Smokers' Paradise
Encyclopedia
Smokers' Paradise is an extended play
by Breaking Circus
. It was released in 1987 on Homestead Records
. It is the first and only Breaking Circus release to feature second guitarist Phil Harder. It was intended as a full-length album with four songwriting contributions each from Björklund, Flour, and Trainer. When Homestead Records insisted that it be a six song EP (possibly due to budget restrictions), Flour and Trainer's contributions were limited to one song each, while all of Björklund's songs appeared on the record.
Side 2:
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by Breaking Circus
Breaking Circus
Breaking Circus was a postpunk band from the 1980s, based in Chicago and later Minneapolis, led by guitarist and vocalist Steve Björklund.-History:...
. It was released in 1987 on Homestead Records
Homestead Records
Homestead Records was a Long Island, NY based sublabel of music distributor Dutch East India Trading. It was founded in 1984 by Sam Berger, who was the American Independent buyer for Dutch East India Trading. Berger was finding that many bands who had perhaps released their own first 45 were...
. It is the first and only Breaking Circus release to feature second guitarist Phil Harder. It was intended as a full-length album with four songwriting contributions each from Björklund, Flour, and Trainer. When Homestead Records insisted that it be a six song EP (possibly due to budget restrictions), Flour and Trainer's contributions were limited to one song each, while all of Björklund's songs appeared on the record.
Track listing
Side 1:- "Smokers' Paradise" (Steve Björklund)
- "Three Cool Cats" (Björklund)
- "Shock Hammer Thirteen" (Björklund and Bruce Browning)
Side 2:
- "Emperor Calvin" (Björklund)
- "Medicine Lake" (Todd Trainer)
- "Eat Lead" (Pete Conway)
Personnel
- Steve BjörklundSteve BjorklundSteve Bjorklund a/k/a Steve Björklund a/k/a Steffan Bjorklund was born ca. 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. He was an early figure in the first punk rock music scene in Chicago. He briefly attended Roycemore School in Evanston, Illinois...
- vocals, guitar - Phil HarderPhil HarderPhilip Harder is a music video director and commercial director represented by Bob Industries in Santa Monica, California. He had a music video company Harder/Fuller Films, 1985 - 2005...
- guitar - FlourFlourFlour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
- bass, vocals - Todd TrainerTodd TrainerTodd Stanford Trainer is the drummer for the band Shellac. He also performs as a solo artist under the name Brick Layer Cake. He previously played drums for the bands Breaking Circus and Rifle Sport, and he played drums with Scout Niblett in 2005....
- drums, vocals - Iain BurgessIain BurgessIain Burgess was a British record producer and audio engineer. He helped define the sound of the Chicago post-punk music scene in the 1980s and early '90s, working with a number of key underground bands, including Big Black, Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Get Smart!, Ministry, Bloodsport, Pegboy,...
- producer