The Early Years EP
Tiger Army

What you hold in your hands is not a "new" Tiger Army release, not exactly anyway. It's actually the first stuff the band ever recorded from 1996 (and a little from early '97). One of the main reasons the recording was so sporadic (with different sessions started and finished in different months and so on) was just getting the cash together to pay for studio hours. So why, you may ask, are we releasing it now?

One reason is that the vinyl "Temptation" EP, on which the first three tracks of this disc were originally released, has been out-of-print for years. We've had numerous requests to rerelease it, and with interest increasing steadily by the year (along with outrageous prices on certain online auction sites), it seemed like a good idea to put it out again at a reasonable price.

If I really dig a band/artist, I want everything they've ever done. It could be a cover song, an alternate take, a b-side, anything - I want it. If you're like me in this way, then this EP was pu...

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What you hold in your hands is not a "new" Tiger Army release, not exactly anyway. It's actually the first stuff the band ever recorded from 1996 (and a little from early '97). One of the main reasons the recording was so sporadic (with different sessions started and finished in different months and so on) was just getting the cash together to pay for studio hours. So why, you may ask, are we releasing it now?

One reason is that the vinyl "Temptation" EP, on which the first three tracks of this disc were originally released, has been out-of-print for years. We've had numerous requests to rerelease it, and with interest increasing steadily by the year (along with outrageous prices on certain online auction sites), it seemed like a good idea to put it out again at a reasonable price.

If I really dig a band/artist, I want everything they've ever done. It could be a cover song, an alternate take, a b-side, anything - I want it. If you're like me in this way, then this EP was put together for you. It may not be literally everything, but trust me, it's everything worth hearing. If you've got this EP along with our other two (so far) albums, you've got the "box set."

The cover of the Misfits' "American Nightmare" was being saved for a second pre-first album seven inch that never materialized; the song was a staple of our early live set. The "F.T.W." here is the first recorded version of the song (the second, released on the Punk Fiction comp, was done under deadline pressure and just never sounded as good. I like the version from II: Power of Moonlite best of all, but it's interesting to hear how the song's evolved over the years).

Last but not least, there's the original "Nocturnal," which led off the demo that got us signed to Hellcat Records (most of the material on this EP was on it as well). It was also intended for that never-released second seven inch. A sidenote, this version missed being on the original Give 'Em The Boot compilation by just a few days. It all worked out as the later album version of the song made the sequel a couple of years later.

So there you have it. Adam, Joel and I practiced for countless hours in those early days in AFI's tiny rehearsal room in Oakland which they kindly let us use. A handful of shows and the material on this EP is what came out of it. I don't think it's on the same level as what came later, but I'm still proud of it and think it's worth a listen. See if you agree.

- Nick 13
July, 2002

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