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LP
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SCAT 085LP
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"Peace, Love & Murder was the second album by Cleveland's My Dad Is Dead, originally released in 1987 by Boston's Birth Records. Like the debut, ...And He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore, Mark Edwards wrote and performed all the music on his own. While not a significant departure from that album, Peace, Love & Murder does differ from its predecessor and has some qualities that make it unique in the voluminous MDID discography. While combining live drums with drum machine is a hallmark of the MDID style, on this album Edwards introduced the Roland TR-505 into the mix, and in a bold move recorded the live drums first, which had the effect of making the rhythm tracks feel a bit more organic despite the presence, and occasionally the prominence, of the TR-505. Modal guitar tunings remain de rigeur here, but Edwards' abilities as a guitarist display a marked increase in proficiency and imagination. While the debut album sprawls a bit, PLM is a tight and focused ten-song set, buoyed by a more impactful production job by Chris Burgess. Just as the debut album had a few lighter (or at least slightly less grim) songs, so does this album, but here they shine with a bit more pop sparkle. 'Babe In The Woods' and 'Hill O' Beans' would go on to be fan favorites for many years, as would the utterly harrowing unstoppable bulldozer that is 'Like A Vise.' All these years on, the album's closer 'Fireball' has become oddly relevant and chilling. Sung from the POV of a mass shooter to a droning riff that evokes Middle Eastern modes, the narrator intones, 'I'm gonna go out in a blaze of glory / today's the day I'm gonna make it to the headlines.' The whole album has remarkable cohesion and pacing, as well as variety, and, not to mention, what a god-tier track 'Breakdown' is. So grab a black overcoat and 'Open Wide.'"
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LP
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SCAT 085X-LP
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LP version. Color vinyl. "Peace, Love & Murder was the second album by Cleveland's My Dad Is Dead, originally released in 1987 by Boston's Birth Records. Like the debut, ...And He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore, Mark Edwards wrote and performed all the music on his own. While not a significant departure from that album, Peace, Love & Murder does differ from its predecessor and has some qualities that make it unique in the voluminous MDID discography. While combining live drums with drum machine is a hallmark of the MDID style, on this album Edwards introduced the Roland TR-505 into the mix, and in a bold move recorded the live drums first, which had the effect of making the rhythm tracks feel a bit more organic despite the presence, and occasionally the prominence, of the TR-505. Modal guitar tunings remain de rigeur here, but Edwards' abilities as a guitarist display a marked increase in proficiency and imagination. While the debut album sprawls a bit, PLM is a tight and focused ten-song set, buoyed by a more impactful production job by Chris Burgess. Just as the debut album had a few lighter (or at least slightly less grim) songs, so does this album, but here they shine with a bit more pop sparkle. 'Babe In The Woods' and 'Hill O' Beans' would go on to be fan favorites for many years, as would the utterly harrowing unstoppable bulldozer that is 'Like A Vise.' All these years on, the album's closer 'Fireball' has become oddly relevant and chilling. Sung from the POV of a mass shooter to a droning riff that evokes Middle Eastern modes, the narrator intones, 'I'm gonna go out in a blaze of glory / today's the day I'm gonna make it to the headlines.' The whole album has remarkable cohesion and pacing, as well as variety, and, not to mention, what a god-tier track 'Breakdown' is. So grab a black overcoat and 'Open Wide.'"
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12"
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SCAT 086EP
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"Here one has a reissue of a My Dad Is Dead record that never was. Recorded shortly after Peace, Love & Murder, the Pow! EP was intended to be released in the summer of 1987 on Cleveland's St. Valetine Records, but that never quite happened. Newly signed to NYC's Homestead Records, it was resolved that the tracks could find a home there, and they were later issued on The Best Defense outtakes compilation on that label. Now, thirty-seven years on, the EP as originally intended is being released. Like its predecessors, Pow! is an isolationist post-punk affair with Mark Edwards performing all musical duties. Pow! features three strong tracks in stunning 45RPM sound, or maybe one should just say it's really freaking loud and sounds better than the last time around. First is a reprise of 'Anti-Socialist,' a highlight from the 1985 debut album. But this is not a mere re-recording, but a new arrangement of the song with additional sections and lyrics, and a more aggressive feel with unmistakable undertones of violence ('I wanna fix 'em with my bare hands'). On the flip is the haunting 'In the Morning,' in some ways a foreshadowing of the murderess later meet on 'Nothing Special.' Wrapping things up is the instrumental 'The Best Defense,' which is about as spritely and engaging as Mr Edwards gets during this era."
