The first in a series of Dead C reissue collaborations between Jagjaguwar and Ba Da Bing, DR503 has been pressed on vinyl for the first time in years, along with the Sun Stabbed EP as a bonus record.
Originally released in 1987 (and not to be confused with the releases DR503b or DR503c, which are completely different recordings), DR503 sounded like nothing that came before–a furious pastiche of unrelenting drones, noise and menace. It didn’t fit in with the other bands New Zealand’s venerable Flying Nun was releasing, and it immediately staked a fork in the road, dividing the “New Zealand Pop Sound” from its black sheep brother, “New Zealand Noise.” Today, the record still sounds as vicious and vital as when it first went to vinyl, except now perhaps there will be more people ready to appreciate the innovative approach the band took some 21 years ago.
This reissue also contains a bonus record of the rare Sun Stabbed EP from the same recording period. With bonus tracks not on the original 7-inch, the recordings from the Sun Stabbed sessions are being released for the first time in their entirety.