Eleven Songs (album)

Eleven Songs
Compilation album by
ReleasedOctober 5, 1999 (1999-10-05) (Japan)
October 22, 2001 (2001-10-22) (U.K.)
RecordedNovember 19, 1996 (1996-11-19) – May 9, 1999 (1999-05-09)
Studio
  • Wisner Productions, Davie, Florida
  • Goldentone Studios, Gainesville, Florida
Genre
Length30:09
Label
  • Howling Bull
  • Golf
Producer
  • James Paul Wisner
  • Rob McGregor
  • As Friends Rust
As Friends Rust chronology
As Friends Rust
(1999)
Eleven Songs
(1999)
Morningleaver / This Is Me Hating You
(2001)

Eleven Songs is a compilation album by American melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust. It was originally released on compact disc by Japanese record label Howling Bull Entertainment on October 5, 1999.[1][2] British record label Golf Records reissued the release, also on compact disc, on October 22, 2001.[3] At the time of its original release in 1999, Eleven Songs was considered somewhat of a discography, since it included all but a single song of what As Friends Rust had released; the Circle Jerks cover "Operation" was omitted.

Though the release bares the title Eleven Songs, it was in fact a licensed edition of As Friends Rust's eponymous extended play with six bonus songs.[4][2] The licensing deals with Howling Bull Entertainment and Golf Records were set up by Doghouse Records, with which As Friends Rust had an exclusive recording contract.[1][3][4] The six additional songs were taken from As Friends Rust's previous releases, The Fists of Time and the split with Discount, which Doghouse Records itself would later compile and re-issue in June 2000 under the expanded title The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction.[5][6]

As Friends Rust did not tour Japan in promotion of Howling Bull Entertainment's version of Eleven Songs, but did perform five shows in the United Kingdom when Golf Records released its edition in 2001. Accompanied by Virginia hardcore band Strike Anywhere, As Friends Rust played shows in Glasgow, Scotland, Leeds, England, Leicester, England, Southampton, England and London, England, the last of which was filmed and released on VHS and DVD as Camden Underworld, London – 16 November 2001 in December 2002.

Background and content

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The material compiled for Eleven Songs was recorded during four different recording sessions, spread out over a period of four years; from 1996 to 1999.

"Encante", "Ruffian", "When People Resort to Name Calling" and "Broken Brain" were recorded from November 19–22, 1996 at Wisner Productions in Davie, Florida with producer James Paul Wisner.[7][8] The songs featured the band's original line-up: vocalist Damien Moyal, guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist Jeronimo Gomez and drummer Matthew Crum.[9] Some of the songs had appeared on the band's demo tape, circulated to record labels in late 1996, and all four were later used on As Friends Rust's debut extended play The Fists of Time in 1998.

"Home Is Where the Heart Aches" was recorded in late March 1998 at Goldentone Studios in Gainesville, Florida with producer Rob McGregor.[10] The song features the band's reformed line-up with lead vocalist Moyal, guitarists Joseph Simmons and Gordon Tarpley, bass guitarist and backing vocalist Kaleb Stewart, and drummer Timothy Kirkpatrick. Three members of Hot Water Music; Chuck Ragan, George Rebelo and Chris Wollard; as well as McGregor and all members of As Friends Rust, provided backup vocals on the song.[10] "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" first appeared on The Fists of Time in 1998.

"The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" was recorded in October 1998 at Goldentone Studios with producer Rob McGregor.[11] The song features lead vocalist Moyal, guitarists Simmons and James Glayat, bass guitarist and backing vocalist Stewart and drummer Kirkpatrick.[8][11] McGregor and Keith Welsh provided backup vocals on the song. "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" first appeared on As Friends Rust's split with Discount in 1998.

