Thinking Fellers Union Local #282: Admonishing The Bishops

Bulbous Monocle, a new label focused on the legacy of the Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 and the scene from which it reveled in between the years 1986-1996, is honored to launch the label with arguably the most lauded and concise testament from the band. 1993's mini-masterpiece Admonishing the Bishops. Originally released on the Matador Records label, this title and most of the "Fellers" discography has been out of print for over 25 years. Now, newly remastered by Mark Gergis (Sublime Frequencies et. Al) this perfect EP is sounding better than ever! "Formed in San Francisco in 1986, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 had the bad luck to display a range of cultural and musical reference points shared by relatively few members of that era's archconservative "underground culture. " On any given day, you might hear that their records were too manicured or too chaotic, too cerebral or too absurd, too personal or too impersonal, too experimental or too pop. Above all, they were derided as "self-indulgent" by critics who expected artists to tiptoe deferentially around their audience's blind spots. "To be fair, their early recordings had about as much relation to their in-the-flesh grandeur as a dripping faucet does to Iguazu Falls. Against steep technical odds, Greg Freeman of Lowdown Studio made their LPs work beautifully as aural monuments. But listeners who hadn't seen the Fellers' live could be forgiven for finding these albums a bit forbidding. "Which brings us to Admonishing the Bishops - a wholly unexpected breakthrough release comprising four down-home, crowd-pleasin' tracks engineered by Volcano Suns / Shellac bassist Bob Weston during the Fellers' epochal tour with Sun City Girls in fall 1992. "The studio was in Steve Albini's basement, and we stayed there at his house for a couple days while we recorded and mixed," vocalist/guitarist/bassist/banjoist/trombonist/etceterist Mark Davies explains. The relaxed, low-stakes atmosphere - along with the band's tour-hardened performances and what Mark calls "the joy of getting our minds blown every night" by Sun City Girls - yielded tracks that were polished and approachable without sacrificing any of the band's complexity or ferocity. "Back in San Francisco, they decided to release these tracks as a 10-inch EP rather than saving them for a full album. Mark notes that bassist Anne Eickelberg spearheaded the project: "She wanted to put out something concise after the somewhat bloated double-LP. " "Upon it's release in 1993, Admonishing the Bishops' concision, clarity and accessibility went over like a duralumin-and-fabric zeppelin. With it's 20/20 focus on the band's songcraft, it's an ideal introduction for curious neophytes and a natural choice for the first installment of Bulbous Monocle's highly anticipated TFUL282 reissue series. Long-time listeners, meanwhile, will appreciate this reissue's meticulous remastering by Mark Gergis of Sublime Frequencies. Or else. " - Brandan Kearney, Portland OR 2022

1. Hurricane
2. Undertaker
3. Million Dollars
4. Father

Shipping is available to the 48 contiguous United States. We are unable to ship to PO Boxes, International locations, or APO/FPO addresses. 

Please ensure your address is entered correctly. We are unable to redirect to an alternate shipping address once an order is placed.If your order contains multiple items, it may ship from different warehouse locations.

Tracking information will be sent as items are shipped.

Allow up to 5 business days for your order to process when calculating delivery dates. 

Note: Additional delays may occur due to severe weather or other carrier delays. 

Standard Shipping: allow 7-10 business days for delivery. Albums will be shipped via USPS Media Mail; all other products via UPS Ground or FedEx Ground.

Expedited Shipping: allow 2-5 business days for delivery. Albums will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail; all other products via UPS 2-Day Air or FedEx 2-Day Air.

Overnight Shipping: allow 1-2 business days for delivery. All products will be shipped via UPS Next Day Air or FedEx Next Day Air. 

We offer a 30-day money back guarantee on all products purchased from Victrola.com. All items must be returned as new in their original packaging, including all accessories and cables. Albums must be unopened to receive a refund. Missing items will be charged based on suggested retail prices.

All returns must be accompanied by a valid return authorization number (RMA) issued by Victrola. If an RMA is not obtained prior to shipping, the returned product will be refused and returned to sender.

If the item is no longer wanted, the shipping cost is not refundable and returns must be shipped prepaid by the customer. There is a 15% restocking fee that will be calculated based on the price of the product once the item is refunded.

If the item is defective, a pre-paid shipping label to return the product will be provided, and no restocking fee applies.

To set up a return for refund please visit Customer Care. Be sure to include your order # and reason for your return when submitting your request.

View more information about returns and warranty here.