In the mid 1980s to early 1990s, Nürnberg had a thriving music scene, of which Something To Burn was an important part. They played the important Trash Will Eat Big Culture festival in 1989, the highlight of the NBG music scene if there ever was one. Formed out of the ruins of LeVolksbüro, Joseph B. Raimond and Kid G. teamed up with Ralf Lexis and began practicing as Something To Burn, at first with a few Le Volksbüro songs, but later strictly with originals. Joe and Ralf played together already in the mid 1980s in Thumper, and to this day record together in Doc Wör Mirran. Whereas Doc Wör Mirran was at this time a studio project (well, it still is mostly), Something To Burn was strictly a live band, and all the STB records, CDs and tapes are essentially live recordings, recorded either at one of their many shows, or live in the studio. From the beginning, STB was different than most bands, both musically and graphically. From the very beginning, STB decided that none of their records would have titles, all are simply "Something To Burn". Kid G. did the covers, and they all displayed his interest in old black and white movies, monsters, murders and general anarchy. They were always very stark, photocopied looking black and white covers, and defined the STB graphic style. Musically, no one came close to STB. All three members actively wrote and collaborated on tracks through their entire career, and were in the band until the very end. Their sound was once described as a cross between Big Black and the Grateful Dead. Like Big Black, they used a drum machine and had two guitars (maybe this explains why drummers always seemed to hate STB!), but unlike Big Black, an important part of STB was improvisation. They could play one song one night for three minutes, and the same song the next night for a half hour! But it wasn't just improved noise though, as melody was an important part of the STB sound. Indeed, STB expressed a pop sensibility that few bands can match. Add to this a healthy dose of indistrial noise and a few visits to the psycho ward, and you can begin to understand just how unique this band was. Although they did try out a drummer once or twice, and even played a show or two with a live drummer, real drums never really seemed to fit the STB sound, and they always went back to the drum machine. Of their many releases, the cassettes (always half hour long tapes, with two color printed covers and nice printed labels) usually documented their many improvisations, whereas their records featured their songs. They had at one point planned to release an album of instrumental songs, but even though many of the songs were recorded (later released on various other releases), this project unfortunately never saw the light of day. STB never really split up, but just slowly fizzled out as the years went by. Maybe it was simply life and reality that caught up with them, but not before they played concerts all over Germany and even one in Seattle! The final blow though came when Kid G moved to Hamburg, but who knows, they talk even to this day about reforming.

Releases:
From April 1992, the third tape in the series. This one features three improvs, as well as live versions of two of their normal songs including "Sheep In A Wolf's Dress", which only appears on this release and was never recorded in a studio.

This is the long lost first STB album, the album that just wasn’t destined to be. The album was recorded in the summer of 1989 at Two Car Garage Studios in Nürnberg.. After getting the first test pressings, it was found to have too much treble, so the band decided to recut the album. For some reason, the song “For Mr. Chapman” was removed from this version. This second version then sounded too muddy. By this time, the second album had been recorded, and it was decided to go ahead and release that one first (MT-121). A few years later, a release of this album was planned, the cover films prepared, and the pressing ordered from the first cut of the album. To everyone's astonishment, the pressing plant had destroyed the plates to the first version with the excuse that they thought that since a second version had been cut, the first was no longer needed. So the album never came out. Ten test pressings of each version exist (good luck finding one!), some of which even were sold in a limited edition box filled with flyers and set-lists. The first ten copies of this, the CD-R version as well come in the same sort of box. The CD- R itself features both versions of the album from beginning to end, one after the other. You be the judge of which one sounds better.

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Includes "In The Morning" and "Meine Frau", two of the later tracks that STB composed before becoming inactive live, and which unfortunately were never properly recorded or released on a STB vinyl. A blistering improv. is also included.

