Interscope Vinyl Collective (IVC), a continuing subscription series of monthly limited-edition LPs, will release the 30th anniversary edition of influential alt-metal band Helmet’s Betty on June 1. Pressed at Third Man Records in Detroit, the 2-LP gray vinyl extended version features five additional tracks – “Flushings,” “Thick,” “Pariah,” “Biscuits for Smut – Mutt Mix” and “Biscuits for Smut – Pooch Mix” – along with all new artwork, illustrated by legendary artist Derek Hess, plus a Hess illustration etched onto Side D and an exclusive lithograph of the album’s original cover. A thank you message from Page Hamilton, the band’s founder and lead singer/lead guitarist, is printed on the accompanying record sleeves.
Speaking about the 30th anniversary of Betty, Page Hamilton says, “After recording our first two albums, Strap it On and Meantime, with Wharton Tiers in his downtown NYC basement studio, Fun City, we decided to try something different. We knew the LA Motown studio Neve 8078 console was owned by Donald Fagan of Steely Dan so we ended up at his upper, upper east side studio, River Sound in NYC. It was a bit daunting to leave the comfort of Wharton’s place but we ended up 30 years later with an album Betty we still dig. All of the songs are still performed live (fall tour in the works).”
He adds, “It’s been a lot of fun working with old and new friends at our longtime label. My pals at Interscope introduced me to the folks at Third Man Records in Nashville, who will be pressing the vinyl in Detroit. I couldn’t be happier with the results.”
Now considered a cult classic, Betty was originally released on June 21, 1994, on Interscope Records. Helmet and T-Ray produced all of the album’s songs, except for “Milquetoast,” which was produced by Butch Vig. Rolling Stone would go on to hail it as “one of Helmet’s most beloved albums, as well as a landmark of mid-Nineties metal” and note, “Tracks like ‘Wilma’s Rainbow,’ ‘I Know’ and ‘Milquetoast’ (which had appeared earlier that year, as ‘Milktoast,’ on the soundtrack to the Brandon Lee film The Crow) continued the band’s riff-as-power-tool aesthetic, while also expanding on it…exploring jazz (‘Beautiful Love’), blues (‘Sam Hell’) and oddball funk (‘The Silver Hawaiian’).”
More at https://interscope.com/pages/interscope-vinyl-collective
