The Bay Area punk scene really started to energize in early 77, when bands like Crime, the Nuns, the Mutants, and the Avengers started drawing rabid fans to legendary venue Mabuhay Gardens. Novak was a Mills College grad student with a background in avant-garde composition_��Ǩ���hed worked with Robert Moog and John Cage as an undergrad_��Ǩ���and access to a 12-track recording studio. He started making his own version of garage-inspired punk rock. By the end of 77, hed formed a band, played Mabuhay Gardens five times, started his own label_��Ǩ���Dumb Records, and released his first 7_��Ǩ��, _��Ǩ_�RU21._��Ǩ�� He did all the engineering and production himself, glued the 500 covers by hand, and went around on foot to San Francisco record stores trying to get people to listen.\r\n \r\nNovak met the Nuns Alejandro Escovedo at Mabuhay when the Nuns opened up for the Ramones, and ended up recording a three-song demo for the band. Shortly after, Novak produced Crimes second single, _��Ǩ_�Frustration_��Ǩ��/_��Ǩ��Murder by Guitar._��Ǩ�� Gathering momentum, Novak put out a second 7_��Ǩ��, _��Ǩ_�Oh Farrah!,_��Ǩ�� later that year. He went on to put out two more Novak singles, and also_��Ǩ���returning to his avant-garde roots_��Ǩ���a more experimental project called the Survivors, two savage drone tracks that incorporate eerie vocal samples of cult leader Jim Jones. Into the early 80s Novak broadened the Dumb Records catalog, issuing releases by local bands BOB and Ixna.\r\n \r\nOne part glam, one part dumb is smart, one part riff rock n roll, Novaks music is raw, arty punk rock. The fourteen tracks on this LP preserve the legacy of the Novak project by collecting the four Novak 45s and the Survivors 45.\r\n \r\nCo-released with Athena Records. \r\nIncludes free download including three bonus unreleased studio tracks from 79.\r\n \r\n4-page insert features photos and an extensive interview with Novak.\r\n \r\nOne-time pressing of 500 copies.- Orion Read.\r\n\r\n
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.
