''Soma Holiday'' is the second

release Release may refer to: * Art release, the public distribution of an artistic production, such as a film, album, or song * Legal release, a legal instrument * News release, a communication directed at the news media * Release (ISUP), a code to i ...

and the first studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

Millman, Joyce (October 25, 1983)
"Cellars by starlight - Prole cats"
''

The Boston Phoenix ''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the now defunct ''Boston Phoenix'', '' ...

''. sec. 3, p. 6. by American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

the Proletariat The Proletariat are a punk rock band from Southeastern Massachusetts, whose heyday was during the 1980s, when they were active in the early Boston hardcore scene, sharing the bill with many of the best punk and hardcore punk acts of the time, ...

. It was also the debut output for Radiobeat Records. The record was named after the drug used to control society in

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley ( ; 26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction novel, non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the ...

's novel ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931, and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hier ...

''."The Proletariat: Biography"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on January 23, 2017.Foley, Ryan
"The Proletariat"
''The Music Museum of New England''. Retrieved April 28, 2016.Scott, Tim (September 4, 2016)
"How The Proletariat Became One Of the Most Incendiary Bands in Reagan’s America"
(interview). ''

Noisey ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company ...

''. Retrieved September 15, 2016.Carnes, Aaron (October 25, 2016)
"The Return of Boston Hardcore Anomaly, The Proletariat"
(interview). ''

''. Retrieved October 27, 2016.

Production and release

Produce In American English, produce generally refers to wikt:fresh, fresh List of culinary fruits, fruits and Vegetable, vegetables intended to be Eating, eaten by humans, although other food products such as Dairy product, dairy products or Nut (foo ...

d by Jimmy Dufour,

Lou Giordano Lou Giordano (born c. 1957) is a record producer and recording engineer who co-founded Radiobeat Studios. He worked at Fort Apache Studios when it was located in Boston, and was a partner in the production company Prodco, which had close ties wit ...

and Frank Michaels, ''Soma Holiday'' was recorded and mixed at Radiobeat Studios in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts. Bill Kipper was in charge of the

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

ing of the album at

Masterdisk Masterdisk is an American multimedia company in New York, located at 8 John Walsh Boulevard in Peekskill. They provide production services such as audio mastering, vinyl cutting and enhanced CD and DVD production. Their clients include such n ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The record includes the songs "Splendid Wars", "Events/Repeat", "Blind", and "Torn Curtain", which were originally featured on the band's debut EP ''

Distortion In signal processing, distortion is the alteration of the original shape (or other characteristic) of a signal. In communications and electronics it means the alteration of the waveform of an information-bearing signal, such as an audio signal ...

'', a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...

seven-track

cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

self-released the previous year.Anderson, Rick
"''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'': AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson"
''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

''. Retrieved August 30, 2016. ''Soma Holiday'' was originally co-released in

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

, as LP, on band's Non-U label and Radiobeat Records."The Proletariat: ''Soma Holiday''"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on June 1, 2016.. ''Kill from the Heart''. Archived from on June 2, 2016. A second pressing of the album would be released later that same year.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review of the album,

Joyce Millman Joyce Millman is an American television and music critic and writer on popular culture. Her work has been published in ''The New York Times'' and '' The San Francisco Examiner''. She was a two-time finalist in criticism for the Pulitzer Prize in ...

, music critic at ''

'', wrote: Around the same time, Jeff Bale from ''

Maximumrocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly online zine of punk subculture and radio show of punk music. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and ...

'', was of the view that:

''Distortion'' EP

''Distortion'' is a seven-song EP and the first stand-alone release by the Proletariat. It was issued in July 1982 Millman, Joyce (August 24, 1982). "Cellars by starlight – The dictatorship of the Proletariat". ''

''. on the band's own label, Non-U Records, as a

single-sided C46

.The Proletariat, ''Distortion'', insert art
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on October 9, 2016.Quint, Al (September 1982). "The Proletariat: ''Distortion'' (Cassette)". '' Suburban Punk'' (1). The EP is composed of songs recorded in three separate sessions at Radiobeat Studios in Boston, Massachusetts with producer Jimmy Dufour:Sheena (September 1982)
"The Proletariat: From Each According to His Ability"
''

Boston Rock ''Boston Rock'' was a tabloid format entertainment magazine published in Boston, Massachusetts. Its focus, as stated on the cover was: fashion, style, and entertainment. The main focus was on the local music scene and indie rock. History and ...

'' (32). Archived fro
the original
on November 7, 2016. "After the Rise" was recorded in November 1981 with Jimmy Johnson as

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduc ...