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12"
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SCAT 086X-EP
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12" version. Color vinyl. "Here one has a reissue of a My Dad Is Dead record that never was. Recorded shortly after Peace, Love & Murder, the Pow! EP was intended to be released in the summer of 1987 on Cleveland's St. Valetine Records, but that never quite happened. Newly signed to NYC's Homestead Records, it was resolved that the tracks could find a home there, and they were later issued on The Best Defense outtakes compilation on that label. Now, thirty-seven years on, the EP as originally intended is being released. Like its predecessors, Pow! is an isolationist post-punk affair with Mark Edwards performing all musical duties. Pow! features three strong tracks in stunning 45RPM sound, or maybe one should just say it's really freaking loud and sounds better than the last time around. First is a reprise of 'Anti-Socialist,' a highlight from the 1985 debut album. But this is not a mere re-recording, but a new arrangement of the song with additional sections and lyrics, and a more aggressive feel with unmistakable undertones of violence ('I wanna fix 'em with my bare hands'). On the flip is the haunting 'In the Morning,' in some ways a foreshadowing of the murderess later meet on 'Nothing Special.' Wrapping things up is the instrumental 'The Best Defense,' which is about as spritely and engaging as Mr Edwards gets during this era."
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2LP
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SCAT 076LP
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"Originally released in 1986, the debut album by My Dad Is Dead is remarkable not only for its strong and varied material, but also how the aesthetic of MDID's music was fully formed and instantly recognizable from the git-go. Here are the open modal guitar tunings, the primitive drum machine paired with live drums, the complete rejection of the pentatonic scale and related 1970s guitar techniques, and the dry, journalistic language that brings a distanced, subdued pathos to the harrowing characters and their situations. Few artists who traffic in the darker realms of the human condition do so without some degree of melodrama; Mark Edwards's penchant for understatement and distance brings even more gravity and impact to these songs of lost souls in a dying city. All these qualities would become hallmarks of the My Dad Is Dead sound for years to come. Like Edwards's next few albums, ...And He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore was performed and written entirely by himself, which only deepens the feeling of isolation that permeates the album. This 2021 reissue was remastered by John Golden Sr. and is a huge sonic improvement over the original pressing and early '90s European editions. Best of all, it includes an entire bonus LP of rare 1985 recordings that were only issued on cassette at the time. These are raw, primitive 4-track recordings that ooze with post-industrial Cleveland malaise. They include nine previously unreleased songs, and early versions of four songs that were re-recorded for the album. Fans are certain to find some new favorites here. "
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2LP
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SCAT 076X-LP
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Double LP version. Color vinyl. "Originally released in 1986, the debut album by My Dad Is Dead is remarkable not only for its strong and varied material, but also how the aesthetic of MDID's music was fully formed and instantly recognizable from the git-go. Here are the open modal guitar tunings, the primitive drum machine paired with live drums, the complete rejection of the pentatonic scale and related 1970s guitar techniques, and the dry, journalistic language that brings a distanced, subdued pathos to the harrowing characters and their situations. Few artists who traffic in the darker realms of the human condition do so without some degree of melodrama; Mark Edwards's penchant for understatement and distance brings even more gravity and impact to these songs of lost souls in a dying city. All these qualities would become hallmarks of the My Dad Is Dead sound for years to come. Like Edwards's next few albums, ...And He's Not Gonna Take It Anymore was performed and written entirely by himself, which only deepens the feeling of isolation that permeates the album. This 2021 reissue was remastered by John Golden Sr. and is a huge sonic improvement over the original pressing and early '90s European editions. Best of all, it includes an entire bonus LP of rare 1985 recordings that were only issued on cassette at the time. These are raw, primitive 4-track recordings that ooze with post-industrial Cleveland malaise. They include nine previously unreleased songs, and early versions of four songs that were re-recorded for the album. Fans are certain to find some new favorites here. "
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