Get Hip Album Spotlight
Every week until the end of the year, we’re putting the spotlight on one of the great albums on the Get Hip label (including the Get Hip Archive Series and Get Hip Folk Series) in honor of our 40th anniversary. To receive this series in your inbox, you can sign up for our mailing list (we don’t spam or sell info, we swear) or continue to check back here weekly for new updates.
Get Hip Albums of the Week
Week 1: The Cynics “Blue Train Station”
Week 2: Bob Hocko and the Swamp Rats “Disco Still Sucks!”
Week 3: The Mainliners “Bring on the Sweetlife”
Week 1:
The Cynics “Blue Train Station”
The Cynics “Blue Train Station”
GH-1000
Release Year: 1986
Genre: Garage (revival), Punk
Members:
Michael Kastelic (vocals, harmonica, tambourine, maracas)
Gregg Kostelich (guitars, background vocals)
Beki Smith (organ, background vocals)
Steve Magee (bass)
Bill Von Hagen (drums)
The 1986 debut album by beloved Pittsburgh garage legends The Cynics, “Blue Train Station” hit the scene with a bang. This sizzling blast of rhythm, guitar, and screaming vocals showcased the band’s punk and R&B roots and set the stage for a long and exciting run of musical output.
The album features a well-curated combo of classic garage rock covers such as “Ain’t No Friend of Mine” and “Soul Searchin’” along with original songs by the songwriting team of Michael Kastelic and Gregg Kostelich. Other members of the band for this release include Beki Smith, Steve Magee, and Bill Von Hagen.
The signature title track “Blue Train Station” has all the energy, fuzz, and attitude you could want and remains a favorite at live shows to this day. Other original songs from this album include “No Way“, “Waste of Time“, and “Dancing on the Wall.”
A timeless garage rock classic in its own right, but also notable for being the album that birthed Get Hip Recordings, the independent label and music distributor whose website you’re visiting today.
Pick up your copy of the album that started it all today in black or limited edition yellow or blue vinyl.
Week 2:
Bob Hocko and the Swamp Rats “Disco Still Sucks!”
Bob Hocko and the Swamp Rats “Disco Still Sucks!”
GHAS-5067
Release Year: 2003
Genre: Proto-Punk, Garage
Members:
Bob Hocko (vocals)
Dick Newton (lead guitar)
Don Schreiner (guitar)
Paul Shalako (bass)
Dave Gannon (drums)
Did you know that one of the earliest examples of proto-punk in the US emerged from right here in Pittsburgh? (Well, McKeesport to be precise.)
The Swamp Rats hit the scene in 1966, made up of Bob Hocko, Dick Newton, Don Schreiner, Paul Shalako, and Dave Gannon. Their first single, a pounding cover of “Louie Louie“, showcases the band’s signature sound: distorted guitars, vocals ranging from poppy singing to punk screaming, and heavy fuzz all throughout.
Despite their relatively brief career (they disbanded in 1967), their status as proto-punk pioneers made original releases of their work highly sought after by collectors starting as early as the late 1970s.
In 1979, the band’s original manager Terry Lee released a Swamp Rats compilation album called “Disco Sucks!” The album featured a hap-hazard mix of Swamp Rats singles and covers (with their well-known single “Psycho” conspicuously absent), a handful of songs from Hocko’s band Galactus, and some demos from 1972. The poorly-conceived release was cheaply pressed and featured neither the iconic singles nor the unreleased deep cuts that fans of the band’s groundbreaking sound were clamoring for.
Twenty-four years later, Get Hip Recordings rectified this oversight with the release of “Disco Still Sucks!” in 2003. The album features not just all of the singles the Swamp Rats were best known for—including a long-lost alternate version of “It’s Not Easy“—but also previously unreleased tracks, covers, and originals by Bob Hocko. It’s everything a fan of garage-rock and proto-punk could ever ask for all in one place.
Pick up your copy of “Disco Still Sucks!” from the Get Hip Archive Series on black or purple vinyl LP or on CD. A 7″ single of “Psycho” bw “Louie Louie” is also available on black or color vinyl. You can even wear your fandom with a Swamp Rats logo t-shirt.
Week 3:
The Mainliners “Bring On The Sweetlife”
The Mainliners “Bring On The Sweetlife”
GH-1128
Release Year: 2005
Genre: Garage
Members:
Robert Billing (vocals)
Mathias Wennergren (guitar)
Niklas Nordstrom (guitar)
Magnus Granstrom (bass)
Erik Daghall (drums)
Stockholm, Sweden‘s garage rockers The Mainliners unleashed their explosive and brilliant debut album on Get Hip Recordings in 2005.
The Mainliners‘ musical influences cast a wide net. Eagle-eared listeners might detect anything from ’60s Them to ’70s Mott the Hoople to ’80s Sweden garage cult band The Creeps in their sound. They combine the Stooges’ raw exuberance with good old British rhythm and blues and a taste of Kinks pop sensibilities.
But the real magic of The Mainliners is what they can alchemize out of all these musical roots. Their gritty modern sound pays homage to their influences while adding a certain level of freshness and aggression that transforms their music into their own explosive yet soothing sound.
Frontman Robert Billing‘s voice is visceral and soaring, reminiscent of a young Van Morrison while still being very distinctly his own. The band’s furious guitar work, trashcan drum beats, and solid bass lines coalesce with the band’s confident swagger to create some truly exceptional rock ‘n’ roll.
Pick up your copy of “Bring On The Sweetlife” from Get Hip Recordings on black vinyl or on CD.
A 7″ single of “Lucy’s Fur” bw “Round 5” is also available. You can even wear your fandom with a Mainliners logo t-shirt.