24-Carat Black

When we first got the tapes for what became Numero 025, or 24-Carat Black’s Gone: The Promises of Yesterday, we thought we had a lot more material from which to compile. Of the four tapes we transferred, only six usable tracks managed to make it off the reel. The rest were in such bad shape that we got just one pass at capturing what was left. And on that pass, the tape fell apart as we ran it. Live degradation! Even though they’re just this side of inaudible, we’ve always nurtured the soft spot in our hearts for these withered 24-Carat Black songs. But how to package and present the barely listenable?

True, we’ve come across our fair share of scorched acetates. Flaking, cracking, bubbling…most are treated to, at best, a single play before clanging the side of a dumpster....even if there's beauty in their physical decay. To give you a forkful of that Hope Served Over a Bed of Steamed Disappointment we so often partake of, we’ve distilled the entropic tape as a 10" picture disc, disguised as a flake-away acetate. You read that right: Picture disc. In a stamped kraft paper sleeve. As objet d’art, these things get five bloody stars. As sonic documents...you know what, they’re actually sort of great, all things considered.

• 10in

  1 black 10"
  1 white/yellow 10" sleeve