Will You?, Sympathy, Susie's Waiting. iTunes only single in promotion of Invisible New York.

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Released April 23, 2007 the 2-CD "Invisible New York" from Easy Action Records in the U.K. Celebrating the band's 25 year history this compilation CD features songs from the band's earliest days to the present. More information and how to order here.

The group, who have been called 'the missing link between Television and Sonic Youth' while attracting comparisons with the Doors, Velvet Underground and Birthday Party, were formed in the East Village in 1979 by singer-guitarist Parker DuLany and guitarist Phil Gammage. Their brand of ravishing psychedelic mayhem stoked a large following at clubs of the day like CBGBs, Hurrah, Peppermint Lounge, the Mudd and the legendary Danceteria, where they were almost house band. CG also supported visiting groups like R.E.M., New Order and The Cure.

The 2-CD set features over 40 tracks charting the group's career from their earliest 1981 demos and 82's Holiday Of Love EP, through album tracks including live and alternative versions plus live material from the original lineup when it reunited in 2003 to play a gig at NY's Public Theatre. There's also some toxic collaborations with David Lynch chanteuse Julee Cruise, including a defiant post-9/11 version of 'New York New York' with Patti Smith's guitarist Lenny Kaye.

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The Certain General song "Back Downtown" (originally on the Labor Records 1981 EP) appears on the Soul Jazz Records compliation CD New York Noise Vol. 2. Other artists include Sonic Youth, Del Byzantines, Pulsalama, and Glenn Branca.

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Musicians: Parker Dulany, Phil Gammage, Marcy Saddy, Russell Berke, Vinny DeNunzio, Joe Lupo. First release ever of live and studio recordings from the years 1981-85. Disc One: Dead Rabbit Gang contains studio recordings dating from sessions taking place June 1984 (directly upon their return from their first UK visit) through January of 1985. 

Disc Two: Savage Young Generals an all-live recording of the band from various sets dating from December of 1981 through January of 1983. Though encompassing a span of only 13 months, the breadth and variety of Certain General's songwriting and playing approach bespeaks loads of the band's amazing amount of talent and imagination. 

From Amazon.com
**** The missing link between garage and avant-garde
Here is another stunner like some beauty anyone would like to meet one day. Those of you who are familiar with the music of Certain General will be delighted to finally discover what the band sounded like before and after "November's Heat". This is some lost classic, like the second album which never made it, and it better stands for this title than These are the Days (1998-Fantastica). An Introduction to War contains two CDS. "Savage Young Generals" is the band live during 1981/82 and the whole set is there, the music is incredible, raw and is like some crazy electrosurfpsyche-music. Phil Gammage produces great surf licks with tons of reverb and still stays very modern in his guitar playing.

All those songs have never been released before and it is amazing to see the inspiration Parker Dulnny was floating on. The other CD entitled "Dead rabbit gang" is that lost second album though "Killer in the house" does not appear here unfortunately. But "In a bad way","the rain", "Nowhere" and other favourites are truly there in their first renditions which are easily the best ones I have heard. The introduction song "Uptight" inspired by the reading of the Velvet Underground's biography with that title could have been as successful as "Maximum G", had it been released regularly. Here is a new chance to hear that lost nugget. Then "Keys in the carpet" opens by a dedication to Patti Smith, and Edgar A. Poe among others and they truly are good relays to Certain General works.

There are even covers on those cds, and not the most predictable ones, "White Rabbit" and "In-a gadda-da-vida" revisited in the shrieking surfy Certain General mould. From old modern writing to new one, from garage music to elctronics, Certain General is the initiator of "Avant-garde Garage music"!!! Listen !! Back to top

Musicians: Parker Dulany, Phil Gammage, Kevin Tooley, Robert Palacious, Arnoud. Special guest appearances by Julee Cruise and the Fleshtones' Keith Streng. Songs include "Black Eyes", "Maximum G", "Love Song", "In A Bad Way", and "Voodoo Taxi". Recorded in New York March, 2001 at the historic Public Theatre.

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Musicians: Parker Dulany, Phil Gammage, Kevin Tooley, Russell Berke, Bobbo. Special guest appearances by Keith Streng and many others. Songs include "Black Eyes", "Moving Song", "Love Song", "Mr. Vinegar", and title track "Closer to the Sun". Recorded in Paris and New York.

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Featuring the original band lineup: Parker Dulany -- vocals; Phil Gammage -- guitar, backing vocals; Russell Berke -- bass, backing vocals; Marcy Saddy -- drums. Contains twelve new songs including "Sell Out", "Bedpan" and "Hello My God". Record documents the bands earliest songs and recordings. Produced by Genya Ravan.

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Personnel: Parker Dulany - voice and guitar; Sprague Hollander - guitar, piano, voice, and organ; Kevin Tooley - drums, producing; Drew Vogelman - drums; Ivan Julian - keyboards and guitar. Reissue of vinyl-only 1986 E.P. plus outtakes. First time in CD.

From the liner notes:
"The only sound in the control room, was the sound of the spools of tape rewinding on the machine after someone had handed me a 12" copy of the record I was working on at that moment. Unfinished and a product. A bastard. Stop the presses. Stop recording. Start recording. These are the days.

A girl is killed on the steps of a club where we are performing in New York in a horrific collision. The following morning we ride to the morgue, the girl was Ruth, my beloved friend and manager. Stop everything. These are the days.

