Nothing But Record Reviews (NYC)

Published by former Maximum Rock 'N' Roll columnist and all-around scenester Mykel Board, (Almost) Nothing But Record (And Tape) Reviews was a sporadically-published zine that featured, well, mostly record reviews, with a smattering of other material as per Board's whims and interests at the time. This issue included a flexi-disc of some sort that I didn't receive because I traded zines with Board (thanks Mykel!), but otherwise the zine is a lot of fun.

Ten years after the compact disc had raised its ugly head, Board was still reviewing only vinyl records and cassette tapes, focusing exclusively on indie labels and artists. Board had pretty diverse tastes, so (Almost) Nothing But Record (And Tape) Reviews covered everything from punk to heavy metal to Japanese pop. This issue includes reviews of such disparate fare as Pentagram, Rocket From The Tombs, Swans, Nuclear Assault and Mudhoney alongside more obscure stuff as Kyofushimbun, Osgood Slaughter, Kicking Giant and Nick Riff.

Board had spent two years in Japan previous to this issue so most of the video review section covers films like Tetsuo, Kurasawa's Dreams and Japanese animation as well as Hollywood releases like Pet Cemetery and Child's Play. This issue also includes "Letters That MRR Wouldn't Print," which outlines the feud between that zine's Tim Yohannan and cartoonist Ace Backwards. One of the things that is the most fun about revisiting (Almost) Nothing But Record (And Tape) Reviews are the ads for indie labels like Dischord, Alternative Tentacles and ROIR which help provide a snapshot of the era.

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VITAL STATISTICS:
• No number on issue
• January 1992
• B&W, 32-pages (including covers)
• Style: music zine

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