, "Westernization" was engineered by Dufour himself in January 1982, whereas the rest of the tracks were laid down in March 1982 with recording engineer Lou Giordano. The songs "Torn Curtain", "Splendid Wars", "Blind", and "Events/Repeat" would be

re-release In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

d the following year on the band's first studio album ''Soma Holiday''. The tracks "After the Rise", "White Hands", and "Westernization" would not be reissued until 1998, when they were included on the band's anthology '' Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies''.Taang! #TAANG! 127''Suburban Voice'' (ca. 2000). "The Proletariat: ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'' (Taang! Dbl CD)" (review). ''

Suburban Voice ''Suburban Voice'' is a punk zine A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine related to the punk subculture and hardcore punk music genre. Often primitively or casually produced, they feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetr ...

'' (43)."The Proletariat: ''Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies''"
''Official Website of the Proletariat and Churn''. Archived fro

on January 23, 2017. The cover and label art were designed by graphic artist Pickles. The insert

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

sheet was created by Frank Michaels and Richard Brown. The EP's artwork includes a reproduction of

Dorothea Lange Dorothea Lange (born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn; May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange' ...

's photo ''

Migrant Mother ''Migrant Mother'' is a photograph taken in 1936 in Nipomo, California, by American photographer Dorothea Lange during her time with the Resettlement Administration (later the Farm Security Administration). The 28.3 by 21.8 cm (11 1/8 b ...

'' (1936).

Track listing

Music, lyrics, and arrangements by the Proletariat.

Reissues

Long

out of print An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book that is ...

in its original form, ''Soma Holiday'' was

d, in its entirety, as part of the band's 2- CD

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

'' Voodoo Economics and Other American Tragedies'', compiled in 1998 by

Taang! Records Taang! Records is an independent record label with a roster of hardcore punk, punk rock, Oi!, power pop, ska, indie rock, psychedelic, and ambient artists and bands founded by Curtis Casella in Boston, Massachusetts in 1983. History Taang! ...

. In October 1999, apparently under

license A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

from the band, the album was reissued in

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette (format) (or ''cassette tape''), a format that contains magnetic tape for audio, video, and data storage and playback * Compact Cassette, a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ...

-only format, featuring alternate

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...

, on Social Napalm Records,"SNR#1 - The Proletariat - "Soma Holiday" cassette tape"
''Social Napalm Records''. Retrieved April 28, 2016.. ''Kill from the Heart''. Archived from on May 5, 2016. a small DIY label based in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

, Massachusetts. On October 21, 2016, 33 years after its debut, ''Soma Holiday'' was re-released for the first time in its original vinyl format, on

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

-based label Ss Records;Ss #SS085"The Proletariat - Soma Holiday LP"
''Ss Records – Sol Re Sol Records''. Retrieved October 22, 2016. which also simultaneously released the album for the first time on CD.

Track listing

Music by Peter Bevilacqua and Frank Michaels, lyrics by Richard Brown, except where noted. Arrangements by the Proletariat.

Personnel

The Proletariat * Richard Brown –

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell (instrument), bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. ...

( track A7) * Frank Michaels –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

* Peter Bevilacqua –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, backing vocals * Tom McKnight –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Additional performers * Mick Miller – backing vocals (A4) * Lou Giordano – backing vocals (A9) * Jimmy Dufour – backing vocals (A9) Production * Jimmy Dufour -

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

(A2, A5, B3, B5), co-production, co-engineering *

- co-production, engineering (A2, A5, B3, B5), co-engineering * Frank Michaels - co-production,

sleeve A sleeve (, a word allied to '' slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, across a myri ...

concept * Mick Miller – engineering (assistance) * Bill Kipper – mastering * Pickles –

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

Additional production (2016 remastered LP reissue) * John Golden - remastering * Dane Henas – graphic design (restoration)

Notes

References

External links

"The Proletariat: ''Soma Holiday''"
''The Proletariat''.
"The Proletariat: ''Distortion''"
''The Proletariat''. Articles * Scott, Tim (September 4, 2016)
"How The Proletariat Became One Of the Most Incendiary Bands in Reagan’s America"
(interview). ''

''. * Sheppard, Oliver (October 5, 2016)
"An interview with The Proletariat on their "Soma Holiday" reissue"
''Cvlt Nation''. Reviews * Millman, Joyce (August 24, 1982). "Cellars by starlight – The dictatorship of the Proletariat" (review of the ''Distortion'' EP). ''

''. * Robbins, Ira (1983)
"Proletariat"
''

''. * Electric Sunshine (March 17, 2012)
"Proletariat "Soma Holiday""
''The Electric Sunshine''. {{Authority control The Proletariat albums 1983 albums

Production and release

Critical reception

''Distortion'' EP

Track listing

Reissues

Track listing

Personnel

Notes

References

Further reading

External links