Harvey Milk - s/t
Hydra Head Records
Release date: January 26, 2010


I've gone over my history with Harvey Milk in greater detail before, but for context's sake, the condensed version is thus: Once upon a time, I was a know-nothing mainstream metalhead who had grown tired of the crap I listened to. Then I discovered Harvey Milk and it was, more or less, a musical rebirth. I still don't know a hell of a lot, but thanks to Harvey Milk, I know more than nothing.

I owe the band a debt of gratitude, one that I gladly repay a small portion of every time a new release of theirs hits my desk. Even when the material isn't a game changer – like the good-but-not-great contribution to their recent split with Wildildlife – it deserves a mention, because, well, it's Harvey Milk. It may be genius or it may fall short, but it's still worth a listen.

That said, their s/t (something tells me that's the actual title and not an abbreviation for “self titled”), also known as The Bob Weston Sessions, also known as “The Debut That Never Was,” is another essential Harvey Milk album. But in this case, the target audience is a little more precise, namely those already on board with the band. Why? Because you've heard it all before.

While technically speaking s/t is a long-lost debut, the reality is that it's more a collection of material recorded and released elsewhere, including other compilations. “Plastic Eggs,” for instance, not only appears on the landmark Courtesy and Goodwill Toward Men album, but also on their “these versions are all alternate takes” Kelly Sessions (albeit named “Blackbeard,” which isn't the same “Black Beard” that appeared on the Refuel compilation from the early 90s – that's “Dating Pressures” on Kelly Sessions*).

The most obvious difference between the s/t material and that found on Courtesy..., Kelly Sessions, My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be, and The Singles is that s/t is more low-fi. Even with the remastering, it's rough sounding. Not demo-poor, but also not on the same level as what was later released (even The Singles, the majority of which was comprised of songs recorded from OOP 7"). Musically, the band's ideas are fleshed out, so there aren't any surprises, save for slight tempo differences here and there and noticeably longer running times for “Probolkoc” and “Blueberry Dookie.”

So do you really need this much Harvey Milk? If you're a fan, the answer is obviously yes and the follow-up question becomes “Which version is your favorite?” If you're not on board with the band, you'd probably be better served by checking them out in chronological release order. Me, I'm glad to have this in my collection. The more Harvey Milk the better, even if it's songs I've heard many times before.

- John Pegoraro


* While we're on the confusing subject, Kelly Sessions' “Brown Water” pops up on s/t as “Dating Pressures,” which leads me to believe that the band either didn't care about titles for a select group of songs or someone fucked up with the credits on Kelly Sessions. So, uh, there you go.