With their roots firmly planted in Detroit’s Cass Corridor punk rock and hardcore scene of the early 80s, John Brannon (Negative Approach) and Larissa Strickland (L-Seven), along with the locked in rhythm section of Kevin Strickland and Jim Kimball, the Laughing Hyenas took it to a completely different plane. Taking pointers from The Birthday Party and Funhouse era Stooges as well as early blues and jazz artists, the Laughing Hyenas were a fierce, sulfuric blast of noise. Kevin’s sinister and hypnotic bass riffs and Jim’s tribal swing laid the perfect framework for Larissa’s (she only picked up a guitar a couple months before the band was born) slicing, jagged, she might even be murdering that thing, guitar playing and John Brannon’s devilish howl.
The Hyenas travelled to Smart Studios in Wisconsin to record Merry Go Round, marking the start of a creative partnership with producer/engineer Butch Vig that would result in three of the most groundbreaking, game changing and scariest records to ever come out of Detroit...or anywhere.
Bonus material
“Soul Kiss” — originally on MGR cassette (first time on vinyl)
“Candy” — b-side to “Here We Go Again” 7’’
“Dedications to the One I Love” —- Live (ftov)
“Don’t Bouge My High” — with P.W. Long (ftov)
“Public Animal #9” — from Sub Pop singles club Cooper tribute 7’’
