Formed in Las Vegas in 1980, M.I.A. moved to Orange County in 1981 and started playing shows at the infamous Cuckoo’s Nest. They first appeared on the classic Last Rites for Genocide and M.I.A. split LP (Smoke Seven) in 1982. After a short break, the band got back together in 1983 and recorded a six-song demo at Greencarton studios in November.
They quickly became known for their energetic live shows, blending fast, guitar-driven hardcore with singer Mike Conley’s unique melodic voice and the trademark Southern Californian punk sound.
After a show with the Dead Kennedys, Jello Biafra offered to release their next album, Murder In a Foreign Place on his Alternative Tentacles label in the summer of 1984.
“In the final days of December 1983, M.I.A. played a show in Las Vegas supporting the Dead Kennedys,” Guitarist & Vocalist Nick Adams recalls, “It was one of those underground DIY shows, in a dark warehouse space with a wall broken out to make it bigger, the result of kids willing to do just about anything to be with their friends and hear the music they loved. It was nearly broken up by the police (the Butthole Surfers were not allowed to play) but the Dead Kennedys got to do their set. M.I.A. had made an impression, though, and Jello Biafra offered to release M.I.A.'s next album on his label Alternative Tentacles. The record was also done in DIY fashion, with the band self-producing the resulting album.”
The band went on to release two more records, Notes From the Underground (National Trust 1985) and After the Fact (Flipside 1987), re-issued as a 2 LP set in 2023 by French label Modern City.
Sadly, singer Mike Conley passed away in 2008 following a tragic accident; but original members Nick Adams (guitar, vocals), Paul Schwartz (bass, vocals) and Larz Pearson (drums) perform as a three piece.
Now to mark the album’s 40th anniversary, Alternative Tentacles and Modern City have teamed up to bring you Murder In a Foreign Place in 2024.
With a total of 19 tracks, the re-issue includes the original album along with 2 studio out-takes and the full Greencarton demos. Unreleased track Help Me Up appears here for the first time ever!
There are three versions of the album: a limited edition with hand screened covers and colored vinyl, a limited blue cover edition with blue vinyl (a salute to the original mid-80s Mordam blue-cover pressing), and a traditional red cover with red vinyl, with a 24 page booklet.
No matter if you have original copies of Murder In a Foreign Place, or just discovering M.I.A. for the first time, this album is a must for any collection! It’s an incredible re-issue for an indispensable album.
Sign up for the for the month of September and get a copy of the limited edition hand screened cover on color vinyl!
