On the insert that comes with this photocopied-sheets-hand-pasted-on-sleeve record, it states ‘Theres [sic] plenty more where this came from’ before giving the band’s contact address. They’re certainly not kidding – in the early days of their career, Hood put out a relentless stream of music on all kinds of labels and formats. I was always impressed that from their very first record onwards, they kept the same scratchy, now-familiar Hood logo. It’s not so much that I’m advocating some kind of cynical band branding exercise; it’s more that to me this consistency suggested an attention to detail that respected not only the variety of labels they were working with (the record we’re doing with you is equally as important to us as any of our releases) and the listener (we take care over our art; so much so that we insist on quality control all the way through to the presentation of our band name).
Orgasm, as memory serves, was a French label, tight-knit with the scene that built up around Hood/Boyracer/Leeds/Spofforth Hill. It was always exciting sending off some coins, taped down to a piece of card, to a mystery address, and eagerly awaiting a record/fanzine to appear in the mail a few days later. It was even more exciting to be doing this stuff on a country-to-country level. I wonder how much the mainstream press and larger labels were (indeed, still are) aware of the amount of industry and contact-building that was going on ‘under the ground’ (as Slampt once put it)? I used to regularly correspond with people across the globe – sending music and letters back and forth over many years – and thinking back, can’t believe the amount of time I used to dedicate to this stuff. Now and then, years later, I re-establish contact with some of these old pals, via Facebook or whatever. It’s nice.