BIG BLACK recorded this four-song session in Chicago for John Peel. No date given for the recording, but it was aired on this day in 1987.
Three of the four songs appear on studio releases, but "Newman Generator" was only ever recorded (or at least, recorded and released) for this session.
Steve Albini - Throbbing, muscle of love guitar and cat being run over vocals. This genius has a brain the size of the solar system, and two fleshy, pavement-scraping members.
Santiago Durango - "Rambo" guitar and electrodes to the gonads vocals. Genius behind the genius, this ex- Mr. Universe is also ruggedly handsome and incredibly cultured and charming.
David Riley - Subsonic, chainsaw bass. Court stud-master and band philosopher. The genius behind the genius behind the genius. The heart throb of millions.
Before he died, John Peel said something that I thought was really profound. He said when he gets a record from somebody and he doesn't like it, he assumes that it's his problem and that the band would not have made that record if there wasn't something valuable about it. And I kinda feel like that's an appropriate perspective. Like this band wants to make this record - for some reason, they really want to do this - and they can get a lot of satisfaction out of it. And I get to witness their satisfaction, and how fucking cool is that? It's like being there on Christmas morning watching kids open their presents. It's like you get to see somebody having the time of his life, satisfying some deep ambition of his, and bringing something into existence from his own creative impulse.
- Steve Albini, Mark Prindle, 2005