STRAIGHTJACKET FITS 'Hail' LP

Straitjacket Fits debut album Hail (1988), reissued on vinyl thanks to Flying Nun Records.

Hail is an album that showcases the many strengths of Straitjacket Fits in the early part of their development. It is a record full of furious off-piste guitaring and startling vocals anchored by a granite hard rhythm section but that also showcases gentler melodic material including a cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long Marianne’. But generally, the songs are more experimental in nature with a considerable range of material from Andrew Brough’s standout ‘Fabulous Things’ to the vigorous guitar noise of Shayne Carter’s ‘Grate’.

Hail is a documentation of a band on the up, a band flexing its potential and oozing confidence and optimism. With Hail, the Straitjacket Fits were well on their way to giving the rock ‘n’ roll thing their very best shot.