According to reports, the dB’s debut album, Stands For deciBels, from 1981 became a cult classic but didn’t make much of a commercial impression. Among the fans were R.E.M., whose members are among the many who cite the LP as an inspiration.
“We hope that the high quality of our music is what has kept this album beloved by many,” says drummer Will Rigby. (Singer/guitarists Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey and bassist Gene Holder round out the quartet.) “It has a sound all its own. The variety of material is a strong point. The songs do not sound like each other.”
Now, Stands For deciBels has been remastered, and will be available digitally on June 7 and on CD and vinyl (the latter for the first time in the U.S.) on June 14 via Propeller Sound Recordings. The LP was recorded in New York City in 1979 and released in the United Kingdom after the Winston-Salem, N.C., band failed to get a label deal in the U.S.
“We were thrilled to have an album out, no matter how obscure it remained at the time,” Rigby adds. “We were happy with the overall album, although there are always things we hear that we wish we could redo or have done differently. Mostly, we wish it was better recorded … but we’re proud of our music and glad that it’s still being listened to nearly half a century later.”
You can pre-order the dB’s Stands For deciBels reissue in various formats here.
