Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil LP

The band’s 2007 breakout hit album! Good Bad Not Evil epitomizes all that's special about Atlanta's favorite flower-punk sons—their unconfined energy, undeniable songcraft and unrivaled showmanship are all on full display. The material ranges from dirty psychedelic blues songs about Holy World War 3 (“Veni Vidi Vicci”), outright pop hits like “Katrina” (written the night the band found out that the Hurricane of the same name had devastated New Orleans) and “Bad Kids” (based around certain band members’ experiences with juvenile detention centers). There’s also the bruised, tender album closer “Transcendental Light.”

Good Bad Not Evil was produced by Black Lips at The Living Room studios in their hometown of Atlanta, aided by the band’s friend Ed Rawls, a bartender at the nearby Drunken Unicorn, just around the corner from where fellow Atlantans Outkast work.


“Good Bad Not Evil is the record where naysayers, disinterested friends and acquaintances, and anyone else within earshot has to sit up, shut up, and listen.” —Pitchfork

“As grimy as a truck-stop restroom, Atlanta's Black Lips want to be the Pabst-swilling heirs to the Troggs. A-” —Entertainment Weekly.

Bending scuzzy boundaries, ‘Good Bad Not Evil’ is a coming-of-age garage rock classic record. Full of hedonistic delinquent anthems, the fourth studio album from Atlanta punks Black Lips reaches it’s 15 year anniversary. This deluxe edition includes unearthed photos and new liner notes from Jared Swilley and King Khan. The second disc features B-sides and rarities including ‘Cruising’, ‘I Wanna Dance With You’ and ‘Leroy Faster’.

‘Good Bad Not Evil’ perfectly encapsulates the disillusionment of the mid-00s America, slammed between warehouse parties, DIY generator shows and scattered party pics, which was recorded in a little house in Atlanta that had been converted into a studio called the Living Room. Referencing Shangri-Las in the title, this is where their knack for garage gems met Motown; with bass heavy grooves (later remixed by Diplo), a certified country twang and unabashed bravado. Instant hits like ‘Veni Vidi Vici’, ‘Cold Hands’, ‘Bad Kids’ and ‘O Katrina!’ immediately became Black Lips staples.

This was a band caught in the eye of the storm, the touring continued, the parties didn’t stop, this was a band bending the scuzzy boundaries of their chosen genre. The record was hailed by the likes of Pitchfork, who proclaimed, “Black Lips are a go-to band for vintage lo-fi freaks, and their raucous live shows have helped them cross over outside of crusty dive bars. ‘Good Bad Not Evil’, however, is the record where naysayers, disinterested friends and acquaintances, people on the street, and anyone else within earshot has to sit up, shut up, and listen.” …and, shut up and listen they did.

Label: Fire Records – FireLP600
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo
Country: USA & Europe
Released: 2022
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Punk

Tracklist

A1 Saw a Ghost (Lean)2
A2 O Katrina
A3 Veni Vidi Vici
A4 It Feels Alright
A5 Navajo
A6 Lock And Key
A7 How Do You Tell A Child Someone Has Died
B1 Bad Kids
B2 Step Right Up
B3 Cold Hands
B4 Off The Block
B5 Slime And Oxygen
B6 Transcendental Light
C1 Cruising
C2 Make It
C3 I Wanna Dance With You
D1 Best Napkin I Ever Had
D2 My Trouble
D3 Leroy Faster
D4 Buried Alive