Refered by many as STB's "Pop" single, this was their first vinyl release, and was recorded at the same time as their lost first LP (MT-102), but as these tracks were not as long and more pop oriented, it was decided that they would be released seperately as a single. Musically these three tracks are not as sonically threatening as most of what STB recorded, but show just how good songwriters STB could be. It came out on Moe Town, the MT sublabel devoted to singles by Nürnberg area bands. 500 pressed.

The first STB release was this cassette containing three improvisations, and is a good place to start when diving into the STB improvisational pool of creativity. OK, that sounds pretty pompous, but this is still a great tape!

This tape is unique in that it documents the only acoustic phase STB ever did, specifically as a three-piece acoustic set, opening up for Zoogz Rift in Nürnberg. These are acoustic versions of songs off their vinyl releases, with real drums. One amazing electric imrov. is included as well, as there was space left over on the tape.
Released in May of 1991 in an edition of 500 copies, this is actually the second LP recording by STB, but the first one to be released. Like all their stuff, this is powerful, melodic, and often improvised. Songs about drug abuse, loneliness, murder, war and insanity, sung in both English and German!
The fifth cassette, and the one by far with the best sound quality. It is a studio recording and not practice room or live recordings like the four previous cassettes. Five blistering improvs are featured on this release, outtakes and warm-ups from the recordings that made up their vinyl releases.

 

 

Released in November of 1992 as both a normal CD as well a shaped 7" vinyl record, the second of the saw-blade series of singles. Lee Ranaldo is of course known as the guitar noise genius of Sonic Youth. STB kicks in with the second of the their two instrumentals, a nice melodic piece. The CD has one bonus song by each artist. Lee adds a track that originally appeared on the Bananafish 7". The STB track is a remix version of "For Mr. Chapman", which also appears on their first LP in a much different version. First pressing of 1000 saw-blades on transluscent green, side two of inferior sound quality. Second pressing of 500 on opaque mint green, much better sound. First CD run of 1000 copies has opening wrongly printed on the right side, second pressing of 500 has corrected opening on the top.

 

 

For awhile, STB had grand plans. Besides recording the normal songs they were writing and rehearsing, STB also slowly wrote and recorded instrumental tracks, with the idea of someday bringing these recordings out as an album in their own right, perhaps a bit inspired by Black Flag. This CD represents such studio recordings, bringing together the unreleased songs from the two studio sessions that resulted in the two vinyl studio LPs that the band produced. Two live tracks from the bands last official show in Köln Germany, as support for their friend Sack, are included as well.
|These four blistering tracks were recorded live at the Rhenania in Köln on July 25th, 1992, STB's last real show as a practicing band. Features "Teen Rebelion", "In The Morning" as well as "Long Last Day", all tracks that never made it onto vinyl. Although for some reason he is not credited on the cover, Christoph, ex-Prime Sinister, plays drums.

 

Released May 1993 in an edition of 500 copies, this is the debut vinyl release by Prime Sinister. On this split single, they team up with pals Something To Burn, where each band does their own version of the same song, which was written by siblings Joe of Something To Burn and Jeannette of Prime Sinister (yet another version appears on the Doc Wör Mirran double LP "Doctors Fighting Wars For Man"). As the Prime Sinister version, a remixed version from the second demo, was recorded first and was so well-produced, Something To Burn opted for the opposite, and delivered a very raw, unproduced version. Both bands also played this song regularly in their live sets.

 

 

Still untitled, this recording brings together spirited live versions of many STB classic tracks. One only has to hear how the CD begins, with fans chanting "Schizophrenia", one of the bands classic tracks of the time, to realize that this band was popular in its time and had a solid fan base. But not just for fans, this recording shows just how good STB could be live.

 

This tape is interesting as it contains a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Ill Be Your Mirror", one of the very few cover songs STB ever did. This song was covered as STB was invited to take part in a Velvet Underground festival, long after STB stopped playing and practicing regularly. The track features friends Mani (of Die Weisse Rose) on drums and Volker on keyboards.