Since Jackpot Records began their WIPERS vinyl reissues in 2006, they have been inundated with requests for a reissue of Over The Edge. After two years of labor, including an immaculate remaster from the original tapes by Greg Sage, we now have Over the Edge, pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl and packaged in a deluxe, tip-on sleeve.

The bleak, hard-driven third LP by the Wipers (originally released in 1983) offers Greg Sage at his most chased and breathless, lashing out with sharp staccato notes as if the melody were his only defense. While their debut LP provided the blueprint for grunge, and their second album recast the band as one of America’s premier postpunk bands, it’s Over The Edge that best exemplifies the Wipers’ sound. The jagged, effortless guitar lines, the paranoid lyrics and raw-throated vocals and the taut, unified rhythms that define their sound bleed together most clearly on this LP, and it stands as both the best entry point for new fans and the most prevalent favorite of diehards.