"Half Friend Town", "Like Strings (Spell It with a K)", "Fire on 8th and 3rd", "Coffee Black" and "Scapegoat Wets the Whistle" were recorded on May 9, 1999, at Goldentone Studios, co-produced by Rob McGregor and As Friends Rust.[12] The songs feature lead vocalist Moyal, guitarists Simmons and Glayat, bass guitarist and backing vocalist Stewart and drummer Kirkpatrick. All five songs originally appeared on the band's self-titled extended play in 1999.[13][14]

Release, packaging and promotion

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As Friends Rust's "guy with gun" logo, discovered and adapted by Moyal in 1998. The emblem was first used on the As Friends Rust / Discount split and has since appeared on the majority of the band's merchandise, including the cover art of Eleven Songs.

When Doghouse Records signed As Friends Rust to an exclusive recording contract in early 1999,[15] provisions were made to license the band's new and older material to other record labels for foreign markets.[4] The first of these deals was with Japanese record label Howling Bull Entertainment, which licensed the rights to As Friends Rust's new self-titled extended play that Doghouse Records was releasing in September 1999.[14] The Japanese release, officially titled As Friends Rust, but colloquially referred to as Eleven Songs (as written on the cover art), included six bonus songs.[1] Howling Bull Entertainment released Eleven Songs on October 5, 1999.[1]

The cover art and most of the booklet art for Eleven Songs was designed by Moyal.[16][17] It prominently features As Friends Rust's recognizable "guy with gun" logo; an illustration which Moyal had found on a wall while walking through an alleyway in Chinatown, Boston, Massachusetts in early July 1998, while on tour with Discount.[18]

Eleven Songs was later licensed a second time to British record label Golf Records (a division of Plastic Head Records), and released on October 22, 2001.[3] The release coincided with the release of As Friends Rust's full-length album Won, and the band's five-week European and United Kingdom tour with Virginia hardcore band Strike Anywhere.[19] The tour spanned from October 29 to December 5, 2001, and included five dates in the United Kingdom: Glasgow, Scotland, Leeds, England, Leicester, England, Southampton, England and London, England,[19][20] the last of which was filmed and released on VHS and DVD as Camden Underworld, London – 16 November 2001 in December 2002.[21]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Absolute PunkMixed[22]
Delusions of AdequacyPositive[23]
GrooveNegative[24]
Inside KnowledgeMixed[25]
OrganPositive[26]
Ox-FanzinePositive[27]

Eleven Songs received mixed critical reviews upon release. While most reviewers praised the songwriting and the band, it was often pointed out that this was simply a repackaging of already-available material.[25][27]

Track listing

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Credits are adapted from the compilation's liner notes.[16][17]

Due to a mastering error on behalf of Doghouse Records, through which the songs "Fire on 8th and 3rd" and "Coffee Black" were incorrectly indexed, the two songs have incorrect lengths on the compact disc. The correct lengths are presented here for accuracy.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Half Friend Town"2:17
2."Like Strings (Spell It with a K)"
  • Moyal
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Simmons
  • Stewart
  • Glayat
2:15
3."Fire on 8th and 3rd"
  • Moyal
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Simmons
  • Stewart
  • Glayat
0:12
4."Coffee Black"
  • Moyal
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Simmons
  • Stewart
  • Glayat
3:18
5."Scapegoat Wets the Whistle"
  • Moyal
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Simmons
  • Stewart
  • Glayat
3:43
6."The First Song on the Tape You Make Her"
  • Moyal
  • Kirkpatrick
  • Simmons
  • Stewart
  • Bartsocas
2:59
7."Home Is Where the Heart Aches"
  • Moyal
2:31
8."Encante"
  • Moyal
3:53
9."Ruffian"
  • Moyal
  • Olmino
  • Gomez
  • Crum
3:06
10."When People Resort to Name Calling"
  • Moyal
  • Olmino
  • Gomez
  • Crum
3:39
11."Broken Brain"
  • Moyal
  • Olmino
  • Gomez
  • Crum
2:20
Total length:30:09

Personnel

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Credits are adapted from the compilation's liner notes.[16][17]

