Plaid enthusiasts, rejoice! It’s been 20 years since influential punk act Jawbreaker released their sophomore record Bivouac. By my count, it’s been eight years since I listened to “Chesterfield King” on repeat in my high school bedroom. Blackball Records, the label owned by former Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler, isn’t doing anything special for the 8th anniversary of my teenage tears, but they are reissuing Bivouac to celebrate the album’s 20th birthday. On December 11, the label will release a reissued, remastered version of Bivouac on CD, digital, and vinyl formats, as well as a 12-inch version of the band’s Chesterfield King EP on the same day.
Although the LP version of Bivouac contains the album’s original tracklist, the CD and digital versions will also feature the tracks from the Chesterfield King EP. But that’s not all, other bearded guys like me! That CD/digital version also features two bonus tracks. One of these tracks is an early version of “Ache,” one of the best songs on 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, the best Jawbreaker album. (“Gasp!” you said, almost spitting up PBR onto your Jets to Brazil shirt.)
All of these Jawbreaker reissues have been remastered by John Golden. He worked from the album’s original tapes and also happened to have been the guy who mastered every one of Jawbreaker’s records except, um, Bivouac. These reissues all also feature band photos from that time in Jawbreaker’s history, as well as restored original artwork. Some people might remember that original artwork of the creepy bunny lady being a foldout in the liner notes of the CD version of Bivouac. Some people also might remember being careful not to open the Bivouac liner notes around their parents, because that artwork contained naked boobs. One of these people might be me.
Bivouac CD tracklist:
01. Shield Your Eyes
02. Big
03. Chesterfield King
04. Sleep
05. Donatello
06. Face Down
07. P.S. New York Is Burning
08. Like a Secret
09. Tour Song
10. You Don’t Know…
11. Pack It Up
12. Parabola
13. Bivouac
14. Peel It The Fuck Down
15. Ache (cassette rough)
Bivouac LP tracklist:
01. Shield Your Eyes
02. Big
03. Sleep
04. Donatello
05. P.S. New York Is Burning
06. Like a Secret
07. Chesterfield King
08. Parabola
09. Bivouac
Chesterfield King 12-inch tracklist:
01. Chesterfield King
02. Tour Song
03. Face Down
04. You Don’t Know…
05. Pack It Up
• Jawbreaker: http://www.midheaven.com/artist/jawbreaker
• Blackball Records: http://www.blackballrecords.com
More about: Jawbreaker
