Beefeater – Olive Tree Records – 1986

In America / Need A Job / Laurel Grove

Apartheid / Gov’t Worker / Better ‘N Me

I loved this band from over the pond. Uploaded tonight is the only 12″ single that Beefeater released on the excellent Olive Tree Records. Jabbs from Nottingham band Eyes On You re-released this product for the U.K market on his own Wetspots Records along with the ‘D.C. Rox’ compilation LP. Beefeater released two excellent full length LP’s on Dischord records during the band’s lifetime.

I think along with Rites Of Spring, Beefeater were the best of the loose collective of D.C. bands that were based around both Dischord Records and Inner Ear Studios in that mid 1980’s era. Both these bands shared many stages in and around the Washington D.C. area incidently, and I am sure those nights would have been something special to witness.

Photo of Tomas from ‘Threat By Example’ book which is an excellent read (mentioned below).

Text below well and truely ripped from the wikkie peadi…

Beefeater was a Washington D.C. post-hardcore band formed in Autumn 1984 by Tomas Squip, Fred “Freak” Smith, Dug E. Bird (Birdzell) and Bruce Taylor. They were pioneers of the Post-hardcore genre and the Revolution Summer which took place in Washington D.C. in the mid 80’s with equally minded bands like Embrace, Rites of Spring and Nation of Ulysses among others. Their debut LP, Plays for Lovers was released in 1985 on the Dischord and their follow-up House Burning Down was released in 1987, a year after the band’s demise. Drummers Mark Shellhaas and Kenny Craun replaced Taylor on later albums. Squip and Birdzell went on to form Fidelity Jones, while Craun joined the Rhythm Pigs.

While Beefeater’s songs had all the angry energy of its hardcore labelmates the energy was channelled as much through funk and jazz as rock and roll. Dug E. Bird’s fast-paced bass slap drives a rhythm section over which Fred “Not Sonic” Smith’s guitar rides in a way reminiscent of the Minutemen. House Burning Down saw the incorporation of even more non-punk influences, most notably world music and included musical cameos many of the Dischord Records regulars (Ian MacKaye provides a priceless intro to the album, in addition to some saxophone). The EP on the Olive Tree label, was more straight-ahead, sounding a bit more like a Caribbean flavoured Gang of Four meets The Fall.

Squip’s essay in Threat by Example: A Documentation of Inspiration (Martin Sprouse, editor, 1991 Pressure Drop Press: San Francisco, ISBN 0-9627091-1-5) outlines his notably religious world view and motivation, unusual for a Dischord band.