Danzig I Orig '88 1st Press LP Mistfits Samhain Ex Cond

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Danzig I (1, Self Titled), First Record/LP: Original, First Press, 1988 Def American Release in Excellent Condition!
• Vinyl is in EXCELLENT CONDITION! Barely visible scratch on side one (should not effect play) and some fingerprint smudges.
• Cover is in Very Good Condition. No crease, folds, seam splits or smashed corners. Very minor edge wear (see pics).
• Lyric sheet is in Very Good/Good Condition. Slight fading, but no tears, folds or creases (see pics).
• Side one: "DEF 24208-A-SRI, DMM, SP1-1, MASTERDISK" etched in run off area. Side two has: "DEF 24208-B-SRI, DMM, SP1-1, MASTERDISK".
 

More info:
Beginnings (1986 - 1987)
On July 14, 1986, Samhain performed what was to be their final show, at The Ritz in New York City. In attendance was Rick Rubin, who was scouting for potential bands to sign to his record label, Def Jam. Upon viewing Samhain's performance, Rubin was impressed with Glenn Danzig's powerful stage persona and vocal abilities. He met him after the show and propositioned him. At first, he wished only to sign Danzig, with the intent of making him the vocalist for a hard rock supergroup that Rubin envisioned. However, Danzig refused to sign to Rubin's label without Samhain's bassist, Eerie Von, with whom Danzig had become great friends. Rubin agreed to sign Samhain, and he began making suggestions for the new direction he felt the band should take. Rubin felt the music should be stripped down, and that Danzig's vocal talents should become the focal point for the band.

In 1987, the band evolved into a solid hard rock act, with the addition of John Christ on guitar and Chuck Biscuits (ex-Black Flag) on drums. To reflect the change in musical direction, and to avoid having to ever start anew in the event of future lineup changes, Danzig decided to change the name of Samhain to his own surname, Danzig.

"Classic" Original Lineup (1987 - 1994)
Having formed and begun recording as Danzig the previous year, in 1988 the band released its eponymous first album on Rick Rubin's newly formed label Def American (later renamed to American Recordings). The album featured polished production by Rubin, with heavy, blues-based guitar riffs and Danzig's powerful and melodic vocal performance—a harsh contrast to the gritty, raw-sounding production of Samhain's albums.

In 1990, Danzig released their second album, Danzig II: Lucifuge, the band's most diverse LP. Here the music continued to blur the lines between classic blues and hard rock.

By 1992, Rubin's involvement with the band had waned and Danzig himself took credit for co-producing the third album, Danzig III: How the Gods Kill. The following year the band released the Thrall: Demonsweatlive EP, which contained several live tracks from the band's 1992 Halloween show, as well as three new studio tracks. The EP provided a hit for the band when the live version of "Mother" (a song from the first Danzig album) became popular on hard rock radio stations. A new version of the "Mother" music video was created using live footage, and the video became a hit on MTV as well, pushing Danzig into the mainstream.

With Danzig in the spotlight, controversy surrounding the nature of Glenn Danzig's lyrics and imagery increased. Conservative Christian groups accused Danzig of being a Satanist; Danzig dismissed their characterization in his official response through his publicist: "We welcome their disdain". Danzig has repeatedly denied accusations of being a Satanist, saying that while he is spiritual, he rejects all religions, especially organized religion, but is fascinated by the nature of evil and merely finds Satan to be an interesting figure in Christian theology. Approximately 3:09 into the "Mother" music video, Glenn Danzig makes Saint Peter's Cross from blood on a woman's half-naked body. [1]

In October 1993, the band entered the studio to record their fourth studio album. Danzig says that he was pressured by executives at his record label to record songs with the commercial appeal of "another 'Mother'", but that he was determined not to backtrack in his musical progression. He also says that Rick Rubin had become increasingly distant from the band and had little involvement in the recording of the fourth album, which Glenn Danzig alone is credited as having produced. On October 4, 1994 Danzig 4 was released, a more atmospheric and experimental album than the band's previous releases, reintroducing elements of production that Danzig had not much used since the Samhain era.

While the album sold well, it did not contain a hit on par with the "Mother" single. The album's second single, "Cantspeak", was also a staple in MTV's rotation (even making the Buzz Bin), and it charted on the rock charts, although (unlike "Mother") it failed to appear on the Hot 100. "Cantspeak" is the band's only single other than "Mother" to chart on Billboard, thus making the band a two-hit wonder of the mainstream scene. Amid accusations of unpaid royalties and broken promises, Danzig's relationship with Rubin deteriorated, and the band left the record label.

Around this time, the band's lineup began to dissolve as well. First, Chuck Biscuits left the band in the summer of 1994 due to royalty disagreements. After he was rejected upon asking to return, and - according to a special issue of Kerrang! magazine, former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl turned down an approach from them, he was replaced by Joey Castillo, who made his first public appearance as a member of Danzig at an in-store signing the day of the fourth album's release. Coincidentally, Castillo would later replace Grohl in Queens of the Stone Age. Though the band had toured successfully with its new drummer during the fall and winter of 1994-95, by the spring of 1995 Danzig was actively seeking a new guitarist, with Pepper Keenan and Dez Cadena being considered as a possible replacement.[2] John Christ learned of this, and, never content with his role and relative lack of input in the band, resigned his position on 5 July 1995, all offices having been closed the previous day for the Independence Day holiday. Coincidentally, Eerie Von resigned the very same day, ending what is often called the "classic era" of the band. Glenn Danzig has since contended that it was always his intention to have a revolving line-up, but it just so happened that the original lineup worked well and remained intact for much longer than he had expected. Though Castillo remained with Danzig until the summer of 2002, during which time he recorded three albums with the band, each album since the end of the "classic era" has featured a different guitarist and bassist.

Danzig LP:
Danzig is the 1988 debut album of the American heavy metal band Danzig, led by Glenn Danzig who was formerly the songwriter and vocalist of The Misfits and Samhain.

The album was also the first release on producer Rick Rubin's new label Def American Recordings. Def American's successor, American Recordings reissued the album in the USA and UK in 1998. It was recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios and Chung King Metal, and mixed at Smoke Tree and Village.

The song "Mother", retitled as "Mother '93" and with live audience overdubs, became a hit on radio and MTV in 1993-94 after a new video-single with live footage was created to mark its inclusion on Thrall: Demonsweatlive; the song was also later included on various hard-rock/heavy metal/alternative music compilations, including the video games Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Guitar Hero II (to which a final solo was added, in this case) and True Crime: New York City.

James Hetfield of Metallica did backup vocals on "Twist of Cain" and "Possession", but due to contractual reasons could not be credited in the album insert.

While the album's liner notes expressly state "All songs written by Glenn Danzig", one song "The Hunter" was written by Booker T. Jones, Carl Wells, Al Jackson, Steve Cropper & Donald Dunn. Originally performed by Booker T. & The M.G.s, the Danzig version of the song only features slightly-modified lyrics.

Danzig is the band's best-selling album and was certified Gold in the U.S. in 1994. (Thrall: Demonsweatlive was certified Gold at the same time; although it later reached platinum status, it is categorized as an EP, not a full album)

Original LP, CD, and cassette versions of the album cover had no writing or identifying text whatsoever, only a white skull on a black background. Later pressings of the compact disc added the Danzig band name logo in the lower right. While 1990-1998 pressings of the CD had the Parental Advisory label in the form of a sticker on the cellophane wrap, pressings since 1998 have the label printed on the artwork. Danzig is one of few albums labeled as "explicit" despite the virtual absence of profanity, save for one use of "whore".