Wednesday Week’s first Fan Club 7” EP is back in print via Spacecase Records. Originally released in 1986 just prior to the band’s Enigma Records debut LP What We Had, this 7” has been unobtainium for decades. Wednesday Week self-released the 7” on their Sweden Spins imprint. As Kristi Callan (vocals, guitar) recalls, Enigma wasn’t receptive to Wednesday Week producing their own fan-club releases—but thankfully they did anyway.

The A side opens with a cover of Agent Orange’s “No Such Thing” which was a mainstay of Wednesday Week’s live set at the time. “Also Clear” was recorded for a folk-rock compilation that never materialized. B side’s “Businessman’s Wife” was recorded at One on One Studios in North Hollywood with Bob Shulman producing. “The Leopard” closes the EP and was the only song Wednesday Week wrote with former Narrow Adventure bandmate Kjehl Johansen (Urinals, 100 Flowers). Except for “Businessman’s Wife,” all the tracks were recorded by Ethan James at his Radio Tokyo studio in Venice, California, from the fall of 1984 to the fall of 1985.

This reissue was pressed using the stampers that Kristi Callan had held onto. It includes a reproduction of the original insert (credits, lyrics, etc.). Each copy will receive a center label from the 1986 Sweden Spins release that Kristi also kept. This pressing is limited to 300 copies.

 Track List + Credits

“No Such Thing”
Kristi Callan: vocals, rhythm guitar
Heidi Rodewald: bass, vocals
Kelly Callan: drums
Tom Alford: lead guitar

 “Also Clear”
Kristi Callan: vocals, rhythm guitar
Heidi Rodewald: bass, vocals
Kelly Callan: drums
Tom Alford: lead guitar

 “Businessman’s Wife”
Kristi Callan: guitar, vocals
Heidi Rodewald: bass, vocals
Kelly Callan: drums

“The Leopard”
Kristi Callan: vocals, rhythm guitar
Heidi Rodewald: bass, vocals
David Nolte: lead guitar
Kelly Callan: drums

This punky pop band out of Los Angeles was active in some form or other from 1979 through 1990. The project centered around sisters Kriti and Kelly Callan (daughters of actress K Callan, who voiced Hank Hill’s mom, Tilly, on King of the Hill from 2000 on!), but also featured, at times, Steve Wynn and David Provost of DREAM SYNDICATE, Kjehl Johansen of URINALS, and David Nolte of the LAST. Early on, they played a brand of jangly pop that seemed to be heavily influenced by sounds coming out of the UK DIY scene (see their great 1983 debut Betsy’s House). Over time, though, they morphed into an act somewhat adjacent to both the Paisley Underground and the Valley-friendly new wave pop rock scenes of the day, failing to fully fit in with either. Their commercial success peaked in 1987 after signing a record deal, putting out an LP, and having a couple of tracks featured on the soundtrack to the comedy slasher Slumber Party Massacre II. What we have here is a reissue of their 1986 self-released fan club EP, which they put out to the disdain of their record label. It kicks off with a cover of “No Such Thing” by AGENT ORANGE, stripping it of all the aggro posturing and proto-thrash production that was requisite of a gang of teenage boys putting out punk music in 1981 and replacing it with sweet BANGLES-esque harmonies and a bare-bones Teenage Shutdown-ish production. It absolutely rules. So much so that I don’t feel the need to go into the remaining three tracks to let you know the release is worth picking up…I mean, they’re fine (except for “Businessman’s Wife”, which sounds like a generic 1987 rootsy bar band number)—Kjehl Johansen even helped write one! They’re just barely notable next to this cover. Limited to 300 copies, so grab one fast!
-Alex Howell, Maximum Rocknroll