Tree

Radio Bootleg (Wonderdrug)
by Scott Hefflon

It’s been two years since CherryDisc (R.I.P.) released Downsizing the American Dream, and while that album, in my opinion, wasn’t on par with Plant A Tree or Die or the classic A Lot to Fear (both long out of print), Tree has been silent for far too long. A staple on the Boston scene (and now, I hear, touring as GangGreen’s backing band) as hardcore’s last stand (ain’t no bad metal here, kids), perhaps folks outside of Boston can finally appreciate good, old-fashioned hardcore filled with ranting, rolling thunder bass, and guitars (again, very hardcore, not metal). Taken from a live on-air performance on WMBR in Cambridge, MA (88.1 FM) in ’94, Radio Bootleg… is a greatest hits record, including bonus tracks of alternate studio versions not included in the live set. And while production is far from the over-the-top sound so common in heavy music these days, and while it is kinda flat and cardboardy, it’s pure and honest – the sound of the band playing in your friend’s living room for a couple bucks and a place to sleep for the night. If you’ve never heard Tree, these are the songs to hear, in the order you should hear them, but try to keep in mind that production ain’t the gloss job we’re all so used to now. But this is the shit. “Question Abuse,” “Engulfed,” “Negative Hippy,” “Freedom Rock,” “Spermicide,” and much, much more. An hour, more or less, with goofy banter between songs. A must for fans and a good introduction for folks who’ve never been able to get the early records.
(PO Box 995 Boston, MA 02123)