Night Shift at the Thrill Factory
Encyclopedia
Night Shift at the Thrill Factory is the second album by the Berkeley, California
punk rock
band The Mr. T Experience
, released in 1988 by Rough Trade Records
. Lookout! Records
re-released the album in 1996 with a number of bonus tracks.
The album continued the band's pop punk style, with some more intellectual elements beginning to appear. Songs like "Velveeta" and "The History of the Concept of the Soul" became standards in the band's live set for several years following, the latter essentially being band leader Dr. Frank's college thesis condensed into an 80-second song. The song "Now We Are Twenty-One" was featured in a scene in the 1996 movie Glory Daze
starring Ben Affleck
, in which the main characters perform a cover of the song as the house band at their party. The film's soundtrack also includes two of the band's mid-1990s songs, "I Just Wanna Do it With You" and "Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend."
The song "I Ain't Gonna Be History," included on the 1996 CD re-release of the album, is an outtake from the original album sessions. The other bonus songs are from an 8-track demo tape recorded by Greg Freeman at Lowdown Studios in July 1988. The song "Boredom Zone" originally appeared on the compilation The Thing That Ate Floyd
, which also featured many of the band's contemporaries in the late-1980s San Francisco Bay Area
punk movement.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Mr. T Experience
The Mr. T Experience
The Mr. T Experience is an American punk rock band formed in 1985 in Berkeley, California and currently recording for Lookout! Records. They have released ten full-length albums along with numerous EPs and singles and have toured internationally...
, released in 1988 by Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...
re-released the album in 1996 with a number of bonus tracks.
The album continued the band's pop punk style, with some more intellectual elements beginning to appear. Songs like "Velveeta" and "The History of the Concept of the Soul" became standards in the band's live set for several years following, the latter essentially being band leader Dr. Frank's college thesis condensed into an 80-second song. The song "Now We Are Twenty-One" was featured in a scene in the 1996 movie Glory Daze
Glory Daze
Glory Daze is an independent film starring Ben Affleck, Sam Rockwell, French Stewart and Alyssa Milano. It had a limited release in 1996.- Plot :...
starring Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
, in which the main characters perform a cover of the song as the house band at their party. The film's soundtrack also includes two of the band's mid-1990s songs, "I Just Wanna Do it With You" and "Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend."
The song "I Ain't Gonna Be History," included on the 1996 CD re-release of the album, is an outtake from the original album sessions. The other bonus songs are from an 8-track demo tape recorded by Greg Freeman at Lowdown Studios in July 1988. The song "Boredom Zone" originally appeared on the compilation The Thing That Ate Floyd
The Thing That Ate Floyd
The Thing That Ate Floyd is a compilation album released in December 1988 by Lookout! Records. The album is a compilation of bands from the 924 Gilman St. punk rock scene. It includes bands such as Operation Ivy, No Use for a Name, Crimpshrine and The Mr...
, which also featured many of the band's contemporaries in the late-1980s San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
punk movement.
Track listing
Performers
- Dr. Frank - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Jon Von Zelowitz - vocals, guitar
- Byron Stomatos - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Alex Laipeneiks - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Album information
- Produced by Kent Steedman
- CD re-release remixed by Kevin Army, Dr. Frank, and Jon Von Zelowitz at Hyde Street Studio D.
- Mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
- Layout based on original concept by Christopher Applegren
- Disc and inlay drawing by Sergie
- Front cover photo by Michael Llewelyn