After writing about music all through school, Ruth Polsky moved to London, continuing to write about music for a New Jersey newspaper. Upon returning to New York she began to book the bands she had written about in England into New York nightclubs. Hurrah's and then Danceteria, and then the rest of America. Many, many of England's and Europe's best bands were introduced to America by Ruth. New music had a friend in Ruth, in a time when that was rare. We were supposed to have gone to the printers together that morning with the new single.

Adrift for many months, the band flew to San Francisco to record with Varian and Palacios production. Just before completion of These Are The Days, Certain General is offered a deal with a prestigious French label, Barclay Records. The record is shelved, the demos are shelved. We begin anew. Some of the songs would be re-recorded for Barclay on the 2 records done with that label. All of the peaks and valleys in our lives made for too real of a life, but an inspired response, this record. The bastard. This time there is a happy ending. Now, 12 years later, all of the tapes have been found, restored and compiled."

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Released by 'Invitation' in 1986 without authority. It is incomplete. The record that we intended to have been released was released this year on Fantastica records.

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Produced by Fred Maher and Lloyd Cole. Mixed by Gavin Mackillop. A promising record that the press liked but soon faded without support or tour, wasting an even more promising single, 'Baby, Are You Rch?'

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Single from 'Cabin Fever'. Our very own dance mix 12"

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On Ruth Polsky's very short lived S.U.S.S. label. Ruth Polsky was the manager of the band from 1984 to 1986.

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1st Barclay record. Self produced. Record charted high and sold well; and was at the top of nearly every press list in every 'years end poll' in France, Switzerland, and Belgium.

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A bulls-eye. The single charted high, sold well, was given many accolades, and had great artwork and video.

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Personnel: Parker Dulany -- voice and guitar, Phil Gammage -- lead guitar, Joe Lupo -- bass and Marcy Saddy -- drums. Vinny DeNunzio on drums on extra tracks. Reissue of 1985 LP. First time in CD format with six extra tracks. The record started out as demos and ended up being Certain General's best selling, highest regarded recording. In 1984 the band licenced some recordings to small French independant, 'Invitation au Suicide'. A very influencial and intellectual French newspaper, 'Liberation' proclaimed the band 'best everything' with much fanfare. The record sold. It was given high praise in many countries, but in France it was the career album.

From Amazon.com
***** An Underrecognized Classic
"New York City bands in the early 80's were overshadowed on the club scene by the visiting overseas and out of town next big things. But there was still life in the local scene. Following in the footsteps of the Contortions, Raybeats, and Bush Tetras, Certain General took the skronky/jazzy rhythms of the first, the art/surf pyschedelia of the second and the skanky semifunk of the latter to create a pop/postpunk hybrid that spoke as much of the garage as it did of the tenement atmosphere of NYC's lower east side.

The album moves from sultry surf/slowdance groove of "Service" to frenetic jackhammer pychedelic dancefloor grooves of "Jack In the Heart" to the wide open vistas of Americana in "Sympathy" and "Maximum G" to pure crazed pounding of "Voodoo Taxi" while all the time carrying a consistent group identity and continuity that belies the potporri of stylistic innovations. Throughout it all lead singer Parker Dulany's poetic vision - think of the Jim Morrison/Patti Smith lineage dances in time with drummer extradonaire Marcy Saddy's funky, yet conversational rhythym patterns. Lead guitarist Phil Gammage unleashes torrents of scattershot, feedback laced riffs, whilst alternating with a Link Ray meets Dick Dale surfadelic party. Certain General were contemporaneous with the Raybeats, Fleshtones, Bush Tetras, Swans and Sonic Youth, playing gigs with all of them plus sharing stages with the Cure, Gang of Four, New Order, REM, and Mission of Burma, to name but just a few. Orginally recorded in 1983, this 1999 reissue is the first time November's Heat is available as an American Release. It is an indispensible document of a time and place that didn't get it's due at the time, but still sounds fresh and vital today. "

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Personnel: Parker Dulany -- voice and guitar, Phil Gammage -- lead guitar, backing vocals, harmonica; Joe Lupo -- bass, keyboards; Marcy Saddy -- drums, backing vocals. Vinyl only. Digitally remastered and reissued on CD numerous times internationally.

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Featuring Parker Dulany -- voice and guitar; Phil Gammage -- lead and acoustic guitar, harmonica, backing vocals; Joe Lupo -- bass, keyboards; Marcy Saddy -- drums, backing vocals. Half live/half studio. Half Certain General/half Band of Outsiders. Vinyl only.

Critically acclaimed self release. This record is why so many albums would be released in France. The owner of 'Invitation' purchased a copy of this album in london while scouting for bands and was so smitten with Certain Generals songs on the album he inquired about releasing an entire album of material. The album submitted would become "November's Heat" which would become a very important album in French 80's culture.

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Featuring the original band lineup: Parker Dulany -- vocals; Phil Gammage -- guitar, backing vocals; Russell Berke -- bass; Marcy Saddy -- drums, backing vocals. Contains the orginal versions of Leader Out, Hello My God, B2 C#, Downtown and Holiday of Love. Vinyl only.

The first CG release. Acclaimed in the American press. It was produced by college radio legend Peter Holsapple of the db's. It was released on Labor records in 1982, a post-punk label that also hosted Swans and Diamanda Galas.

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