In 1989, New York Hardcore band Judge entered the studio to record what was set to be their debut album for Revelation Records. Entering the famed NYC studio Chung King (Beastie Boys, Slayer) with a limited budget, they were left with late night sessions with rotating interns that resulted in a recording the band wasn’t happy with. Too late to scrap the album, Revelation Records founder Jordan Cooper decided to press 100 of them on white vinyl and call it Chung King Can Suck It. Cooper gave the band an additional recording budget to re-record the album, so they went to Normandy Sound and laid down what would become their official debut full-length and most notorious release, Bringin’ It Down.
In celebration of the 200th release from Revelation Records, Chung King Can Suck It has now been remastered and repressed for the first time since the initial release, with updated packaging containing some never-before-seen photos by Jeffrey Ladd and a reversed-out version of the now iconic album cover. The album was remastered by Mike Kalajian at Rogue Planet Mastering, giving a superior sound from the initial recording. The vinyl release is available for preorder through Revelation Records with a release date of December 13th, and the album can be streamed in full HERE.
Over the years, the Chung King Can Suck It LP took on a life of its own, becoming extremely sought after with record collectors. It was the most valuable album in the world on the website Discogs for some time, in the company of Prince, The Beatles, and The Misfits, with recent copies selling for over $8,000. This never really sat well with the band, but it was out of their hands. The recording is a piece of the band’s history, a documentation of the early years which includes two unreleased songs, “I’m Holding On” and “No Apologies.”
Judge just wrapped up a weekend of Northeast shows and they’ll head to Holland to play Revolution Calling Festival this weekend. More info below.
