Godspeed You! Black Emperor Officially Release Debut Tape: Listen

Earlier this month, a purported leak of Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s 1993 debut tape, All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, surfaced online. In line with its longstanding policy on the record, Constellation Records declined to comment on the tape’s veracity. Now, the band’s Efrim Manuel Menuck has spoken—and released the album on streaming services (with the exception of Spotify). Check it out below. 

In an interview for Vish Khanna’s Kreative Kontrol podcast, Menuck, who recorded the tape mostly alone before forming the band, suggested the leak was not entirely welcome. After hearing the first 10 seconds, however, he recognized its authenticity and decided to release the official version. 

Menuck spoke about recording the tape in 1993 for friends and selling just a handful of copies at a show in the Canadian city of Moncton, saying his barely existent budget prevented further distribution. After he formed Godspeed, attracting a cult following, the prospect of releasing the tape did not appeal to him, partly because it was made during “rough times.” Despite some reluctance to complain about the ways of the internet, he admitted to feeling there was “something really fucked up about making a cassette for 12 friends, and 30 years later it ends up on YouTube.” Nonetheless, he says, he is happy for people to listen to it now—even if it is “not the Godspeed you know.” Check out the conversation in full.