This is a great little bootleg I turned up a few years ago courtesy of a mutual Shellac freak.
I'd heard of it's existence but never expected to hear the show till the CDr dropped through me letterbox.
The basic premise was, punters turn up to Shellac Halloween gig, but instead of the usual 'Shellac' set, David Yow (Scratch Acid, Jesus Lizard) joins Albini et al on stage for a run through of edited highlights of the Sex Pistols debut album.
This is deffo one of those 'wish I'd been there' gigs, there's a fabulous atmosphere, and the band enhance the experience buy adopting almost comedic Dick Van Dyke cockney-isms for the intro's even going so far as dressing for the part.
Have a listen Here
Shellac - A Brief History
Shellac formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1992 as an informal collaboration between guitarist Steve Albini and drummer Todd Trainer. Former Naked Raygun bassist Camilo Gonzalez sat in on early rehearsals and played on one song on Shellac's first single before permanent bassist Bob Weston, formerly of Boston's Volcano Suns, joined.
Shellac has a distinctive, minimalist sound based on unusual and urgent time signatures, repetitive heavy rhythms, an angular guitar sound, and Albini's surreal, bitingly sarcastic lyrics. Songs typically do not have traditional verse/chorus/verse structure and the arrangements are sparse, to the point where some describe them as "amelodic". Shellac's signature sound is often associated with their enthusiasm for vintage Travis Bean guitars, a rare brand of aluminium-based instruments, and the Interfax "Harmonic Percolator" distortion pedal. Albini is also known to use copper plectrums and unique guitar straps that fit around the waist rather than over the shoulder. The band prefers the intimacy of smaller clubs and live appearances are sporadic.
Both Weston and Albini are recording engineers. They prefer a sparse, analog recording sound with little or no overdubbing, and are meticulous about microphone placement and choice of equipment.
Shellac posing at Shibuya, Japan
Mid-set in many live performances Shellac take the time for one or more "question and answer" sessions, where members of the band respond in an off-the-cuff and at times jocular manner to questions shouted out by fans and hecklers alike. Notably, in 1997 they recorded an instrumental album known as The Futurist for modern dance troupe: LaLaLa Human Steps. Unwilling to grant what the band considered a sub-par recording a wider audience, they pressed approximately 700 vinyl LP copies of the music and gave them away as gifts to friends. The front cover was a list of the recipients, with the relevant name encircled in order to personalize the copy, as well as to aid the band in making sure all the listed recipients received a copy (the band is still looking for people on the list to get their copy to them). Shellac also played a Halloween show as The Sex Pistols, featuring former Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid singer David Yow as Johnny Rotten.
In 2002, the band curated the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England. Knowing that most of the audience had come specifically to see Shellac, the band went on first every morning as an incentive for the festival-goers to be up in time to see the other acts. Other acts included The Fall, Will Oldham, Nina Nastasia, Rachel's, Mission of Burma, Silkworm, Threnody Ensemble, Shipping News, High Dependency Unit, Arcwelder, The Breeders, David Lovering, Blonde Redhead, Wire, Zeni Geva, Oxes, Flour, Smog, Cheap Trick, Danielson Famile, The Ex, and Dianogah. A CD of tracks from the bands performing at the festival was released on ATP Records.
The Rude Gesture: A Pictorial History 7"ep (Touch and Go)
1. The Guy Who Invented Fire
2. Rambler Song
3. Billiard Player Song
Uranus 7" (Touch & go)
4. Doris
5. Wingwalker
The Bird Is The Most Popular Finger 7" (Drag City)
6. The admiral
7. Pul the cup
Jailbreak 7" (Skin Graft/Gasoline Boost)
8. Jailbreak
Rambler Song 7" (Touch and Go)
9. Rambler song (mellow version)
Shellac records 7" #9
10. The futurist
Ground rule double divot compilation - actionboy 300
11. Copper Song
Lounge ax defense and relocation compilation CD
12. Killeras
Steve Albini with Zeni Geva - all right you little bastards CD
13. A piece of angel
14. Kettle Lake
15. Painwise (cover of rambler song)
16. The model
Have a listen Here. (Compiled tracks courtesy of this great site rarities-bootlegs-promos.blogspot.com saved me a few hours of Audacity rippage, many thanks!)
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