In the feeding frenzy of the mid-1980s as labels signed other bands affiliated with the Sunset Strip (like Guns N’ Roses and Poison), Faster Pussycat signed a record contract with Elektra Records , which released their debut album Faster Pussycat in 1987. The band established a following among heavy metal,…
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After hearing Robert Gordon’s remix of their cover of Sigue Sigue Sputnik ‘s ” Love Missile F1-11 ” and Age of Chance ‘s mini-LP Crush Collision (also engineered by Gordon), the band glimpsed their future as hip-hop/dance/rock pioneers and recorded their debut album, Box Frenzy , with Gordon at Sheffield’s…
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With their breakup announced well in advance, Big Black recorded their final album, Songs About Fucking , half in London and half at Albini’s home studio. Their final tours began in June 1987, taking them to Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and across the United States. They performed at the…
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Big Black’s first release for Touch and Go was the Headache EP in spring 1987. The cover artwork for the limited original edition of the EP was a pair of forensic photos of an accident victim whose head had been split down the middle, and the record was packaged in…
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Also in 1987, Faster Pussycat appeared in the rockumentary film The Decline of Western Civilization part 2 – The Metal Years . The band was interviewed and performed live versions of “Cathouse” and “Bathroom Wall”.
Following Big Black’s breakup, Albini formed and fronted Rapeman from 1987 to 1989 and Shellac from 1992 until his death in 2024. He also began work as a recording engineer , working with artists such as Slint , the Pixies , the Breeders , Pegboy , Urge Overkill , the…
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With Sawaki’s help they began promoting themselves very actively, playing the live house circuit in Tokyo. On April 1, 1987, the band released their first album, Hurry Up Mode . In conjunction with its release, they played a concert titled Buck-Tick Phenomenon ( バクチク現象 , Bakuchiku Genshō ) at Toshima…
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Tensions were also mounting within the band. Albini did not drink alcohol, so Riley and Durango became drinking buddies on the road while Albini was doing interviews and handling the band’s logistics. Riley, however, was drinking to excess, and his behavior ruined several of the band’s performances. During a key…
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On June 16, 1987, the band held Buck-Tick Phenomenon II at the Live Inn in Shibuya to bid farewell to their indie days. A home video of the concert, Buck-Tick Phenomenon Live at the Live Inn , was later released on September 21 as their major label debut, reaching No.…
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Skysaw Records gave the album a second UK release in 1987 and introduced the band to visual artist Aidan Hughes , usually credited as Brute! Hughes redesigned the album’s cover, and went on to design almost every KMFDM album cover.