It's time to break out the razor blades, shot gun, sleeping pills or whatever you have handy as Mr. Fist brings you his unlucky 13 most dismal, depraved and depressing slabs of misery. Don't worry, it'll all be over soon.

Notes

Welcome to the mysterious and magical world of Blood 'n' Tongue and Mr. Fist. This volume is the first in a series of "best of" sets which will be released over the coming months by Blood 'n' Tongue. Along with the "Song of the Week" series, these releases are intended to pave the way for an extensive release campaign of the full original albums from which these selections were drawn.

Volume 01 focuses on "song" oriented pieces which have been loosely self categorized as "Dead Jazz". They primarily utilize loose improvisation as the main composition methodology and focus on some rather odd and unpopular subject matter for the lyrics and mood.

All compositions were created, performed and produced by Stephen Ugo Rosin at the Blood 'n' Tongue studio in Vancouver, BC.
Acoustic guitar on "It Ain't Rape" by Ross Redhead.

This collection spans 15 years of development.

"Poontang Pie" was recording in 1995 on Tascam 4 track portastudio. It was originally released in 2003 on the web LP, "Shoot First". This LP is a compilation of unrelated tracks recorded during 1995. At this time, it was rare for works to be produced as part of a larger whole. This piece marks the first distinct vocal appearance of the persona of Mr. Fist.

All remaining tracks were recorded with Logic Pro (Versions 4 through 9) on a Mac.

"It Ain't Rape" & "Cock Suckin' Blues" were recorded in 2001 and originally released in 2003 on the web LP, "Sins of the Flesh". This LP is part of a seven disc set with each disc dedicated to a specific planet. The ruling planet for this set is Saturn, so the focus for the material on this collection is very crude, base and "nasty". This collection is where the vocal persona of Mr. Fist became more developed.

"Trash Talkin'", "Worn Out Shoe" & "I'd Wash My Hands" were recorded in 2007 and originally released on the web LP, "Dead Jazz Volume 2 - Hobo Erotic". A limited edition (12 copies) CD-R release was also distributed which came packaged in a DVD case wrapped in a brown paper bag with a fake newspaper lyric sheet insert. The concept for this album was a "day in the life" of a "hobo". It is with this release that Mr. Fist's vocal presence became fully realized. Come and join Mr. Fist as he invites you to "feel the pain, baby!" Experience all the depression and disappointment of those you ignore every day. Here, you are offered a rare chance to experience a "day in the life" of the hopeless and homeless. So toss out your wallet and keys, slip on some soiled underwear and head out beyond the throngs of the "great unwashed".

"Nothing for Christmas" was originally recorded in December of 2007 to be sent out as a seasonal treat for friends and family. It was eventually incorporated into "Mr. Fist Sings Songs from the Old Bastard" which was released in 2009.

"M.F. Machines" & "My Dog Is Dead" were recorded in 2009 and originally released on the web LP, "Mr. Fist Sings Songs from the Old Bastard". A limited edition (12 copies) CD-R release was also distributed which came wrapped in a Stetson scented, hand tea stained (off) white "old man" hanky. This also included a lyric sheet insert. The concept for this album was the decrepitude of old age. For some things, like fine wine, age brings improvement. Some would argue that this applies to people as well. Hogwash! This collection of dire dirges aims to wallow in the deepest wells of self pity and morbidity that are far more commonly the result of the pains and losses of growing old. To hell with maturity! Dedicated to all those who left a "good looking corpse".

"Marinade Death" was recorded in 2009 and originally released on web LP, "Threatening Griddle". A limited edition (9 copies) CD-R release was also distributed. This LP was designed as a parody of legendary industrial band Throbbing Gristle and was inspired by the commercial release of the Gristleizer effects processor.

"Walk This Earth" & "A Restless Wind" were recorded in 2010 and originally released on the web LP, "Haunted Ghosts". This collection explored the world of "Dead Country" music or "ghost" music, imagining what music would sound like if it was created by ghosts. There have been a fair number of songs written about the spirit world and ghosts, but few have dealt with the subject from the perspective of the "ghost". With this collection, the objective is to explore the inner world of the entity doing the haunting rather than indulge the tired and trite concerns of those being haunted. To this end, the producers sought to embody the "disembodied" as best as possible given our near complete lack of any real information about these (non)beings. What would a ghost sing about? What do ghosts care about? How do they feel being dead? How would they play instruments? Which instruments would they play? All of these questions were considered at each stage of this project to ensure that the overall feel and sensitivity would be as close as possible to the (un)real tendencies and preferences of the dead. So turn out the lights, fire up a candle and bundle up with someone you love while we take you deep into the realm of those who have gone, but have not forgotten their place in this world.

"Momma Lied" was recorded in 2010 and originally released on the web LP, "Mr. Fist Sings for Kids - Talking to Strangers". The concept for this collection was the creation of an "honest" children's album with a psychedelic mood. KIDS HEAR THE DARNEDEST THINGS! I don't think there's any group of people who are more widely and pervasively deceived and lied to than children. Is it any wonder that so many of them turn into a neurotic mess of an adult when their perception of reality is so totally skewed by all the bullshit they get told by their parents and other adults. The most and biggest lies always come during the key early phase of their intellectual development, so they are deeply engrained and nearly impossible to ever truly eradicate. So now we all teeter on the brink of annihilation because the planet is overrun by billions of delusional insane people created by the lies of their ancestors. Here's a catchy pop song about this!

Thanks to everyone who laughed and enjoyed the ridiculousness of these songs over the years.