The Anniversary

MP3: The Anniversary - Hold Me Tonight

MP3: The Anniversary - Let It Slip

I've had the Anniversary's "Devil On Our Side: Rarities & B-Sides" 2 disc collection for nearly a week now and I can't stop listening to it. Sure, they're one of my favourite bands and all of their current projects (White Flight, Dri, The Only Children) are making some of my current favourite jams, I'll always look back fondly at the Anniversary and am thankful that I FINALLY have a b-sides collection from them.

Even the biggest fan will find something new on this collection: disc one is full of 7 inch tracks, unreleased sessions when they were still the Broadcast, Untitled #1 & #2 with titles and demos of songs everyone fell in love with from "Designing A Nervous Breakdown". For those of us who really really liked "Your Majesty" and were excited about a new record, demos from those sessions are here. It's a shame that they broke up too, because as is evident on here, LP3 would have been fucking phenomenal.

I do have some questions. Where is "Tu-Whitt Tu-Whoo" from the Sub Pop single? The a-side is there. Why include "O' Lady Butterfly"? Yes, it's probably one of the best Berwanger songs written, but as far as I know the split with Superdrag it appeared on is still very much in print. And if it's not, why not include the other 2 songs that were on it? Where is "Death of the Season", a demo posted on fan site Anniversary Access from LP3 ages ago? Did they lose it? I have it if you'd like guys. And a minor question, why did "Lonesome Road" get retitled as "Lover"?

Still, none of those are that big a deal, especially to the casual listener. And I will do Vagrant one better in promoting this in posting a song from BOTH cds. "Hold Me Tonight" is a way old song that appeared on a tour 7 inch in the day, and "Let It Slip" is an LP3 demo. Maybe you'll dig on them, but if not, more for me!

{purchase the anniversary merchandise from blue collar distro}