CAD + TexANS

TexANS (Tex & The Anti-Nazi Squad)
"Live At The Sons & Daughters Hall"

Recorded: 1986 --- Grand Rapids, MI, USA @ The Sons & Daughters Hall
Cover Scan: Click Here
MP3 Sample: Right Click & Save (offline)

Notes - Onemotive (i.e.: collector that found this recording): I have known about the existance of this show since 2001. At this point in time, most of us were discovering Napster and the wonders of "P2P" sharing. This was the time that I was also discovering the pre-Tool rarities like the readily-available "Fingernails" cassette by C.A.D. I was on Kazaa downloading mp3s like nobody's business at this time and was determined to compile all the tracks listed for the "Never Again" tape. I found most of them easily, but ended up with two versions of "Tweeked" and to my astonishment, one of them was live! That is where the hunt basically began... About 6-8 months later I had compiled the whole show (in mp3 form, mind you), but unfortunately with the 6 inevitable out-of-state moves that would come, I lost the cd. It was 6 years until I would recover it... I stumbled upon an entry in wikipedia refering to this release; the username 'godozo' listed at the bottom gave me some direction and I hunted for this username, via google, all over the internet. I joined numerous forums just to be able to message the guy and get his attention. A day later, to my suprise, there was an email in my inbox. He was very cooperative and he was interested in a copy of 'Never Again' --the whole ordeal was quite painless, really. I got a kick out of the fact that he wasn't even a Tool fan and was only interested in TexA.N.S. (Most people I run into [Galen..] refer to the tapes as "god-awful"). TexA.N.S. are, without a doubt, an acquired taste... It is important (I think) to document the information that the guy gave me on this, so: "[he] bought it in 1987, at Flat Black and Circular (an East Lansing, MI record store), for probably $5.00. I did digital copying at a Flint, MI company that rented out Christian tapes and CDs and copied to CDs as part of their business. Unfortunately that company has since gone out of business." So that is what is known, at this point. Whether this business he speaks of used some kind of compression is not known...
Notes - Onemotive / Review/Thoughts: To enjoy TexA.N.S. you need to remove yourself COMPLETELY from the Tool mindset. They are a different genre and have a different message and sound completely. I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, TexA.N.S. would have gone completely without recognition if it weren't for their bass player's post fame. I have actually grown to semi-enjoy listening to the material [in moderation, of course]. The "Live At Sons & Daughters Hall" recording interests me alot more than the 'Never Again' tape for the simple fact that, when listening to a live set, you get a true perspective of what the band must have been like. This show boasts a cover song "Is It My Body?" by Alice Cooper which is...uh...interesting. No substitute for the real thing, of course, but a nice treat, I suppose. It is only tracks 1-12 that were actually recorded at "Sons & Daughters Hall," the four following bonus tracks include "Horrors of Life" (Live at Maynard's Pizza Emporium -- Maynard worked at a pizza place around this time, but it wasn't actually called that) & studio versions of "In God We Trust, Tweeked, & Butt Head." My suggestion to anyone (casual listener or hard-core collector) is to find some extremely readily available mp3s of the 'Never Again' tracks and if you like what you hear, seek out this show - otherwise, leave it alone.
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Notes - Galen: Oh man. You know, from a historical context, this is a priceless gem in the world of the tool aficionado as MJK plays the bass throughout this live recording – and this is 1986 folks. A long time ago. Shit, I was 9 in 1987. Tex as the lead singer of this shambling, rambling band is about as soothing as smearing a can of hot bacon grease over an open wound. Like stapling your ear to an autistic kid with ADHD. Like… ok no more. I’ll be totally honest, I made my way through this recording once & it may very well be the only time I do so. I did not suffer, I struggled my way through this recording. If you are hoping for a glimmer of insight into the paradigm of Tool (or MJK) well you need to pass this recording over as that is simply in the equation. This is a live recording though & it is a SBD, which is good, because if it was a tinny + abrasive/distorted live AUD recording I doubt any live source would exist after all these years. All in all, this is strictly for the hardest of the hardcore fans. Simple as that: collector's only.