TEAR IT UP TEAR IT DOWN!!! (THE DECEMBER 2000 SESSION)

So, I´m holding in my hands The December 2000 Session CD by Tear It Up and I´m wondering how many times I opened it, listened to it, looked at the cover sheets, the lyrics… Probably countless times.

So, there are few reasons why I wanted to put a download link for this CD. Well, I rarely saw on the net rip for this CD and if there was any before, now those links are long gone, so here is the chance for you to get a good rip of this CD with some bonus stuff. I also never got across of the whole scanned cover of this CD. So that is the another reason why I wanted to put a cover of this CD with the music, so you can get the whole package. Not all the photos are mine, some I stole from various sources from the net (I´m a pretty good Tear It Up stalker, haha).

I didn´t go with chronological order of Tear It Up discography, but there is time for any other TIU recording on this blog in the future.

So, this CD was originally released in 2002. on Coalition Records, a hc/punk record label from Holland that released lots of cool 90´s and 2000´s hc/punk stuff. It was released mainly to support Tear It Up first European tour in June of 2002. So, this CD contains almost whole Tear It Up session that they recorded in December of 2000 (two songs are missing, a cover of JFA – Coke And Snickers and a short song called For The Record, both were released in 2001. on compilation 7˝ EP – Wild in the Streets vol. 2 on Element Records). That session went to 3 TIU releases: Zero To Suicidal – One sided 7˝ EP on Uncle Slam Records (5 songs), split LP with Ex Tx A on Deadalive Records (10 songs) and a split 7˝ EP with Fast Times On Youngblood Records (4 songs). All 3 records were released in 2001. 

TIU line up here was their first line up: 
Dave Ackerman - Vocals
Andy Scarpulla - Guitar
Paul D´elia - Guitar
Doug Ensel - Bass
Matt Wechter - Drums

This was the third TIU recording, first being a demo tape recording in July 2000. and second being September 2000. recording that got split in two records – first Self Titled 7˝ EP on Havoc Records 2000. (8 songs) and Just Can´t Stand It 12˝ EP on Deranged Records 2001. (12, actually 13 songs if you count a hidden track – Deuce (Kiss cover)). I love the production on this session, especially the  snare drum and buzzing guitars. Also, I love the idea that songs are all blended in together and there is no stopping from the beginning to the end of the CD.

Cover is pretty cool too. On the front you get the legendary TIU skull that was taken from the poster of Hichcock classic Vertigo movie (but it is a Polish version of the poster). Yeah, who would guess? That skull is one of the best logos that I ever seen and it fits perfectly with the Tear It Up sound and imagery. On the back you get Matt (TIU drummer) covered with blood, fuck yeah. I wonder from what show is that photo, maybe from the first TIU show because I read in some interview that Matt had stitches on the hand and was sloppy as hell because of it, haha. Inside you get all the lyrics and front covers from the vinyl releases that these songs were originally. Also, you get notes where are the songs from and other credit stuff and one classic TIU photo from some show with Dave (TIU singer) jumping, pretty cool shot.

OK, lets move to my third and maybe the most important reason why I decided to upload this CD in the first place. So, I´m a TIU fanatic, you probably got that so far. But, if you don´t know me, then you probably don´t even have a slightest idea how much I´m obsessed with this band. So, first I wanna say that when I got hooked on TIU in 2002/3. (in 2003. they already broke up, what an irony, haha) it wasn´t that easy to get records from TIU in these parts of the world (Croatia/Balkan). So, most of the stuff I had was from some downloads from the net that I recorded on various tapes. So, it was pretty frustrating to listen these tapes but not knowing how the covers look like and what they are really singing about (yeah, I did get that they were angry and pissed off, but still, I wanted to know more). Also, this particular recording, I had some crappy recording of some crappy rip from the net recorded on some crappy tape recorded on some crappy CD/tape recorder. I have to say gthat this recording wasn´t my favorite TIU material at the time. Maybe it was because of the crappy recording I had, I don´t know. But the songs definitely grown on me more while I was constantly listening to this session. 

