"Cleveland, Ohio in the late ‘70s was a strange place, populated by strange people with strange ideas of what constituted worthwhile art. And even stronger opinions of what was vital underground culture and what was just a put-on. No one could accuse Pere Ubu, electric eels or The Mirrors of copying the previous generation, much less with any cynical attempts at “making it” or even accidentally crossing over into the “real world.” Into this uncompromising milieu stepped the ensemble known only as Redness. All these years later, Redness’ sole release -- a six-song 7” EP sometimes called Killer Bees -- remains an elusive mystery. Despite emerging from one of the most distinct scenes in underground America, little is known about Redness or how they came to lay down 15 minutes of the greatest art-punk spew of the post-punk era. Influences like Captain Beefheart and The Residents are undeniable, but hardly tell the tale of this all-killer/no-filler EP. From the disorienting set-up of “Killer Bees” and the winking junkyard sprawl-drawl of “Gran Torismo” to the inner-city/outer-limits punk of “Little Debbie” and “Creme Rinse” (as featured on an edition of Chuck Warner’s Homework comps), Redness delivers on all fronts. Factor in the eternal existential philosophy of “Backwards Forwards” and the righteous clatter of “Primitivjam,” and you now have one of the finest unheard records in all of punkdom. Originally released in 1980, Redness’ masterwork has been remastered and finally found its true home on 12” (45 rpm!) vinyl. Available at long last, for everyone, even “the lowliest bum on the street."
After nearly a decade of false starts, multiple game plans veering off the rails, and a handful of shattered hopes and/or dreams, the odyssey is finally complete—the new Fusetron site is here.
This is the first phase of a multipart rollout that will span the next few months: the currently browsable stock includes miscellaneous new releases from the past 8+ months (we have a lot of catching up to do), plus approximately a third of our backstock. Note that we’ve reduced/slashed prices on many titles and will continue to do so in order to make room for new stock. We’ll also be expanding / tweaking / improving / debugging the site itself (for example, we still have work to do on the automated international postage system, not to mention the inevitable inventory discrepancies that come with transferring an ancient and massive database to a new system).
Over the next few months, as we take inventory, clean house, and delve into our storage, we will be uploading thousands of additional items, gradually, on a near-daily basis. This will include the majority of the LPs, as well as many titles, in all formats, once thought long-gone. Many currently “sold out” items are likely to resurface.
Finally, once our general backstock is up (probably in the next two or three months) we’ll begin making our extensive stockpile of rarities available online for the first time: tons of random out-of-print titles, "deadstock," warehouse finds, secondhand collectibles, etc., accumulated over the past few decades.
Frequent/returning customers will be getting early access to these items. Details to follow on how this will work (a priority mailing list? a 'frequent flyer'-like program?), but it will not be based on dollars spent. We want to reward those who consistently support us, especially in the discogs marketplace era (to those who show up trying to poach five copies of a one-off rarity, and nothing else, ever… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).
So—we suggest you take some time to dig through the site—even we’ve been surprised by what’s been turning up, and there’s much more to come.
