The Riptides - Tales from Planet Earth LP - Red Ripple - Vinyl LP

Veteran Ottawa, ON pop-punkers The Riptides are excited to announce the re-issue of their fan-favorite album Tales From Planet Earth, the first entry from the band’s back catalog to be re-issued by Pirates Press Records.

After a successful collaboration with the label on their latest LP Burn After Listening earlier this year, the band can’t wait to bring Tales From Planet Earth - originally released in 2009 on Asian Man Records - back into the spotlight for fans old and new to (re-)discover!

Bassist & songwriter Bob Goblin states that this album “marked a key moment in The Riptides’ sound—leaning hard into more power-pop melodies and songwriting, all without losing the Ramones, Screeching Weasel, and Queers-type influence that’s always been at the band's core.”

The album was recorded at Lafayette, IN’s legendary Sonic Iguana Studios with sought-after producer Mass Giorgini (Suzi Moon, Squirtgun, Common Rider) at the helm and Phil Hill (Teen Idols) engineering. “We look back on those sessions as probably the most fun we’ve ever had making a record...we were surrounded by a community that made the experience unforgetta- ble.” Along with a number of friends and collaborators, the album features drumming by Dan Lumley (Common Rider, Screeching Weasel, Squirtgun), who brought great energy to the sessions. For this re-issue, Giogini has re-mixed, re-mastered, and re-energized the album!

For many in the band’s fanbase, Tales from Planet Earth is the definitive Riptides record. It has all the elements fans look for from the band: hooks, harmonies, and plenty of nerdy sci-fi & spy-themed references. Tracks like “Hung Up” and “Omega Man” have endured as fan-favorites since the album’s release. There’s even a Christmas song!

“Omega Man” is the band’s campy take on the 1971 Charlton Heston-starring film adaptation of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. “Out of all our songs, I think we received the most direct messages from fans about this one,” laughs Bob. “Whenever we reference a film or TV show as specific as this, the cult/geek fans always come out of the woodwork and let us know how we did, and they really dug this one.”

Looking back on the record as a whole, Bob Goblin says, “We wrote these songs during a time when we were fully embracing our love of classic pop songwriting. It’s the most unapologetically fun album we’ve ever made—and we’re still incredibly proud of it."

Tracklist:
SIDE A
01. Hung Up
02. She Gets Around
03. I Go Mental
04. Omega Man
05. Dial M For Murder
06. Two Minute Penalty
SIDE B
07. Stranger in the House
08. Shell Shock
09. I Can’t Have A Merry Christmas
10. Call Me
11. Tattletale
12. Shit Outta Luck

Pressing - 250 Red Ripple