Chung King Can Suck It (LP)
Encyclopedia
Chung King Can Suck It is a limited-pressing colored vinyl album by New York City
band Judge
, containing the original version of what was to be the Bringin' It Down
album. The title of the album is a direct insult to the Chung King recording studio
in New York City (then known as Chung King House Of Metal).
were set to tour with their main band Youth Of Today
in Europe later that month. The studio was home to many of the popular (and now legendary) rap acts of the day, including the Beastie Boys
, Run-DMC and LL Cool J
; Youth Of Today had recorded their second album We're Not In This Alone
at the same studio earlier in the year, so Porcelly and Siegler were already familiar with the place. According to a 2005 interview with Judge guitarist Porcell in AMP Magazine, all three of those acts had already been using three of the four separate facilities in the studio complex, leaving Judge with what was at the time the least technologically advanced of the four rooms. To complicate matters, the recording engineer the band had been assigned by the studio was a full-blown cocaine addict - an irony given Judge's militant anti-drug lyrics and moral code. During the second day of the sessions, the engineer on duty failed to show up for work, forcing the band to work with another studio staff engineer totally unaccustomed to recording punk rock music.
After the sessions were completed, Porcell and Siegler listened to the finished mixes while on the Youth of Today European tour and came to the conclusion that while the performances were good, the recordings were not up to the standards of what they had done in the past with Youth of Today. The drum tracks in particular do not have the punch typical of other Revelation releases at the time, and the overall mix is considered to be thin. A phone call to lead singer Mike "Judge" Ferarro confirmed that he too was unhappy with the finished album, and the group chose to shelve the session and start over in a different studio. Unfortunately for Revelation, label owner Jordan Cooper had already paid for the mastering of the record and the plating of the vinyl stampers - a point in the manufacture of record too late to fully prevent the release of an album, especially for Revelation Records, which was then still a small independent label that Cooper was running out of his home.
With advance orders already coming in for the as-yet unreleased album, Revelation decided to press a limited run of 100 white-vinyl copies of the album, assigning it catalog number REV:-1 (negative one), and sending these copies to tide over fans who had advance ordered Bringin' It Down. As is customary the record pressing plant produced a 10% over-run of the album and as a result 110 copies were delivered. Each copy has its number stamped on the bottom corner of the back of the sleeve however the printing on the jacket notes a pressing run of 100 so with the additional 10, those extra sleeves had the "100" altered to say "110". This record has been much sought after by collectors ever since.
Judge then scheduled time at Normandy Studios in Rhode Island - the same studio where The Cro-Mags recorded their second album Best Wishes
in 1988 - to record a proper version of their first album, Bringin' It Down
. The two albums are similar in track listing for the first eight songs; Chung King... features two songs, "Holding On" and "No Apologies", that were not rerecorded for Bringin' It Down; "Where It Went", written after the Chung King... sessions, takes their place.
The Chung King Can Suck It album remained a rarity (in spite of two different bootleg editions of the album), and was sought after both for its collectibility and the two rare Judge songs it contained, until 2005, when Revelation compiled all of Judge's recorded output - Chung King Can Suck It included - for the CD What It Meant: The Complete Discography
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
band Judge
Judge (band)
Judge was a New York-based straight edge band; formed in 1987 by Youth of Today guitarist, John "Porcell" Porcelly, and former Youth of Today drummer, Mike "Judge" Ferraro.-History:...
, containing the original version of what was to be the Bringin' It Down
Bringin' It Down
Bringin' It Down is an LP released by the New York band Judge. It was released on Revelation Records in 1989. The original recording of the album was released under the title Chung King Can Suck It...
album. The title of the album is a direct insult to the Chung King recording studio
Chung King Studios
Chung King Recording Studios, formerly known as The Chung King House Of Metal, is a New York City recording studio founded by John King with financial backing of the Etches brothers and engineer expertise of Steve Ett became a site of many classic punk and hip hop recordings...
in New York City (then known as Chung King House Of Metal).
Album History
Judge had gone into Chung King with only one three-day weekend of studio time block-booked in order to record their first album, since band members John Porcelly and Sammy SieglerSammy Siegler
Sammy Siegler is an American rock drummer, notable for his many contributions to the New York hardcore scene.-With Side By Side:* New York City Hardcore - Together compilation...
were set to tour with their main band Youth Of Today
Youth of Today
Youth of Today is an American hardcore punk straight edge band, formed in 1985 and still in activity. The band played a major role in establishing the Youth Crew subculture of hardcore, both espousing and evolving the philosophies of the straight edge and vegetarian lifestyles.-History:Youth Of...
in Europe later that month. The studio was home to many of the popular (and now legendary) rap acts of the day, including the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Run-DMC and LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
; Youth Of Today had recorded their second album We're Not In This Alone
We're Not in This Alone
We're Not In This Alone is the third and final full-length studio album by New York hardcore punk band Youth of Today. It was originally released by Caroline Records in 1988....
at the same studio earlier in the year, so Porcelly and Siegler were already familiar with the place. According to a 2005 interview with Judge guitarist Porcell in AMP Magazine, all three of those acts had already been using three of the four separate facilities in the studio complex, leaving Judge with what was at the time the least technologically advanced of the four rooms. To complicate matters, the recording engineer the band had been assigned by the studio was a full-blown cocaine addict - an irony given Judge's militant anti-drug lyrics and moral code. During the second day of the sessions, the engineer on duty failed to show up for work, forcing the band to work with another studio staff engineer totally unaccustomed to recording punk rock music.
