Choice Cuts, the CARCASS compilation serving as a “best of” plus the complete Peel Sessions performances, will finally see the light of day with a street date of May 17th.
Earache Records originally shelved the release indefinitely following the news of drummer Ken Owen’s critical illness – he developed a sudden brain haemorrhage in Februrary of 1999. Owen spent the next 10 months in a coma in hospital, a period which was followed by a long and difficult rehabilitation punctuated by major operations and additional illnesses. Under these difficult circumstances, out of respect to Ken, and in compliance with the band’s wishes, Choice Cuts was placed on hiatus.
While promos of the original Choice Cuts were withdrawn from circulation, some copies still made it out. Particularly remarkable were the copies that sold on eBay for upwards of $200. In the intervening years, fans of the band have repeatedly asked when the release would see the light of day, but with Ken still very ill it was deemed inappropriate to issue the collection. Still the questions and requests concerning the release continued.
After running a retrospective interview on the Earache website with vocalist/bassist Jeff Walker and also a much improved Ken Owen last year to tremendous response, Earache approached the band with the idea of finally, officially, releasing Choice Cuts. Although Walker was non-commital about the project, he suggested that Owen might find some kind of therapy in helping co-ordinate the release, and the drummer agreed. As a result Choice Cuts will now be issued in its entirety under the the co-ordination of Ken Owen, who has slightly amended the original tracklisting and will undertake a full interview for the release including his memories of the bands career, his critical illness and ongoing road to recovery, as well as the recording of the band’s two Peel Sessions, which were recorded in 1988-90 for BBC Radio One’s famed DJ John Peel, which are included on the compilation. Additionally, the booklet for the release will be complemented with material from Owen’s personal archives as well as unseen photos from the Earache archives.
The complete Choice Cuts tracklisting is as follows:
01. Genital Grinder
02. Maggot Colony
03. Exhume to Consume
04. Swarming Vulgar Mass of Infected Virulency
05. Tools of The Trade
06. Corporal Jigsore Quandary
07. Incarnated Solvent Abuse
08. Buried Dreams
09. No Love Lost
10. Heartwork
11. Keep on Rotting in The Free World
12. R**k the Vote
13. This Is Your Life
14. Crepitating Bowel Erosion*
15. Slash Dementia*
16. Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites*
17. Reek of Putrefaction*
18. Empathological Necrotism**
19. Foeticide**
20. Fermenting Innards**
21. Exhume to Consume**
* BBC Radio One Peel Session 01/02/89
** BBC Radio One Peel Session 12/16/90