Butthole Surfers Reissue Remastered Classic Titles on Digital, With Vinyl to Drop March 22

Controversial and influential rock band Butthole Surfers are shining a light on their earliest years as part of a legacy release series, beginning with three albums from 1984-1986. Though the band later attained a surprising amount of mainstream success in the 1990s, particularly with 1996's Electriclarryland, the group's wilder earlier albums are arguably the bedrock of their legacy.

Formed in 1981, three members of the original line-up remain in place today: vocalist Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary. Drummer King Coffey joined in 1983, while a rotating roster of bassists has been employed, most notably Jeff Pinkus.

Emerging from the hardcore punk scene in the early '80s, the Butthole Surfers became known for the outrageous and deliberately provocative music and visuals they displayed. Their 1983 debut studio EP Butthole Surfers aka Brown Reason to Live aka Pee Pee The Sailor had a profound effect on a young Kurt Cobain, who later listed it in his Top 50 albums of all time.

The first in the reissue series, 1984's Live PCPPEP captures the band onstage in San Antonio in April of that year. While it contains tracks from Brown Reason to Live, a new song and one unreleased, the EP was released ahead of their full-length debut amidst the still long-standing rumor they were unhappy with the sound in the studio.

The band's album debut 1985's Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac heralded a shift in sound, mixing psychedelia, traditional punk, surf and country genres with experimental instrumentation, i.e. Haynes using a bullhorn, playing saxophone and employing the dual drumming of Coffey and the late Teresa Nervosa to smashing effect on the track "Cherub."

Rembrandt Pussyhorse from 1986, marked a further stretch with studio experimentation, including tape-editing, modulation and added piano and violin. The band was emerging from the straight-up marked sound of punk to a full-on, psychedelia-drenched, avant-garde showcase.

Remastered audio of the first three releases in the series – PCPPEP, Psychic…Powerless…Another Man's Sac and Rembrandt Pussyhorse – have been made available on streaming services, with vinyl to follow on March 22. Pre-orders are available here.