After the sessions were completed, Porcell and Siegler listened to the finished mixes while on the Youth of Today European tour and came to the conclusion that while the performances were good, the recordings were not up to the standards of what they had done in the past with Youth of Today. The drum tracks in particular do not have the punch typical of other Revelation releases at the time, and the overall mix is considered to be thin. A phone call to lead singer Mike "Judge" Ferarro confirmed that he too was unhappy with the finished album, and the group chose to shelve the session and start over in a different studio. Unfortunately for Revelation, label owner Jordan Cooper had already paid for the mastering of the record and the plating of the vinyl stampers - a point in the manufacture of record too late to fully prevent the release of an album, especially for Revelation Records, which was then still a small independent label that Cooper was running out of his home.
With advance orders already coming in for the as-yet unreleased album, Revelation decided to press a limited run of 100 white-vinyl copies of the album, assigning it catalog number REV:-1 (negative one), and sending these copies to tide over fans who had advance ordered Bringin' It Down. As is customary the record pressing plant produced a 10% over-run of the album and as a result 110 copies were delivered. Each copy has its number stamped on the bottom corner of the back of the sleeve however the printing on the jacket notes a pressing run of 100 so with the additional 10, those extra sleeves had the "100" altered to say "110". This record has been much sought after by collectors ever since.
Judge then scheduled time at Normandy Studios in Rhode Island - the same studio where The Cro-Mags recorded their second album Best Wishes
Best Wishes
Best Wishes is the second album by New York hardcore band, Cro-Mags. It was released in 1989 on Profile Records and was subsequently re-released on Another Planet – along with their debut album, The Age Of Quarrel, on the same disc....
in 1988 - to record a proper version of their first album, Bringin' It Down
Bringin' It Down
Bringin' It Down is an LP released by the New York band Judge. It was released on Revelation Records in 1989. The original recording of the album was released under the title Chung King Can Suck It...
. The two albums are similar in track listing for the first eight songs; Chung King... features two songs, "Holding On" and "No Apologies", that were not rerecorded for Bringin' It Down; "Where It Went", written after the Chung King... sessions, takes their place.
The Chung King Can Suck It album remained a rarity (in spite of two different bootleg editions of the album), and was sought after both for its collectibility and the two rare Judge songs it contained, until 2005, when Revelation compiled all of Judge's recorded output - Chung King Can Suck It included - for the CD What It Meant: The Complete Discography
What It Meant: The Complete Discography
What It Meant: The Complete Discography is a compact disc compilation featuring all of the known studio recordings by influential American hardcore punk band Judge...
.
Track listing
- "Take Me Away"
- "Bringin' It Down"
- "Hold Me Back"
- "Give It Up"
- "The Storm"
- "Hear Me"
- "Like You"
- "I've Lost"
- "Holding On"
- "No Apologies"
Musical Personnel
- Mike Ferarro - vocals
- Porcell - guitar, backing vocals
- Sammy SieglerSammy SieglerSammy Siegler is an American rock drummer, notable for his many contributions to the New York hardcore scene.-With Side By Side:* New York City Hardcore - Together compilation...
- drums, backing vocals - Jimmy YuJimmy YuJimmy Yu was the bassist for the American 1980s hardcore bands, Death Before Dishonor and Judge. After his hardcore straight edge days, he returned to Buddhism and became a monk under Chan/Zen Master . In 2000, he left monasticism to pursue academia. He received an MA degree in Chinese Buddhist...
- bass - Lukey Luke - backing vocals
- Alex Brown - backing vocals
- Tom CaponeTom CaponeTom Capone Born Luiz Antonio Ferreira Gonçalves, Tom Capone was a Brazilian music producer and guitar player. Born in Brasilia, Brazil, he died in Los Angeles hours after leaving the 2004 Latin Grammy Awards show when his motorcycle collided with a car. He had been nominated for five Latin Grammy...
- backing vocals - Kevin EganKevin EganKevin Egan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the VFL during the 1960s.Egan was a good youth player at Essendon and won a Morrish Medal in 1962 for his performances in the Under-19s. The following season he made his first senior appearance and he played in their...
- backing vocals - Jay Anarchy -backing vocals