I was going through a box of old tapes the other day and found this artifact. The Comets On Fire "Black Cassette". This sucker is so rare and forgotten I didn't even give it a catalog release number on my Silver Currant label when we made them. Just its number out of 21 made. Most often in Comets, Noel or I would make these at 2:30 am the night before heading out on tour and we'd just pull old rehearsal recordings from out of a box of hundreds that we have and find a couple killer 20 minute free jams and dub one on each side and there you go. So that's what this is. The cover is made of black lightweight construction paper, the comet symbol is burned into the paper by bleach, the Comets title is silk screened in gray ink and it was numbered in pencil. I'm not positive about this but it sounds like these jams were probably between Blue Cathedral and Avatar, I guess that's sometime in 2005 most likely. Side one sounds like the full band: Utrillo, Flashman, Noel, Myself and Chasny. Side two sounds like myself, Flashman and Utrillo but Chasny or Noel or both could be in there---it's hard to tell. Most likely this was recorded by Noel on a 4 track that we just used 2 channels of with two PZM's laid out on the floor haphazardly and would have just been a regular beer guzzling practice night. It's likely that both jams were completely spontaneous rather than riffs or songs someone brought in.
There is also a "White Cassette" that exists that I am trying to find to put up here but I am having trouble finding it in the vault. Will keep looking though. Enjoy!
Comets On Fire "Black Cassette"
1. Side One
2. Side Two
get it here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?i2anmuoln1l
Posts
Excellent, man...thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks dude.
ReplyDeleteCool. And welcome back.
ReplyDeleteawesome man, cant wait to see what pops up here ( Euro Tour 5 CDR Boxset (Self Released, limited 10 copies) cough cough hint hint nudge nudge etc etc
ReplyDeleteThank you!! Sure we'll enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThanks all. As far as the 5 cd box set goes: one of the disks was the lost Six Organs record that is up here. one of them was an extended version of Bong Voyage, an extended version of the Jams recycled paper cdr that Sub Pop gave away 1000 of with the release of Blue Cathedral, an extended version of the Burning Star Core/ Comets album and a copy of Tonal Shrine live 1999, Utrillo and Ben Chasny's pre-Comets band's cassette release. I will try to get all that stuff up here eventually!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to get one of those 5 CD boxes & kept meaning to check if the lost 6 Organs post was the same as the disc in there. Thanks for solving that for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this very much! Is there any chance to have it in lossless? I'm an audiophile and have all your music even the Burning Core-Comets on Fire split, the Subpop CD with the jams 1, 2, 3 and more, etc.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
I think it was burned to Mp3 when I transferred it from cassette. The MP3 version posted should be the same quality as the version I transferred. I realize thats not as good as AIF or whatever. I will look into presenting higher quality audio files for some of these. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt's so good when something new its available to listen. In this case its like open an old bottle of wine, sit back, and enjoy, enjoy...
ReplyDeleteThanks!
will we ever get a new Comets record Ethan? I'm waiting as patiently as I can. Sorry if this isn't the correct forum to ask, but I'm just curious.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous-Nothing definitive to say about a new Comets Album. Not on the visible horizon. But the world takes funny turns and twists our paths in strange ways. Not an impossibility.
ReplyDeletethanks for asking.
Oh, my God. That would be fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank You for doing this. I'm sure I am one among many here who buys your music whether at the merchandising table, through subpop, Badabing, Yik Yak, Three Lobed Recordings, Birdman. There's something truly magical about the tangible. On the other hand the stuff you post for free is phenomenal and educational and I am very grateful.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way we can get this posted on another file sharing site? Rapideshare doesn't seem to have any open slots for the last few weeks in my region.
ReplyDeletemind blowin!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are pretty good, 21 copies of this brilliant work. You guys should try to get this with other of your records recorded in a studio and set yourselves to the street and make this gold mine explode.
ReplyDeleteHello.. Firstly I would like to send greetings to all readers. After this, I recognize the content so interesting about this article. For me personally I liked all the information. I would like to know of cases like this more often. In my personal experience I might mention a book called Firesales Costa Rica in this book that I mentioned have very interesting topics, and also you have much to do with the main theme of this article.
ReplyDeleteFuck yes!
ReplyDeletehello, i like the image on the post.. i think that the infor is interesting
ReplyDeleteHi Ethan. I recently found copies of both the Black and White Cassettes for sale (SCORE!) and bought them up with a quickness. Both copies are definitely legit, but a question regarding the White Cassette: Side A is 15 minutes of you guys jamming (including a rad guitar/keys instrumental of "Hatched Upon the Age"), but Side B is a live performance of Stevie Ray Vaughn?!? (he's introduced at the beginning of it). The song fits the 15min side of the tape just right with maybe 30sec to spare and it cuts off right at the end of the song rather than runs out. So it sounds like it was put there deliberately and not accidentally dubbed over whatever was potentially there prior. Is that something you guys would have put on there yourselves? (I think I remember reading somewhere back in the day that the band was SRV fans). Can you let me know if that sounds right or did I get screwed by someone on this tape?
ReplyDeleteYou mention in the blog post that you couldn't find a copy of the White Cassette yourself. I'd be happy to give an mp3 of the tape (Side A anyway) and scan of the artwork if you'd like it so you can share it on this blog. Just let me know where to send it. (And anyone else reading this, don't ask. I'm guessing he's ok with it, but I'm not going to share it without Ethan's nod of approval).
Thanks so much Ethan for all the great stuff you've been sharing on this site over the last few years.
Hey Kanobis,
Deletethat would be great if you could share your copy with me. I"ll get with Noel and try to match it up to whatever he or one of the other guys has and see if what's on the white tape is the same in both cases. re: SRV. hmmm, I don't remember doing that but it also sounds like some tom foolery we may have gotten into...weird we would have made a cassette with one 15 minute jam and the other side SRV...but then again who knows, as i said these were often made the night before tour in a lit state, the images on the cover of both those cassettes is bleach too!
please send me scans and music at :
howlinrain@gmail.com
thanks!
Ethan
Any chance of uploading the white cassette? Or Bong Voyage? Many thanks.
ReplyDelete