The title of this record deserves a special mention for being an excellent pun; if they'd released it under any other name, you can guarantee someone would have suggested it later and they'd have been kicking themselves.
As the title suggests, this record chronicles Gnarwolves' first three EPs onto one handy LP. I have a copy of the 2x7" reissue of Fun Club and wrote about that here - Decay and Reaper are still huge songs. The Cru EP was released sometime between Fun Club and Fun Club being reissued, so it was long sold out by the time I got that 7". Actually, I vaguely remember it coming out, thinking I should get a copy only to be surprised that it sold out so quickly. That was the first clue that the band were gaining a lot of popularity. History is Bunk and Community, Stability, Identity are the highlights there, the latter reaching new levels of slow/doom for the band. I don't really remember Funemployed coming out, but I think Melody Has Big Plans was a single (in some sense) - the title certainly sounds familiar for some reason. It's a strong song.
I picked this up in Banquet not long after it came out. I'd had that slight urge to get the other EPs at some point, but getting this record quenched that particular thirst - there was already such a lot of hype about the band by that point that I didn't fancy paying the going price for the original releases, not to mention the countless colour-variants that they put out (speaking of which, this is the green/blue/purple mix, although it's mostly green until you hold it up into the light). The songs all work together well as an album, although the production on Funemployed is notably different and doesn't sound as rich as the other two.
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 15
Cost: £15 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 22/03/14
Colour: Green/blue/purple mix
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code
