into the breach and are issuing a 2xCD DLX RM of the title at the end of this month. Disc one is the unencumbered album that I’ve been waiting 26 years for a round, silvery disc version of. Disc two is the splendiferous smorgasbord of B-sides and remixes from the flurry of singles that surrounded the album. Let’s unleash the printer’s loupe for a closer examination, yes?

Cherry Red | UK | 2xCD | 2013 | CDBRED548

We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Gonna Use It: Bostin’ Steve Austin UK 2xCD [2013]

Disc 1

1. Love Is The Slug
2. Wait And See
3. Jackie
4. Spirit In The Sky
5. XX Sex
6. Alive
7. What’s The Point
8. You Got Me
9. Hollow Girl
10. Console Me
11. Rules And Regulations
12. Preconceptions

Disc 2

1. Rules And Regulations [7-Inch Mix]
2. XX Sex [EP Version]
3. Do I Want To?
4. She
5. Aaarrrggghhh!!!
6. Rockin’ With Rita [Head To Toe]
7. Fuzzy Faves
8. Aaarrrggghhh!!! [Remix]
9. Spirit In The Sky [Shortish Mix]
10. Justine
11. Radio Fuzzbox
12. What’s The Point [7-Inch Mix]
13. Fever
14. Fuzzy Ramblings
15. Bohemian Rhapsody
16. Rules And Regulations [Splendiferous Mix]
17. Rockin’ With Rita [Head To Toe] [Beach Party Mix]
18. Love Is The Slug [Bargainous Longerer Mix]
19. What’s The Point [The Bostinous One]
20. Rules And Regulations [Motormark Mix]
21. XX Sex [Gully’s Mix]
22. By The Light Of The Silvery Moon

Wow! That looks pretty authoritative and dare I say it, canonic. The tracks in red are previously unreleased tracks/versions for extra, added sonic vitamins. What does the We’ve Got A Fuzzbox And We’re Gonna Use It [heretofore shortened to WGAFAWGUI] collection at home have to say about this?

Vindaloo | UK | 7″ | 1986 | UGH 11

Rules + Regulations 7″ EP

1. XX Sex [EP ver.]
2. Do I Want To?
3. Rules + Regulations [EP ver.]
4. She

Yesss! All present and accounted for. But what about the etched 12″ version? Not only did the 12″ have one side etched with drawings of all of the band members, but the A-side was extended and an extra B-side was added. The mandatory “Aaarrrggghhh!!!”

Vindaloo | UK | 12″ | 1986 | UGH 11T

Rules + Regulations 12″ EP

1. Rules + Regulations [splendiferous mix]
2. XX Sex [EP ver.]
3. Do I Want To?
4. She
5. Aaarrrggghhh!!!

Lovely! That takes care of single # 1. What about the second single?

Vindaloo | UK | 7″ | 1986 | UGH 13

Vindaloo Summer Special 7″

1. Nightingales/Ted Chippington/WGAFAWGUI: Rockin’ With Rita [head to toe]
2. Nightingales: Let’s Surf

The band’s second single was the all-label effort that featured the full-on Vindaloo Records lineup on the A-side with our heroines sharing the mic. Actually, this single is the one WGAFAWGUI chunk of PVC that’s still on my want list, so now I’m saved from buying this one.

Vindaloo | UK | 12″ | 1986 | UGH 13T

Vindaloo Summer Special 12″

1. Nightingales/Ted Chippington/WGAFAWGUI: Rockin’ With Rita [head to toe – beach party mix]
2. Nightingales: Let’s Surf
3. Ted Chippington: Ooh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside
4. WGAFAWGUI: Fuzzy Faves

Both mixes of the A-side are where they should be and even the Fuzzbox-centric B-side is there. “Fuzzy Faves” is a brain-melting medley of “Sitting In The Back Seat,” “Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” and “Kookie Kookie [lend Me Your Comb” if you’ve not had the pleasure!

Vindaloo | UK | 7″ + Cass. | 1986 | UGH 14 FC

Love Is The Slug 7″ + Cassette

1. Love Is The Slug [7″ mix]
2. Console Me
3. Justine

I never bought the 7″ of “Love Is The SLug,” but apparently there’s a 7″ edit of the A-side that appeared on the release. The big draw to the UK 7″ was the cassette that was bundled with the disc for more adroit chart manipulation. I never had a copy of “Radio Fuzzbox,” but it was a fake radio show [complete with ads] that was built around a recording the band’s second ever gig!

Radio Fuzzbox Cassette

1. Love Is The Slug
2. Console Me [live]
3. Spirit In The Sky [live]
4. Enigma [live] 
5. Justine [live]

Geffen Records | US | 12″ | 1986 | 0-20637

Love is the Slug 12″

1. Love Is The Slug [bargainous longerer mix]
2. Console Me
3. Spirit In The Sky
4. Justine

“Love Is The Slug” was the one single by the group that I never found a UK version of; leading to my singular record of theirs as released domestically on the cheerless Geffen Records imprint. The Martin Rushent produced A-side sounds as magnificent as one would imagine! Proving that the band could have a slickly produced record that didn’t throw all of their lovable qualities out of the window… as did their thoroughly professional second album.

WEA | UK | 7″ | 1986 | YZ 101

What’s The Point? 7″

1. What’s The Point [7″ remix]
2. Fuzzy Ramblings
3. Fever

This was a 7″ that I mail ordered at the time of release since it was red vinyl and featured a 12″ worth of fun on a compact 7″ single.  A remixed A-side and 2 non-LP B-sides! Kudos for the loopy violin on the cover of the venerable “Fever,” which I’ve never heard a bad version of!

WEA | UK | 12″ Pic Disc | 1986 | YZ 101TP

What’s The Point? 12″ Pic Disc

1. What’s The Point [the bostinious one]
2. Fuzzy Ramblings
3. Fever
4. Bohemian Rhapsody

I never found the straight 12″ of this, but when I found the 12″ picture disc I had to bite even though the fidelity of pic discs leave huge amounts of sound quality to be desired. Why? When I saw the extra track [I had the 7″ by this time] was a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” I just had to hear what they did to it!!! I was not disappointed as they gleefully raked it over the red hot coals with a daring a cappella rendition that would be one of the most divisive pieces of music in my Record Cell, apart from my Shaggs discs! It manages to make the Bad News rendition sound downright reverent.

So it looks like everything that I can dredge up to fill out disc two is here and then some! Kudos to the compilers of this disc that corrects a cosmic wrong in finally bringing the groovy “Bostin’ Steve Austin” to The Monk’s preferred format. The last pair of Cherry Red Fuzzbox issues in 2001 had Maggie Dunne liner notes, so this time Tina O’Neill gets the honors. Many thanks to Cherry Red for saving me hours and hours of tedious remastering work! The disc hits the streets on the 28th of January. Order here if you’re so inclined.

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