Red Cross (EP)

''Red Cross'', a six-song punk rock Rabid, Jack
"''Annette's Got the Hits'': AllMusic Review by Jack Rabid"
'' AllMusic''. Retrieved August 21, 2015. EP record, is the first stand-alone release by American rock band Red Cross.

Background

On August 29, 1979, the day after Ron Reyes joined them on drums,Nolte, Joe (January 3, 2004)
"A few interesting dates that nobody asked for"
''The Last Website Forum''. Archived fro
the original
on March 4, 2016.Chick, Stevie (Omnibus Press, 2009). ''Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag''. Third ed., 2011. PM Press. . pp. 97–98. replacing Johh Stielow, McDonald brothers' middle school punk rock band, the Tourists, would change their name to "Red Cross".Chick, Stevie (Omnibus Press, 2009). ''Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag''. Third ed., 2011. PM Press. . p. 98. Blush, Steven (2001). '' American Hardcore: A Tribal History''. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. . p. 82. Soon after, on September 6, they would go into a recording studio for the first time, accompanied by Joe Nolte, leader of Los Angeles rock band The Last, who produced their session at Media Art Studio in Hermosa Beach, California. However, when Red Cross signed not long after with Posh Boy Records, its owner, Robbie Fields, didn't like the Nolte recordings, so, he would get most of the songs to be re-recorded .

Only one of the cuts from the Nolte session would be later released. "Rich Brat" was included on the 1982 New Underground Records compilation album ''Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself''.Various artists, ''Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself'', cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved August 24, 2015. Blush, Steven (2001). '' American Hardcore: A Tribal History''. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. . p. 384.

In 1980, six tracks from the Posh Boy recording session were included on ''The Siren'',Various artists, ''The Siren''
'' Posh Boy Records''. Retrieved June 10, 2015.Various artists, ''The Siren'', cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved August 25, 2015. a sampler LP shared with San Francisco power pop band 391, and Salt Lake City punk rock act Spittin' Teeth.Tonooka, Tim (Fall 1981). ''Red Cross'' (EP), review. ''Ripper'' (5). Blush, Steven (2001). '' American Hardcore: A Tribal History''. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. . pp. 314-315. Their participation in this album would be the recorded debut for Red Cross; so, their following release, the ''Red Cross'' EP, would be but a stand-alone reissue of those same songs.

Production

All songs on ''Red Cross'' were originally recorded with producer and engineer Roger Harris at the Shelter Studios in Hollywood, California on October 1, 1979. The mixing was done at Paradise Studios in Burbank, California.

Release

''Red Cross'' was first released in 1980 on Posh Boy Records, in 12-inch vinyl disc format.Posh Boy #PBS 1010 The first pressing, without any cover art, came with pinkish-red labels and packaged in a generic, multicolored die-cut record sleeve.

Reissues

In 1981, ''Red Cross'' was included, in its entirety, on the rare cassette tape version of the ''Beach Blvd'' compilation issued by Posh Boy Records.

By 1985, ''Red Cross'' was re-released featuring its own cover art,''Red Cross'' (EP), 1985 reissue front cover
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved October 10, 2015.''Red Cross'' (EP), 1985 reissue back cover
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved October 10, 2015. and disc labels printed in black and red on a silver background. This same edition would be repressed the year after.

A new repressing was released in 1987, featuring disc labels printed in black on a silver background and packaged in a generic record company sleeve as the original release.

In 1987, Posh Boy repackaged ''The Future Looks Bright'',
'' Posh Boy Records''. Retrieved August 24, 2015. a sampler album originally produced by the label, jointly with SST Records, in 1981. Retitled as ''The Future Looks Brighter'', this edition featured only artists from the Posh Boy roster. The complete ''Red Cross'' EP was added to the CD version.

In late 1987, the EP was reissued under the title ''Annette's Got the Hits'', featuring alternate cover art''Annette's Got the Hits'', 1987 release cover art
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved October 10, 2015. but keeping the same catalog number and the old disc labels from the 1985 re-release.

In 1990, Posh Boy issued the single "Cover Band", bundled with "Burn Out" on its flip side.

In 1991, ''Annette's Got the Hits'' was included in the numbered 3-EP box set ''The Posh E.P.'s Vol. 1'',Various artists, ''The Posh E.P.'s Vol. 1''
'' Posh Boy Records''. Retrieved August 25, 2015. in conjunction with Stepmothers'True, Chris
"Stepmothers: Artist Biography by Chris True"
'' AllMusic''. Retrieved August 25, 2015. 1981 EP ''All Systems Go''Stepmothers, ''All Systems Go''
'' Posh Boy Records''. Retrieved August 25, 2015. and an untitled six-track EP featuring Social Distortion's early songs recorded in 1981.Social Distortion, untitled, 12" EP release in a black sleeve from the 1991 box set ''The Posh E.P.'s Vol. 1''
''Record Collectors of the World Unite''. Retrieved October 10, 2015.

In 2020 a 40th Anniversary edition was reissued by Merge Records with the original rejected Joe Nolte (leader of Los Angeles rock band The Last) session tracks from September 1979 added and one live track recorded in July 1979 by 'The Tourists', the original band name before they changed it to Red Cross in August 1979.

Cover art

The original cover art for ''Red Cross'', informally referred to as "the red cover", shows the band's name on a red background, written, with its original spelling, in uppercase white letters resembling strips of medical tape.

On the cover art for ''Annette's Got the Hits'', a photomontage in sepia, portraying the four band members performing live, is displayed on a dark grey background. The original spelling of the group's name is changed to "Redd Kross".

Re-recordings

After Greg Hetson left Red Cross to join the Circle Jerks in December 1979, a controversial alternate version of his song "Cover Band", reworked with new lyrics by Keith Morris, Blush, Steven (2001). '' American Hardcore: A Tribal History''. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. . p. 84. was featured as "Live Fast Die Young" on his new band's first studio album, ''Group Sex'', released in October 1980 on Frontier Records.Chick, Stevie (Omnibus Press, 2009). ''Spray Paint the Walls: The Story of Black Flag''. Third ed., 2011. PM Press. . pp. 129–130. Blush, Steven (2001). '' American Hardcore: A Tribal History''. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. . pp. 83–84.

Track listing

Personnel

Red Cross
* Jeff McDonald – vocals
* Greg Hetson – guitar
* Steve McDonald – bass, vocals
* Ron Reyes – drums

Production
*Robbie Fields – executive in charge of production
*Roger Harris – production, engineering

Notes

References

Further reading

Magazines
* Tonooka, Tim (Fall 1981). ''Red Cross'' (EP). ''Ripper'' (5).
* Yohannan, Tim (November 1985). ''Red Cross'' (EP), 1985 reissue. '' Maximumrocknroll'' (30).
* Yohannan, Tim (October 1987). ''Annette's Got the Hits''. ''Maximumrocknroll'' (53).

External links

''Annette's Got the Hits''
'' Posh Boy Records''.

Reviews
* Rabid, Jack
"''Annette's Got the Hits'': AllMusic Review by Jack Rabid"
'' AllMusic''.
* Robbins, Ira; Schinder, Scott
"Redd Kross (Red Cross)"
'' Trouser Press''.
* The Flakes (March 11, 2010)
"Red Cross – S/T E.P. 12″"
''Killed by Death Records''.

{{Authority control

1980 debut EPs
Redd Kross albums