As Friends Rust
Guest musicians
  • Chuck Ragan – backing vocals (track 7)
  • George Rebelo – backing vocals (track 7)
  • Chris Wollard – backing vocals (track 7)
  • Rob McGregor – backing vocals (track 6–7)
  • Keith Welsh – backing vocals (track 6)
Production
  • James Paul Wisner – recording engineer, mixer and producer at Wisner Productions (tracks 8–11)
  • Rob McGregor – recording engineer, mixer and producer at Goldentone Studios (tracks 1–7)
  • As Friends Rust – co-mixer and co-producer (tracks 1–5)
  • Damien Moyal – artwork and design

Release history

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Release formats for Eleven Songs
Region Date Label Format Catalog
Japan October 5, 1999 Howling Bull Entertainment CD HWCY-24
United Kingdom October 22, 2001 Golf Records CD CDHOLE040

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "As Friends Rust - As Friends Rust". Howling Bull Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 10, 2001. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "As Friends Rust - As Friends Rust". Howling Bull Entertainment. 2001. Archived from the original on February 20, 2001. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Golf News". Golf Records. October 17, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2001. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Hemsath, Dirk (June 1999). "Doghouse News". Doghouse Records. Archived from the original on October 25, 2000. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  5. ^ Floyd, Jonathan (September 2000). "As Friends Rust - The Fist of Time CD (Doghouse)". Maximum Rocknroll 208. Maximumrocknroll.
  6. ^ "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. CMJ Network, Inc. May 15, 2000. p. 34.
  7. ^ "As Friends Rust – As Friends Rust (1996, Cassette)". Discogs. November 1996. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Prenger, Joe (September 5, 1998). Interview with Damien Moyal of As Friends Rust and Culture. Netherlands: Reflections. pp. 40–44.
  9. ^ Ramirez, Carlos (January 10, 2019). "As Friends Rust Plot Live Return, New Album". No Echo. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Boarts, Christine (October 1998). "As Friends Rust - The Fists of Time CD (Good Life Recordings)". Slug & Lettuce 56. Slug and Lettuce.
  11. ^ a b As Friends Rust / Discount liner notes. Good Life Recordings. 1998.
  12. ^ Hemsath, Dirk (May 4, 1999). "Doghouse Records News". Doghouse Records. Archived from the original on May 7, 1999. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  13. ^ As Friends Rust liner notes. Good Life Recordings. 1999.
  14. ^ a b As Friends Rust liner notes. Doghouse Records. 1999.
  15. ^ Hemsath, Dirk (April 29, 1999). "Upcoming Releases on Doghouse". Doghouse Records. Archived from the original on April 29, 1999. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Eleven Songs liner notes. Howling Bull Entertainment. 1999.
  17. ^ a b c Eleven Songs liner notes. Golf Records. 2001.
  18. ^ Sabján, Bence (May 24, 2015). ""Emlékszem Budapestre. A koncert után a várnál lógtunk."- Interjú a Groezrockon feltámadt As Friends Rusttal!". Nuskull Magazin (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  19. ^ a b Aubin, Paul (October 18, 2001). "Strike Anywhere / As Friends Rust in Europe". Punk News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Golf Tours". Golf Records. Archived from the original on January 8, 2002. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Aubin, Paul (January 14, 2003). "As Friends Rust/Strike Anywhere live DVD". Punk News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "As Friends Rust - Eleven Songs". Absolute Punk. 2001. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  23. ^ "As Friends Rust - Eleven Songs CD (Golf Records)". Skrutt Magazine. December 9, 2001. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  24. ^ Sjöblom, Peter (2002). "As Friends Rust - Eleven Songs (Golf/Border)". Groove Number 1. Sweden: Groove.
  25. ^ a b Welzen, Martijn (January 8, 2002). "As Friends Rust - Eleven Songs CD (Golf Records)". Inside Knowledge. Archived from the original on July 9, 2002. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  26. ^ Ginsburg, Shaari Sue (May 2002). "As Friends Rust - Eleven Songs (Golf)". Organ 74. Organ.
  27. ^ a b Hiller, Joachim (December 2001). "As Friends Rust - Eleven Songs CD (Golf Records)". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
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