Besides Asides

Operation Ivy were a huge gateway band for me but unlike a lot of the very first punk bands I got into their discography still stands the test of time as something I can still put on and enjoy. It's blend of hardcore punk, ska and the slightest bit of pop sensibility was often imitated but never duplicated. My one beef with their so called discography is that is only includes their Energy LP, Hectic EP and a few comp tracks, leaving out much of the band's fantastic unreleased/barely released songs. Over the years these songs have surfaced in varying quality on bootlegs and the internet. In 2007 the guys took back their masters from Lookout! Records and re-released Energy on Tim Armstrong's own Hellcat Records. I had hoped we'd finally see proper fully remastered versions of songs like "Plea For Peace" or "Hedgecore" but again they were left off the album. I went through various different bootleg sources cutting out the poorly recorded live songs, and the unlistenable demos to 12 studio tracks in the best quality and bitrate you are likely to find anywhere to make Unity: B-Sides & Rarities. Enjoy: