Get Hip 40th Anniversary Weekly Album Spotlight

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 4: Bipolaroid “Twin Language”
Week 5: The Ugly Beats “Bring on the Beats!”
Week 6: The Delmonas “Do the Uncle Willy”

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Week 1:

The Cynics “Blue Train Station”

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.

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Week 2:

Bob Hocko and the Swamp Rats “Disco Still Sucks!”

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.

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Week 3:

The Mainliners “Bring On The Sweetlife”

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.

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Week 4:

Bipolaroid “Twin Language”

What would it sound like to enjoy some magic mushrooms in a swamp? Well, it might sound a little bit like Bipolaroid.

Anchored by singer / songwriter / guitarist Ben Glover, Bipolaroid first emerged from the swampy depths of the bayou in 2002 to deliver a sonic fusion of dreamy space rock, pop-psychedelia, and even a bit of proto-punk—all with a distinctly delta flavor. Their songs touch on topics ranging from time machines and vampires to more abstract concepts such as the fifth dimension and the benefits of dissociation, with plenty more in between.

Their unique sound both sets them apart from the herd and puts them in some excellent company. Fans of Dr. John the Night Tripper, Syd Barrett, Spacemen 3, and the 13th Floor Elevators will find much to love about the New Orleans-based neo-psychedelia band’s body of work.

The band self-released their first three LPs—Transparent Make-Believe (2003), E(i)ther Or (2008), and Illusion Fields (2010)—on their Surreal But Kind label. The addition of new drummer King Louis Bankston to their lineup around 2010, however, saw Bipolaroid ready to branch out and seek new audiences and professional partnerships.

2013’s “Twin Language” was Bipolaroid‘s first full-length release on Get Hip Recordings. United by our mutual affinities for garage psych music and DIY-ing our own albums, “Twin Language” marked the start of an exciting new partnership between the band and the label. Bipolaroid performed as part of the Get Hip label showcase at SXSW in 2015, and the band’s latest album, 2019’s “Paint It, Blacker“, was also released on Get Hip.

Pick up your copy of “Twin Language” from Get Hip Recordings on black, red or blue color vinyl, or on CD. Their newest LP “Paint It, Blacker“, available on black vinyl, as well as a 7″ single of “Supernatural Beauty” bw “Beautiful (In The Morning)“, are also available at Get Hip.

Bipolaroid’s self-released albums are also available on the Get Hip webstore.

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Week 5

The Ugly Beats “Bring on the Beats!”

The Ugly Beats wound the clock all the way back to 1966 before ever striking their first note and have left it there ever since.

The band formed in Austin, Texas in 2003 from the remnants of the band The Sir Finks (another band on the Get Hip label.) The original lineup consisted of Joe Emery, Jeanine Attaway, Jake Garcia, Jason Gentry, and Steve Austin. Though the band would eventually make room for Daniel Wilcox and Bobby Trimble in the lineup, many of the band’s core members remain to this day.

Sometimes it takes a band a couple of years to really hone their sound and figure out what kind of music they want to make. Not so with The Ugly Beats. They were committed to becoming the ultimate swinging 60s garage party band from the start. Their debut album “Bring on the Beats!” was released on Get Hip Recordings in February 2005 and was well-received by fans of classic garage rock.

The Ugly Beats have been making glorious, 60s garage-fueled racket for over twenty years now and show no signs of stopping. Since their exciting debut, they’ve released another four full length albums on Get Hip Recordings—”Take a Stand with the Ugly Beats” (2007), “Motor!” (2010), “Brand New Day” (2014), and “Stars Align” (2019)—along with two 7″ singles. They’ve delighted fans all across the US, Spain, Mexico, and Canada with their incredible live performances and shared the stage with many other amazing bands (like The Cynics!)

Pick up your copy of “Bring on the Beats!” from Get Hip Recordings on black vinyl, or on CD. Their other four full length albums are also all available on vinyl or CD at the Get Hip Webstore, along with their 7″ singles and even some very cool screenprinted posters!

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Week 6

The Delmonas “Do the Uncle Willy”

Garage-pop girl group The Delmonas know a thing or two about creative collaboration.

Originally styled as The Del Monas after the Bo Diddley song, the band existed at the nexus of several other musical projects. The band emerged out of The Milk-Boilers, made up of Sarah J. Crouch and Hilary Bockham, who sang backing vocals for The Milkshakes. The Milkshakes, in turn, served as the group’s backing band and contributed original songs.

With the addition of Louise Baker in 1984, The Delmonas were born. Although Louise is only present on 1985’s “Dangerous Charms” album, the band’s continued collaboration with The Milkshakes (most notably members Billy Childish and Mickey Hampshire) resulted in three full length studio albums and two EPs before they officially disbanded in 1989.

Just because they disbanded, however, doesn’t mean that The Delmonas stopped making music. Hilary Bockham, now performing under the stage name Ludella Black, went on to join The Headcoatees. In a partnership reminiscent of the one between The Milk-Boilers and The Milkshakes, the band enjoyed a creative partnership with Thee Headcoats, with each of them serving as the backing band for the other as the occasion called for it.

“Do the Uncle Willy“, a 1989 compilation album of some of the band’s career highlights, was released by Get Hip Recordings just after the band broke up. The album featured both original and alternate takes of some of the band’s best known songs, along with a new cover version of “Lie Detector” by Thee Mighty Caesars.

Pick up your copy of “Do the Uncle Willy” from Get Hip Recordings on color vinyl or on CD. Their 10″ EP “Hello, We Love You! The Big Beat EPs” is also available on vinyl at the Get Hip Webstore.

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