Before I begin, I'd like to make it clear that this is in no way intended to be a definitive retrospective or eulogy or whatever for WaxTrax! Records, it's simply a little bit of back story about where they went and why I love their releases with a healthy sampling of their catalog. I hope you enjoy.
Earlier this year, Dannie Flesher, co-founder of Chicago's WaxTrax! Records passed away, marking the definitive end of an era which has been comatose since 1992 when the label was purchased by TVT Records. It didn't help that Jim Nash, WaxTrax!'s other founder died in 1995, but TVT did most of the dirty work to kill what was left over by signing acts that didn't fit the label's image and letting most of the discography go out of print. Now, I'm not saying anything bad about Autechre, Underworld or anyone else for which distribution agreements were made, but they simply didn't fit the WaxTrax! aesthetic, and while it could be argued that TVT was merely trying to make their investment profitable, it's rare that changing an already successful formula leads to continued success.
WaxTrax! was a special label. Like most labels that people loved or looked upon the releases of like a badge of honor, WaxTrax! was very artist friendly and signed people they liked, not just because they thought there was money to be made but because they believed in the music. WaxTrax! was most often looked at as the American home of industrial music, and while a lot of the industrial scene was cultivated in their roster, they were more about clubs and dancing. Listen to records by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Ministry, KMFDM and other acts on the label and try not to get the urge to move. The artists and bands on the label were just as much about their music as they were living their own lives, for better or worse. Drugs, sex, abuse and violence were all significant characteristics of WaxTrax! and their talent, and while it's hard to defend some of those things, you can't deny that they produced great music and wonderful entertainment. Of course, some of those artists didn't know when to say when (here's looking at you Al), but that always happens to some of them, doesn't it?
A few years ago, when TVT finally bit the dust (hooray!), pieces of the WaxTrax! catalog were sold off and licensed to select outlets. Probably the most high-profile licensing agreement was the rights to Ministry's early releases from the label under all their various guises (Revolting Cocks, 1000 Homo DJs, PTP, etc.) as well as My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's WaxTrax! catalog and Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine, which while it wasn't a WaxTrax! release was owned by TVT in the US and NIN were closely aligned with the Chicago scene. KMFDM also regained the rights to their US catalog and began a complete reissue program. KMFDM signed with Metropolis, but the other reissues were distributed by Ryko who are sort-of out of business due to having been purchased by Warner Brothers Records. It's unclear whether Warners has the right to issue everything in Ryko's catalog, but for now it doesn't matter as none of those releases are available for purchase. As if the end of the CD era wasn't a bad enough time to have your catalog go out of print again.
Despite all this, WaxTrax! still has a beloved following, eventually resulting in Bart Pfanenstiel, a former WaxTrax! employee, starting a new label, WTII Records, to carry on the torch, but as far as I can tell that didn't last for long. Now the WaxTrax! catalog is primarily out of print, at least in the US, and will probably remain that way for the foreseeable future. It's really a shame, but sometimes I wonder about the truth of that old rock'n'roll line, it's better to burn out than fade away. WaxTrax! burnt out because of mismanagement and their having been bought by a label not truly concerned with their legacy. That's bad enough, but now they're fading away because no one has been concerned with their legacy for years. Burn out or fade away, either way it kinda sucks, but both at the same time? That's just wrong.
I would like to share some memories of WaxTrax! with you by posting the Black Box collection, a three CD set TVT released shortly after purchasing the label. It's certainly not definitive and I've mocked it's miserable liner notes many times (if the only version of a song released was on an EP, why label it the EP Version? Does it require a special label? WTF?!?), but the music is wonderful and most of it is now unavailable, so enjoy a jumbo jolt of WaxTrax! goodies available below. On top of that, if you'd like to read up on the label a bit more you can always access their wikipedia reference which is pretty detailed. Enjoy!
Black Box – Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years
Disc One:
01 1000 Homo DJs - Supernaut (Trent Reznor Version)
The track that really launched a war between WaxTrax! and TVT! This was supposed to be on the original version of the Supernaut single, but upon Steve Gottlieb from TVT finding out, he nixed Trent's appearance. Years later, after purchasing WaxTrax!, he issued this track in this compilation, which is the only place it has ever been officially released. Trent is still mad. Eat your heart out Stevie!
02 Revolting Cocks - No Devotion
03 Revolting Cocks - Beers, Steers and Queers (Drop Yer Britches Mix)
This is the first half of the remix which appeared on the 12" and CD single. For some reason, that remix, which is listed as two separate tracks, has almost always been stuck together as one.
04 Sister Machine Gun - Addiction
05 Excessive Force - Violent Peace
06 The Young Gods - Envoye
07 Pailhead - I Will Refuse
Ministry with Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi
08 Lead Into Gold - Faster Than Light
Ministry's Paul Barker with Al and company helping out.
09 Front Line Assembly - Digital Tension Dementia
10 Mussolini Headkick - Your God Is Dead
11 Greater Than One - Now Is The Time
12 Pig - Shit For Brains
13 Hope & Kirk - Cop Out
14 Wreck - Atomic Dog
Yes, a cover of THAT Atomic Dog. Bow wow wow yipee yo yipee yay!
15 Strike Under - Elephant's Graveyard
Disc Two:
01 Chris Connelly - Stowaway
02 Chris Connelly - Come Down Here
03 Coil - Love's Secret Domain
04 Coil - The Snow (Answers Come In Dreams II by Meat Beat Manifesto)
05 Clock DVA - The Hacker
06 KMFDM - Virus
07 KMFDM - Godlike
08 Ministry - Every Day (Is Halloween)
The classic. If you're gonna go goth, you've gotta go Halloween!
09 A Split Second - Rigor Mortis
10 Foetus - Butterfly Potion
11 Doubting Thomas - Father Don't Cry
12 Cyberaktif - Nothing Stays
13 Controlled Bleeding - Words (Of The Dying)
14 In The Nursery - Compulsion
Disc Three:
01 PTP - Rubber Glove Seduction
02 Acid Horse - No Name, No Slogan (Luxa/Pan Version)
As mentioned in an earlier post, the above two tracks are both Ministry side projects. The box's liner notes list the Acid Horse track as the 12" Version. Well, since the release was only available on 12" and both tracks were versions of the same song, I've gotta say that someone at TVT really wasn't doing their job. No shock there.
03 The KLF - What Time Is Love? (Live At Trancentral)
This version has a little bit of extra audience noise at the end which doesn't seem to appear on most versions I've found.
04 Psykosonik - Silicon Jesus (Duality Mix)
05 My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - A Girl Doesn't Get Killed By A Make-Believe Lover... 'Cuz It's Hot
06 My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Do You Fear (For Your Child)
07 Laibach - Geburt Einer Nation
08 Meat Beat Manifesto - God O.D. (Single Version)
09 Fred - Mindblower
10 Psychic TV - I.C. Water
11 Pankow - Me & My Ding Dong
12 Divine - The Name Game
Oh my god, this is the track! If you don't know who Divine is/was, go here and be entertained! mein gott im himmel!!!
PS - In case you're wondering why Front 242 isn't featured in this collection, at the time of TVT's acquisition of WaxTrax!, Front 242 were signed to Epic and there were licensing issues which prevented any of their tracks from being featured. If you want your Front 242 fix, go find a copy of Front By Front and get blissed out!
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