Sold Date: August 20, 2021
Start Date: November 15, 2020
Final Price: $19.99 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 6507
Buyer Feedback: 0

vintage 1989 vinyl HOUSE OF LARGE SIZES  Toxic Shock Records pressing of "Heat Miser" the second album from the Iowa power-trio HOLS.

10 Songs include "the Works, Big Bag of Dope, I Know What I Like, Death Buggy and Half Breed".

HOUSE OF LARGE SIZES were a power trio from Iowa. Atypical smart punk and one of the greatest of all bands on Toxic Shock. Their home base was Cedar Falls Iowa, but they toured extensively through the USA, shared stages with others of the "grunge" generation. The sound should appeal to fans of Minutemen, Superchunk, Pixies and Firehose.  Their sound is a classic example of early hardcore, welding driving rock and roll with broad melodies and varied tempos and hooks.

Certainly a cool item and a must for any US outsider/grunge/hardcore fan.  Toxic Shock Records was an American independent record label based first in Pomona, CA, then in Tucson, AZ. The label was spawned from the record store of the same name, by its founders Bill Sassenberger and Julianna Towns in 1983, when they released the first of the "Noise from Nowhere" series of 7" EP compilations. For the next decade they released singles, compilations and albums by many notable and influential bands of the hardcore, noise rock and post-hardcore scenes. Bill Sassenberger opened his first Toxic Shock record store in Pomona, CA in 1980. He specialized in underground punk records from independent labels. He expanded to mail-order soon after by advertising in music magazines. In 1983, he and wife Julianna Towns released Noise from Nowhere, a 7", 33rpm EP featuring four local underground punk bands: Kent State, Modern Industry, Manson Youth and their own band Moslem Birth (whose name was a parody of Christian Death). Noise from Nowhere featured cover art by Pushead. With this release, Toxic Shock Records was born. Singles from Modern Industry, Peace Corpse (the renamed Moslem Birth) Massacre Guys, Red Tide, and much later Seattle's Skin Yard followed, as well as albums by Italian punkers Raw Power, Decry, Stupids, Corrosion of Conformity, th'Inbred and the Dayglo Abortions. In 1988 Bill and Julianna moved the label and the store to Tucson, AZ. From Tucson, they released albums by Hickoids, Hullabaloo,House of Large Sizes, Jesus Chrysler, Sloppy Seconds and Treepeople. They also re-established the Noise from Nowhere' 7" EP as a series. Noise from Nowhere Vol. 2, released in 1989, featured cover songs performed by label bands Hullabaloo(Highway Star), Hickoids (Green Acres), House of Large Sizes (Half-Breed) and Sloppy Seconds (Candy Man). Eight more Noise from Nowhere volumes would follow, featuring label bands as well as one-off recordings by other up-and-coming bands, including a rare split single by /Gods Acre and Green Magnet School. Noise from Nowhere Vol. 10 was the last record released under the Toxic Shock imprint featuring, appropriately, four underground local Tucson bands. They released a few more CD's under a new name -- Westworld -- including the Fells, Rhythm Pigs and Feast Upon cactus Thorns. plus the Decade of Disaster compilation chronicling the Toxic Shock years,but soon reverted their energy back into running the record store specializing in obscure, underground music, now renamed "Toxic Ranch Records since the move to Arizona.. Some bands that played Toxic ranch in-stores over the years include Alice Donut, Calexico, My Dad is Dead, Alice Bag, Andrew Jackson Jihad, F#ckemos, Hickoids, My Dad is Dead, Supernova, RAMBO, Doo Rag. the Fells, Feast Upon cactus Thorns, Grandaddy, Millencolin, Sex Prisonor, Lenguas Largas, Resonars, Smears, Swing Ding Amigos, Pork Torta, Drags, Bar Feeders, and many more,

We ship in sturdy cardboard mailers designed to protect vinyl. Will gladly ship internationally.