Embarrassment Studio Sessions

The information for the sessions from 1979-1983 was provided by John Bernhardt, and is supplemented here and there with other factoids and with recording session dates, where available. Jim Rosencutter also added significant bits of information.

Sessions 1979-1983

FIRST REAL STUDIO SESSION

Sex Drive (7" b-side now on "Heyday")
After The Disco (unreleased, then on Bar/None comp, now on "Heyday")
Pushin' Too Hard (only on the Bomp "Battle Of The Garages" LP)
Patio Set (7" a-side now on "Heyday")
Berliner's Night Out (on "Retrospective" now on "Heyday")

[Date of these sessions -- 11/?/79, Hi Fidelity, Wichita. Production credits to John Salem. - ed.]

First Jim Skeel Demo Sessions

Then there were Jim Skeel demo sessions, which I believe were just recorded at his house or something - essentially these were demos, but they produced some faves like "Two Week Vacation" and a bunch of alternate versions which haven't been released, including a presumably untitled-instrumental.

[Date of these sessions -- 10/13/80. Jim Skeel, according to Jim Rosencutter, had a really nice 4-track recorder with a good sound system which various members of the entourage helped put together. - ed.]

SECOND REAL STUDIO SESSION

Then the "Embarrassment EP" sessions, which include the 5 songs contained thereon, as well as "Two Cars", which was left off the EP for some reason.

At the same time they recorded those six songs, they quickly ran through about a dozen more "live-in-the-studio" - five are on "Heyday", but again there are a few alternate versions which didn't get released - and a GREAT cover of "On Broadway" which really should have seen the light of day.

[Recording dates: 2/?/81, Sooner Lab, Oklahoma City; Production Credit to Michael McGee and the Embarrassment. - ed.]

Second Jim Skeel Session

Then came more John Skeel demo stuff - five of those songs turned up on a Fresh Sound cassette comp and are all on "Heyday" - there may have been more to this session, or maybe I'm thinking of tracks recorded with Jim Skeel earlier.

THIRD REAL STUDIO SESSION

This basically consisted of the songs that make up "Death Travels West" - I remember Bill Goffrier telling me he thought maybe they had attempted "Sex Drive", but it doesn't fit with the theme really and as far as I know, no evidence of it turned up.

The last thing they did with any sort of overseer, where the songs that ended up as side two of the Embarrassment LP, plus "She's One" and the "Retrospective" version of "Sexy Singer Girl" which wasn't rereleased on "Heyday".

[Recording dates: late 1982 [10/30/82?] at Crystal Clear in Dallas, with post-production in Dallas in 4/83 for the material that made it onto the album.

Jim Rosencutter adds in this bit of trivia about "D-Rings": 

The Embos returned from Dallas after the recording sessions for DTW with
a cassette rough mix tape.  Upon repeated listenings, the band,
especially John, liked the intense "Raw Power" quality of the rough mix
of D-Rings.  We figured this cool sound was a fluke and would be
impossible to recreate during the final mix.  So when we returned to
Crystal Clear to finish the record, we just copied D-Rings off the
cassette back onto the master, and that is the version that is on Death
Travels West.


The version on Heyday, of course, is a remix off the orginal 24-track
tape.  I like it too, especially the weird feedback stuff that I'm
guessing Bill must have found on the master.

Sessions 1988-89

The Embarrassment had numerous "reunion" gigs from 1983 to 1989, culminating in a 'farewell' tour to a number of cities in 1989. During this time there were several abortive projects, which ultimately ended up as the God Help Us album and finally the Heyday compilation. This is as much information as we've been able to put together so far about these sessions.

1988 Sessions

Two tracks, "Podmen" and "Burning Love", were recorded in 8/88 at Big Dog Studio in Wichita.

1989 Sessions

"Train of Thought", "Albert", and "Sex Drive" were recorded in 1/89 at Fort Apache in Cambridge, and the remainder of the cuts were recorded in 9/89 at Fort Apache.

Production credits go to the Embarrassment and Lou Giordano, known for his crunchy post-punk work, most notably with Homestead.

Never made it to the studio...

Recorded or performed live, but never in the studio and not otherwise available (this list not yete comprehensive):