He was an epitome of punk rock music, so it’s no news to this day people still miss Tony Sly. Next year will be 10 years since the frontman of No Use For A Name sadly left this world.
Every NUFAN fan has their memories and stories. Personally, Sly was a huge part of my teenage years thanks to his music and I consider myself lucky to have seen him perform solo as well as with the band.
I remember the Warped Tours sets, packed small club shows, and even the time when Sly opened for NOFX in Covington, KY where some of the crowd hadn’t a clue who he was. Needless to say, I was pretty deviated the day he passed.
I like the fact his memory continues with the band divulging tunes for their fans that really should be heard. Rarities Vol 1. – The Covers did just that compiling covers by the band making for a great listen. To continue on with this tribute, the band and Fat Wreck Chords have just released Rarities Vol. 2 – The Originals.
According to the good peeps at Fat Wreck Chords, it took them about 3 years to look for every possible NUFAN recording out there to toss on this release and clearly with time comes change or some shit like that… Honestly, I am just stoked they dropped this.
Featuring 15 tracks, comprised of rarities and previously unreleased demos, this album is for all NUFAN fans no matter how dedicated. If anything, it was a nice reminder of how many great tunes
A demo of “Sidewalk”, off Making Friends, started off the collection. I liked this raw cut of a great song.
I actually remember the hidden gem, “No Way To Live”, that originally appeared on the Kung Fu Records sampler Punk Rock Is Your Friend. If you have not heard this one before, it is an absolute must listen.
The unrefined cut of “Justified Black Eye” may very well have just been a demo, but it was still as impactful as ever. I personally liked how it was not produced and almost hazy sounding.
“History Defeats” appeared as an unreleased song on All The Best Songs, a NUFAN comp album that dropped in 2007. This killer track was recorded for their 2005 release of Keep Them Confused and i am not quite sure why did not make it initially. If you missed hearing it previously, do yourself a favor and make sure you check it out now.
From the same album I just spoke of came “Stunt Double”, perhaps one of my favorite NUFAN songs. As much as I adore the acoustic version Joey Cape performed, the original just captures me even more.
The quick, obscure “Sara Fisher”, originally part of the 100+ song Short Music For Short People comp reminds you that even a song under 30 seconds can be catchy as all hell.
I really could not hear a defined difference with “Coming Too Close” on this album as it was noted a earlier version, but I am not complaining too much as this is another choice song of mine from the band. For all you older punks, this one was on the 4th Fat Wreck comp Life In The Fat Lane.
The version of “International You Day” put on this release was sped up at points and for some reason the rawness just stuck to me. I adored this demo to no end to the point I listened to it over and over before moving on.
Rarities Vol 2. – The Originals may not hold any unreleased material, but the versions and takes presented kept me satisfied. I’ll definitely be snagging a copy of this on wax for my collection. Fans of NUFAN will appreciate this to no end and honestly, people who may check this out not knowing much about the catalog will get a nice introduction to some of the finest punk rock music out there.
We miss ya Tony!