Then in August 2007. I was on European tour with Vaseline Children (where I played drums) and Mladina Kina (our brother band) and I found this CD on some distro in Munchen (maybe it was the Refuse Distro because Robert Refuse was there with Tangled Lines who also played that night). One of the main influences for forming Vaseline Children was Tear It Up and VC pretty much lived by the TIU code (who lived by the Black Flag code, haha). And that tour itself was one of the best moments of my life, so that is one more reason why this CD have a sentimental value for me. So, when I finally got that CD, saw the cover and lyrics and heard how it sounds properly, I was happy as a little child. Not to say that by the time I got the CD, there are some of my favorite TIU songs on it like: Tear It Up, Tear It Down (which have one of the best intros and singalongs ever), I´ll Make You Regret It (great fuck you song), Revolution, Take My Life, N. F. P., That´s It?... Sometimes I joke about how Nothing To Nothing record is more approachable to people because it is catchy and more melodic record (don´t get me wrong, Nothing To Nothing is the best hardcore album from 2000.´s) than early TIU stuff that is faster and more pissed off and a little bit more dark. That is why I like this record, songs are fast and angry, but there are still enough variations that songs are not sounding alike. Also, these 19 songs in 19 minutes gives you a good example how to make a great hc/punk record that have not one boring second and that songs are not just tuneless thrash from the beginning to end. 

As for lyrics, I don´t even know where to begin. I can find myself in most of these lyrics that is not even funny. I mean, first song – Revolution (in a Three Chord Song) says it all. On the rest of the songs TIU say fuck you to army (Playing Dead), bands that preach dancing at shows but don´t do it when other bands play (Dance, Dance, Revolution), careless car drivers (Crash And Die), mean ex love partners (Henrietta Stark), bands that were jumping on a „thrash“ trend (Thrash Wagon), people who screwed you more than once (I´ll Make You Regret It), controlling tolls on highways (Ez Pass = Ez Control) and pretty much everything summed up in one song (Tear It Up, Tear It Down). All other songs are mostly dealing with some personal demons and emotions that question our existence in this shitty world. That is something that I can still identify with. There is also a cool cover of State Of Alert – Girl Problems. TIU really nailed it with this cover and I doubt that any other band could covered it that good. Some people are not delighted with lyrics of this song, but consider it that it was written in 1980. when young Henry Garfield was only 19 and was frustrated with lots of stuff including having to deal with girl problems. So, now you know also my sentimental reasons for liking this CD so much. When I listen this CD I still want to smash and destroy every douchebag (*) that stands in my way and I´m saying fuck you to every fucker that wants to steal my freedom, being that physically, mentally, politically or emotionally. I´ll Make You Regret It!

Bonus Stuff. So, when you download the link, you will see that I put there some bonus stuff. Yeah, it is a premature christmass in your home and I´m the hardcore punk santa, don´t mention it! So, I put vinyl rips from the splits with Ex Tx A and Fast Times including both bands, of course. I also put Wild In The Streets vol. 2 compilation (mostly because of TIU, but you get the whole package here). Only thing that I didn´t put is Zero To Suicidal vinyl rip because I don´t have it on mp3s. Actually I have it on some audio CD, but I was too lazy to find that CD, so if someone has a vinyl rip of Zero To Suicidal, I would appreciate it. I also put covers of all the mentioned releases. That´s it. Enjoy in download and shit.

The Snake

* Douchebag = Đubras

Get it here: 
TIU December 2000 Session

                                              Polish poster for Vertigo movie

                    Poster for TIU show in Bremen, Germany from first TIU European tour

                                                   

                                              TEAR IT UP European tour bag :)

                                                Nothing To Nothing LP tour press

  

                            TEAR IT UP on some show from their first European tour

                                Poster for TIU first European tour and a poster 
                                for some TIU show (not from the tour)

                                       TIU shirt from their first European tour