Mecht Mensch: Anthology 12″ black vinyl

Description

“Anthology” compiles the band’s entire recorded output in once place for the first time ever and adds a couple live tracks for good measure! 26 pieces of Midwestern hardcore taken from the best sources possible….including the original master 1/4″ reel for the classic “Acceptance” EP that Henry Rollins mailed to us from Spot’s personal collection. Deluxe pressing featuring gatefold jacket, printed inner sleeve, 36 page zine and 24″ by 36″ foldout poster.

“Anthology” was compiled, curated, sequenced and produced by Bobby Hussy over the course of 5 years.

All tapes were transferred by Jessica Thompson in San Francisco, CA and mastered by Justin Perkins at Mystery Room Mastering in Madison, WI.

36 Page Zine features Liner Notes by Robin Davies (Tar Babies), photographs, flyers, logos, interviews, mock-ups, ETC.

Our take: Wisconsins No Coast Records brings us a release hardcore punk collectors have been salivating over for years: a complete anthology of recordings by their 80s hardcore hometown heroes Mecht Mensch! If you love 80s US hardcore and dont know Mecht Menschs 1983AcceptanceEP, then boy do I have a treat for you. This is quite simply one of the greatest American hardcore records, and that it hasnt been repressed since its original release is practically criminal. Of course, that gets rectified here, with all five tracks fromAcceptanceright up front on this collection, sounding great mastered from the original source tapes. One thingAnthologybrings into focus is how crucial Butch Vigs recording was toAcceptances awesomeness. Dont get me wrong; Mecht Mensch was agreathardcore band, as evidenced by the other recordings that appear here. They had great songs, played with power and precision, and did their part to the highest standard, but when you combine that with Butch Vigs production onAcceptance, it really launches this session into the stratosphere. The guitar sound onAcceptanceis just perfect for me warm, subtle, beefy, and just a little sparkly. Im no Butch Vig Stan, but he did a great fucking job on these tracks. (One tiny nit-pick with the sequencing I wish the two outtakes from theAcceptancesession, which originally appeared onThe Master Tape Vol 2, were right next to theAcceptancetracks rather than in the middle of side 2, but thats a minor quibble.) Everyone needs thoseAcceptancetracks, but hardcore heads also need the rest of this LP, which gathers all of Mecht Menschs material into one place for the very first time. Theres the split cassette with their buddies the Tar Babies (which Id only heard as sub-par cassette rips) and all the assorted appearances on compilations likeParty or Go Home,The Master Tape,Meathouse,Americas Dairyland, andBarefoot & Pregnant. While these tracks arent as utterly perfect asAcceptance, theyre fucking great, and essential for anyone who lovesAcceptanceand wants to hear more.Anthologyalso comes with a thick booklet full of flyers, paste-ups, and other ephemera, as well as some beautiful photography on the gatefold and poster insert. The liner notes by Robin Davies tantalizingly mention post-Acceptancematerial that never got recorded, and that will haunt my dreams I cant tell you how much I would love to hear the post-hardcore era of Mecht Mensch. Thankfully, though, No Coast has crossed great quality version of the Tar Babies split cassette tracks off the long list of things I need to hear before I die. Whether youre gettingAcceptanceinto your collection for the first time or filling out your picture of Mecht Mensch beyond the EP, this LP is one of 2025s essential releases for the 80s US hardcore fanatic.