Wipers’ ‘Youth of America’ Deluxe Reissue Unearths Long-Lost Rarities
To mark the 40th anniversary of Wipers’ second album, Youth of America, the group has put together a commemorative vinyl reissue with Jackpot Records that features several previously unreleased tracks.
The LP represented a progression for the band, which stepped away from the succinctly catchy punk songs of their previous release, Is This Real?, and explored sprawling, heavily textured songs, some of which surpassed the 10-minute mark. The record, Youth of America — Anniversary Edition: 1981 — 2021, will come out on the first of Record Store Day’s two drops this year, June 12th.
The two-LP release, which is limited to 3,000 copies, features a deluxe gatefold jacket, colored vinyl, and a reproduction of the original, rejected artwork. The second disc contains rare mixes and tracks from the 1981 sessions for the LP, including three difficult-to-find tunes, “My Vengeance,” “The Story,” and “Scared Stiff.” The first two tracks were from a vinyl-only 1981 compilation called Trap Sampler; “Scared Stiff” was cut from Youth of America because it didn’t fit with the album’s darker-hued feel. Alternate and outtake mixes of the album’s “When It’s Over,” “Pushing the Extreme,” “No Fair,” and “Youth of America” round out the bonus material.
Wipers put out a similarly deluxe reissue of their debut album, Is This Real?, last year to mark that record’s 40th, and Sage granted Rolling Stone a rare interview looking back on the album. In the article, Sage also addressed why he hasn’t released any new music since 1999’s Power in One. “Times changed, people changed,” he said. “I found it harder to write the way I was used to. I didn’t need to stop making music, I wanted to. It was difficult at first because I never quit on anything, but I felt I had done enough over 20-plus years and was satisfied with that. I realized to save my sanity it would be best to just stop than continue fighting to keep some of my independence.”
